The Grind (And Helping Heather Potter) [Book 2]

"Heather Potter," Tonks said slowly and carefully. "Step away from the fugitive so I may arrest him. This is for your own safety."

Heather practically growled protectively, "You'll have to go through me first! Sirius is innocent! He's my Godfather for Magic's sake!"

"And that just makes his betrayal and trickery all the more tragic," Tonks continued. "Trust me, I don't want to do this either. But he's a wanted murderer and Death Eater. Step away from him slowly and we may all just get out of this unharmed."

"He's not a wanted anything!" Heather huffed. "He never even had a trial! All he's guilty of is escaping unlawful custody and a literal Hell on Earth!"

Heather's insistent denial seemed to be swaying Tonks somewhat, "That's… certainly concerning. How about he surrenders himself to me and we can figure this out together?"

Throughout the argument, Sirius Black just kept smirking at me like we were old friends until he finally said, "Witches, am I right?"

As if it was coordinated, Heather and Tonks both sent stinging hexes at Sirius, making him jump and yelp. Their verbal responses were also synchronized, though they each called him by a unique nickname, "Shut up, Padfoot/Cousin Siri!"

The two of them looked at each other and an amused Heather said, "You know… maybe you should just take him."

"I don't think I want to anymore," Tonks shot back.

"Witches, am I right?" Sirius repeated himself with an unrepentant smirk, trying to get his punchline to land.

Heather and Tonks just rolled their eyes, zapping him again with synchronized hexes. Sirius' attempts at humor still seemed to have done the job of de-escalating the situation though. Tonks lowered her wand but didn't put it away, less ready to start throwing spells now that it was clear Sirius Black wasn't about to do something drastic or dangerous.

"Well, this is certainly interesting…" Septima said, reminding us all that she was still there and still very naked beneath that sheet. "Hopefully it does not devolve into violence. I'm afraid I'm woefully underdressed for that activity."

Sirius waggled his eyebrows at me knowingly. He had the decency to not ogle Septima though so I couldn't get too annoyed.

"Ahhh…" He sighed over-dramatically. "This reminds me of Tahiti. One naked witch, one trying to arrest me, and another sneaking me into a man's bedroom for criminal mischief… Good times."

I raised an eyebrow, "And none of them wanted to sleep with you that time as well?"

"Ha!" Sirius barked a laugh. "Apple doesn't fall far from the tree, I see."

Tonks crinkled her nose in confusion and I suddenly got the worst premonition, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Sirius looked everywhere but me awkwardly, "Err… How about we establish my innocence first before we get into that packet of beans?"

Heather looked between me and Sirius as a hint of something began to dawn on her face. Something similar happened to the others in the room and I suddenly felt like I wasn't the only one who could see the resemblance. I both hyper-fixated on it and tried to ignore it at the same time, my mind jumping between theories and denials in the span of seconds.

"Right… We'll come back to that," Tonks thankfully said. "Now, innocence business. Fess up, Cousin Siri."

"Pettigrew was the secret keeper," The words practically tumbled out of Sirius' mouth. "Everyone thought it was me but James and I were pulling a fast one. Pettigrew was secretly a Death Eater the whole time. He sold the Potters out and I chased after him for revenge like a bone-headed idiot. He faked his death and framed me for everything. 

"He's a rat Animagus. That's how he escaped and has hidden for all of these years. I was thrown into Azkaban without a trial. Just woke up in a cell. I'm sure you could dig up proof of that (or lack of it) at the Ministry."

His words seemed to physically strike Tonks and she rocked back on her heels, "Fuuuuuccckkkkk… Madam Bones is going to flip her shit if even an ounce of that is true."

"It all is. I'll swear on it. I'll testify under Veritaserum," Sirius asserted firmly.

"Bugger all," Tonks swore, half to herself and half to the rest of us. "This is worse than Atlas' situation. Why haven't you tried to turn yourself in? Bones would give you a fair shot."

Sirius barked a laugh that was utterly devoid of humor, "It's not Amelia that I'm worried about. We go way back. Hell, I was sweet on her before… before everything happened.

"Fudge though? I wouldn't trust him with my back if all he had was a rock. He's already tried to silence me with Dementors. I think he's helping Lucius Malfoy take the House of Black from me. Well… 'was'."

"Nice shot there, Atlas," Sirius finished with a smirk.

"Didn't hear that last bit and I don't want to," Tonks pled ignorance of the bit of information she would have been forced to act upon. "Still… Shite, that makes a twisted kind of sense, doesn't it? I heard about the Dementors. Bones was furious but she couldn't do much. It was the only time they'd been let off Azkaban since they switched sides during the war. Why else would Fudge do that unless he wanted to send a message written in death, your death?"

"If what Heather told me about Atlas' situation is accurate, the case for Line Theft gets even stronger than that. Though, I very much doubt Fudge knows where he messed up there," Sirius grinned.

"Why's that?" I asked, dread and something I could barely recognize as hope bubbling up in my chest.

"Well…" Sirius hedged. "You're a Black. My only true-blooded heir at that. Something happens to me, Headship of the House goes to you. If something happens to you, Headship goes to Draco Malfoy. It'd actually go to Heather here but Lucius didn't know that and Fudge certainly doesn't either."

Silence reigned, overtaking my quarters at Sirius' matter-of-fact reveal of life-changing information. My suspicions were confirmed and the premonition from earlier became a reality. I didn't know how to feel. Relief and hope warred with discontent and frustration in my heart.

Slowly, I walked up to Sirius. He looked at me with worry and no small amount of his own hope in his eyes. On one hand, I now knew who my father was. And I had a family beyond him based on how Tonks called him 'Cousin'. On the other…

I socked him in the stomach, "Bastard."

"Ooof!" Sirius exhaled. "T-Technically, you're the bastard here…"

"Shut up," I said shortly. "You abandoned me. Not just by going to Azkaban. That too but you had to have abandoned me years before then. Why'd I have to grow up in an orphanage? Where was my mother? Where were you, huh?"

"I-I deserved that," Sirius wheezed. "But I can explain if you'll let me!"

I looked at Tonks and saw her wincing. For me or for Sirius, I didn't know. I looked at Septima and saw calm acceptance and support. No matter what, she'd be there to help me pick up the pieces. I looked at Heather and saw her ready to sock one to Sirius as well. For some reason, that was what made me start to calm down.

I took a deep breath, "I'm listening."

"We are listening," Septima corrected, coming up behind me to rest her head on my shoulder with the sheet around her trailing behind.

"Right…" Sirius paused to catch his breath. "First off, you've got to understand something about my family. They sucked. Just about the worst family one could have the pleasure of being part of. Neither your mother nor I wanted you to be raised in that environment. We weren't even really together. You were just a happy, rebellious accident. But that doesn't mean you weren't wanted!

"And then you have to consider that the war was in full swing. I was on the front lines basically all the time and your mother would quickly come to be in the same position. It was no place to be raising a child.

"So we did the only thing we could think of. We stashed you someplace safe and anonymous and were going to come to get you when the war was over. We were only in our last year of Hogwarts at the time. So as you might expect, that plan quickly went up in flames."

"So all I was to you was something to dump and ignore until you could pick me up again at your own convenience?" That wasn't completely fair to Sirius but at the moment, I couldn't bring myself to rightly care.

Septima squeezed my shoulder lightly to chide and support me as Sirius sputtered out a denial, "W-What?! No! We may have been young and dumb but we never thought of you as something convenient!"

I sniffed, not completely convinced, "And yet, I still grew up in an orphanage."

"We didn't have another choice!" Sirius insisted. "I saw what a Pure-Blood family like mine does to a child. Hell, I lived it! I couldn't bear putting you through that. Putting you through a family that would have twisted you into something unrecognizable and sold you to the Dark Lord without a second thought!"

Something hot and angry coiled in my chest but before I could let it out, Septima spoke for me, "Surely there were other options. Friends? People you trusted or looked up to?"

"W-We couldn't…" Sirius averted his eyes in shame. "There was too much going on. We were already keeping you a secret. Your mother would have been killed if anyone found out. The family would have tried to abduct you. They would have done anything to ensure the next generation was 'raised right' after a 'Pure-Blood failure' like me. Hell, even the Dark Lord would have gotten involved to try and secure the Black fortune for the future."

Septima's reply was simple but suitably judgmental, "Be that as it may be, it still seems to me that you chose the worst of bad options."

Having Septima on my side helped loosen the tight coil of frustration in my chest. Years of neglect were still boiling to the surface but I knew I had Septima no matter what. She didn't care about the reveal of my hidden heritage. We were already committed to starting a new Pure-Blood line together anyway. Still, her unconditional support was soothing in a way I hadn't realized I needed until now.

"Uh…" Tonks caught everyone's attention. "I don't mean to play devil's advocate or anything. But based on my mom and her childhood stories, Sirius is probably right about what the rest of the Black family would do."

"Yeah!" Sirius nodded. "They cast Andromeda out for simply marrying a Muggle-born. For generations, the Black family has been the worst kind of Pure-Bloods. Literally, none of them were fit to be around children, let alone raising them. My own mother Crucio'd me for Merlin's sake! It's a miracle that my generation turned out the way it did."

A single sentence about Sirius' childhood silenced the room. The worst part was that Tonks didn't even seem surprised. Her mother probably had similar horror stories.

Eventually, though, I broke the silence with a simple question that had been bothering me since Sirius began his explanation and excuses.

"Why haven't you told me who my mother is?"

Sirius chuckled awkwardly, "Hehe… It's just a bit of an unwieldy reveal, is all. Especially since you were raised by Muggles. If you were raised around Pure-Bloods, you'd probably have an easier time accepting it. She… Well, you could say we had a close relationship our entire lives-…"

A loud hiss shocked Sirius into silence. We all looked and found a black cat practically glaring at us with purple eyes from atop my desk. Sirius startled at the sight, his lips zipping closed as tightly as possible.

"Is… Is that your cat?" He asked in a strained voice.

"Hmm, Bella? No, she's taken more of a liking to Luna than me. I'm sure she just wants to be included in our conversation," I said, walking over to pick up Bella. A part of me was thankful for the distraction. "Now… you were saying?"

Sirius' eyes kept darting strangely between me and Bella, "Uh… I think it's better if your mother makes that reveal herself… When you meet her, I mean!"

I wasn't happy with that answer but Sirius clammed up and refused to say more. Bella cuddled closer to me as I tried to glare him into submission. Sirius wouldn't be budged.

"So why now? Why risk revealing all of this now?" Tonks' question broke the stalemate.

Sirius was at least willing to answer that question, "Well, Heather told me about his current legal troubles. I thought this might help. Reveal Atlas is a Pure-Blood heir and he'll get much more meaningful support when Fudge inevitably pushes for an unfair trial.

"Also, he's basically inserted himself as Heather's guardian. I thought it was funny. Heather's Godfather and her Godfather's son both stake a claim on her guardianship. What a prank!"

He finished with a wince and an almost whisper, "Oh, uh, and I might be kind of, sort of… dying."

"You're what?!" Heather all but screeched.

"You know… dying," Sirius said sheepishly. "13 years in Azkaban won't be kind to anyone. Dementor overexposure, malnutrition, the works."

For some reason, Bella whined at his words as well. It was worryingly Human. And considering Padfoot was an Animagus… Oh, dear. Heather's next outburst stole my attention again and my suspicion was relegated to a corner of my mind for later.

Heather wasn't having Sirius' shit, "Oh, no you don't! You only get to die when I kill you! I'm going to do everything I can to make sure you live that long, you mutt!"

"I can't help but agree with Heather here," I added. "You've got too much to answer for to just up and die, 'father'."

Heather shot me a thankful look, "Good. There has to be something we can do together."

I smirked, "I think I see a visit to the V-E-T in Padfoot's future."

Sirius whimpered, "Don't even joke about that. Lily used to threaten me with the horrors of the vet all the time. Instead of memories, the Dementors sometimes made me dream of being neutered…"

"We've got to prove his innocence as well," Tonks added helpfully. "Be a bit hard to do that if he's dead."

Sirius looked surprised, "You believe me?"

"I think Bones would kill me if I didn't at least give you a shot," Tonks snorted.

"Is… Is there any way for me to contact her? Outside of a formal setting?" Sirius asked.

"I suppose I could pass along a message to just Amelia instead of Madam Bones…" Tonks suggested suspiciously. "Why though?"

Sirius smirked like a dog, "I imagine there's a non-zero chance I die to something during this exoneration process. I want at least one last night of pleasure before that happens. Amy seems like my best shot."

Tonks smirked right back at him, "Should I tell her that along with your message?"

Heather slapped him on the back of the head, "Again, you're not allowed to die, mutt. And show some respect to the woman who will be clearing your name."

"I am!" Sirius insisted. "I still remember that little thing she used to do with her tongue. I'm showing respect for that by requesting her as my 'last meal'."

I rolled my eyes, "Why are we trying to save his life again?"

The mangy mutt feigned injury, "Ah! Your words! They wound me. Mine own son! Oh, oh woe!"

Heather joined me, rolling her eyes at Sirius' theatrics as well, "Whatever. We'll have to bring Hermione in on this as well. I want to help but I feel like I'll just cock things up until we know what we're working with. We may actually have to take him to the vet. Who knows what problems his Animagus form has…"

"Mom's a healer," Tonks offered.

"And I'm more than willing to help with research and diagnosis as well," Septima added.

A seed of hope started to blossom in Sirius' eyes, "There's actually a chance for me, isn't there?"

"There just might be…"

IIIII

Much of the rest of the night was spent planning and getting everyone on the same page. Tonks would contact Madam Amelia Bones — Head of the DMLE — with everything she'd learned tonight. From Sirius' innocence to my true heritage, we weren't planning on keeping anything a secret from the woman who would likely end up as one of our most potent allies.

A vague plan was sketched out to wait until Fudge inevitably scheduled my trial before the Wizengamot. It was something Tonks practically promised to happen. Especially with the way my interview/interrogation ended. Someone (*cough* Fudge *cough*) would use it as an excuse to look deeper into my role in the World Cup Riot.

Once the trial happened, Tonks and Madam Bones would attempt to use it as a way for me to reveal my heritage and claim the Black seats on the Wizenmagot. From there I could order Sirius' case reopened on the grounds that he didn't have a trial and just sheer Pure-Blood privilege. The reveal of my heritage would also hopefully protect me somewhat from Fudge's grubby, overreaching political fingers.

In all, I couldn't say I was happy with the events of that night but I was content enough for now. Padfoot's claim of parentage was… acceptable, I guess? He didn't seem like a bad person, though it was clear he was heavily flawed and damaged. I would expect nothing less from someone who was currently dying thanks to 13 years in what had to be one of the worst prisons on Earth.

And while it put a whole new meal on my plate for me to work through, it also took something off of it that had been looming over my head since receiving the System.

< Quest Completed: Heritage & Legacy >

< Condition(s): Discover Your Heritage. Find Out Who Birthed You and Why They Left You in an Orphanage! P.S. They're Both Still Alive, Though One is a Bit Insane… >

< Rewards: Family Magic Discipline Unlocked >

< Black Blood Magic 1/100 >

If I had any doubts about Padfoot's claim, the Quest completion put them to rest. I still didn't know who my mother was. Sirius was still strangely silent on that subject, glancing at Luna's cat Bella every time it was brought up. But his reveal seemed to be enough for the System to deem the Quest's conditions fulfilled.

The Quest's reward was certainly interesting. Black Blood Magic… Blood Magic was often thought of as the darkest of the dark disciplines of magic. Books on the subject in Britain could only be found in private collections and the depths of the Department of Mysteries. But since it was Family Magic, in this case, the Ministry couldn't try to censor, punish, or otherwise control my access to it.

If there were a logical reason for why Pure-Bloods maintained their statuses and the unequal distribution of Wizarding society, it would always come back to Family Magicks. They were the only place where Pure-Bloods could claim a real, tangible advantage over Muggle-borns and Half-Bloods. And of course, that advantage was based on the work of the generations that came before and the founders of the families instead of anything the Pure-Bloods who claimed superiority now had actually done.

Family Magicks were almost always masterpieces of magic, research, and accumulated knowledge. Not all of them were unique or even better than something that could be found publicly though. And I would surprised if most Pure-Blood families had contributed to them in the last 200 years. Instead, they were content to leech off the work their ancestors did and claim they were better than Muggle-borns because of it.

Since politics, and especially 'noble' classes like the one that dominated Wizarding Britain, favored those who came first, Family Magicks were about as legally sacred as something could be. Theft of Family Magic wasn't just punished by death. The thieves were taken into the Department of Mysteries and never seen from again. I had my own suspicions about that though. Like the fact that a new Unspeakable always seemed to conveniently appear shortly after.

Still, Family Magicks were about as protected as possible by Wizarding society. Even more so than covens. Covens were protected by law but those laws were always 'leftovers' and 'relics from a less civilized age' that conveniently hadn't been stricken from the books. That didn't stop them from still existing, from what I could gather, but covens in the modern age were very much a private thing, kept that way to keep undesirables from getting any uppity ideas. I guess creating something new and potentially wonderful took a back seat to preserving power that already existed.

I asked Sirius about the Black Family Magic. He obviously wasn't comfortable with the subject. He acted even more shifty than when the topic of my mother was mentioned, though this time, he didn't keep glancing at Bella. But after I professed and explained my interest as something that could potentially help keep Heather safe in the future, he promised to see about retrieving the Family Grimoires. He was not eager to return to his childhood home to do so though.

Things returned to some semblance of normality after that. Heather took a well-deserved break from our training. Tonks stuck around, waiting for her boss to be able to meet us discreetly to assess Sirius' innocence for herself.

Sirius himself continued living in hiding, though we at least convinced him to stay in the Castle. Dumbledore already knew about his innocence after all. While we didn't receive explicit permission for Sirius to stay, I did 'inexplicably' find a dog bowl with Padfoot's name on it in my quarters. So I felt it was safe to say Dumbledore was aware of Sirius' presence.

I returned to my job, trying my best to ignore the near-constant feminine giggling and whispering that had begun to invade my lessons when my back was turned. Had I missed an important piece of news or gossip?

After one of the classes, I was left to clean up the classroom. Professor McGonagall begged off to grade the parchments that had been turned in by the students today. I was more than willing to pick up the slack for her. The classroom vacated as I went around vanishing the transfiguration materials we were working with today.

"Hiya, Teach~" A sultry voice made me realize that not all of the students had left the classroom with McGonagall's dismissal.

"Look, look, Lav~! we're all alone~" A peppy voice made me realize that I was outnumbered.

"Mmmm~" The first voice purred. "Perfect~"

"Lavender. Parvati," I greeted. "Can I help you two?"

The two girls who'd ambushed me were practically opposites and yet so similar at the same time. Lavender Brown was fair of skin and hair. She carried herself with a sensual, teasing posture, always ready to make her sexuality known even when it wasn't called for.

Parvati had brown skin and black hair. She was even more classically beautiful than her fairer best friend. She was also a font of unending energy. So positive and optimistic, she was impossible not to like at least somewhat.

"Oh, I think it's us that can help you, ~Professor~," Lavender said with a smirk, stalking toward me like a sensual predator.

Parvati followed, "Yeah! After all, who wouldn't want to go on a date with two hot, young coeds?"

I tried to let them down easy, "Girls, I'm flattered. Really. But what brought this on? Why now?"

Parvati cocked her head cutely, "You don't know?"

"I mean…" I began slowly. "I know you two have been trying to corner me like this for months now. But I don't know why you decided now was the time to finally make a real move. I thought you were just enjoying the chase. You know, playing around?"

Lavender laughed a full, melodious sound that came from her diaphragm, "Hahaha! You play hard to get pretty well, Teach. We didn't even know you were in on the game~"

Parvati giggled along with her friend, "Yeah, we thought you were just scared of lil~ ol'~ us~"

"I am," I admitted flatly. "You two would chew me up and spit me back out."

"But it'd be fun~" Parvati teased.

"I'm sure it would be. But I'd rather keep our relationship to where I still feel my legs each morning," I said. "The teasing is fine, I guess. But we really shouldn't take it much farther than that."

"Awww," Parvati pouted. "So you won't be our date to the Yule Ball?"

"The what?" I deadpanned, dread filling my gut for some reason.

Lavender giggled, "C'mon, Parv, he's obviously not going to break for us just yet. We'll get you eventually, Teach~"

They began to leave and I tried to shout after them, "Wait! The what?! That sounded important!"

My pleas for information fell upon deaf ears. Lavender and Parvati left the classroom, still giggling to themselves. If I didn't know better-… Oh, who was I kidding? Their not answering my question was definitely part of their teasing.

My sudden anxiety borne of the unknown event Lavender and Parvati were asking me to as a date subsided somewhat as I finished cleaning the classroom. Maybe they were just exceptions. Not many of my female students were as bold as those two. Still… 'Yule Ball' didn't inspire confidence in me.

I decided that there wasn't much for me to do other than to just go about my usual business though. That instantly turned out to be a mistake. I exited the classroom straight into another ambush.

"Take me to the Yule Ball, Professor Atlas!" An adorably faux-arrogant voice demanded.

I barely kept myself from facepalming, "Oh, Merlin…"

Astoria Greengrass, one of my younger students and a favorite at that, had been lying in wait for me. She stood with her hands on her hips and her head held a little too high. I had to give her props though. This stunt took a lot of courage for a second year.

"I know you like your woman to be on the younger side! You will not find someone better than me, Professor! So you shall be escorting me to the Yule Ball!" Astoria declared. It almost would have been intimidating if she wasn't so cute.

"Where'd you get the idea that I like my women younger?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. "You do know I'm currently dating Professor Septima, right? A woman who's a couple of good years my senior."

Astoria's face flushed but she didn't lose her stride, "Yes! But you've also taken Luna into your quarters! She assures me that you do not mind her youth and that you take her into your bed all the same."

I did facepalm at that, "Oh, Luna…"

"Well?!" Astoria tried to keep her energy and confidence up but I could tell she was starting to falter by the way she was fidgeting in place. "I am waiting for your confirmation!"

Once again, I tried to let the girl down easy, "Astoria… I'm afraid Luna — as always — exists as a special circumstance. I don't think I could in good conscious be your date to this 'Yule Ball'."

I saw her lip start to quiver slightly, "I'm not special…?"

I cursed myself viciously and tried to reassure her, "No! No, Astoria, that wasn't what I meant. It wouldn't be fair to you. You should be going with a boy you like. Not your Professor who, if we're being reasonable, should be going with his girlfriend."

Still, Astoria's lip quivered and I was worried the waterworks would start at any moment. Then, suddenly, a hand came down on top of her head in an almost textbook karate chop. I instantly recognized the assaulter as Astoria's older sister Daphne.

"Cut the act, Story," Daphne said, her tone the flat monotone it always was.

Astoria instantly transitioned from 'about to cry' to pouting, "Daaaa~ph~neeee ~ I almost had him!"

"You didn't," Daphne deadpanned.

"You don't know that!" Astoria shot back. "My big teary eyes always work on you and Father."

Instead of replying to her sister, Daphne turned and offered me a single piece of advice, "Run. She won't be the only one."

I nodded slowly, not quite believing her. I was thankful for the easy out. But surely, this who 'Ball' business couldn't be bad enough that I had to run. As I turned to leave, I saw Daphne levitate her sister by the scruff of her neck like a kitten as Astoria pouted with crossed arms and an exaggerated expression.

I walked away from that scene, somewhere between amusement and that same sense of dread from earlier. It would seem my instincts weren't quite up to snuff today though. I didn't even make it around the next corner before yet another female student of mine jumped out at me.

And when I say 'jumped out', I meant it literally. A sixth-year Gryffindor girl jumped out of a closed classroom door to try and stop me, "Hi, Professor! Funny running into you here!"

I froze for a moment before my survival instincts kicked in. Thankfully, they weren't as dull as my gut premonitions were today. I feinted left and took off to the right when the girl committed to trying to block my path. She laughed and gave chase. Damn Gryffindors…

And that was how I found myself running through the Castle, trying to avoid the seemingly never-ending tide of female students who wanted me to take them to this 'Yule Ball'. I still didn't even know what it was! I mean, I could infer it was a ball of some kind but none of my previous years as a Hogwarts student had included something like this.

"Professor," A prim and proper voice tried to get my attention as I ran past the seventh-year Ravenclaw responsible. "Would you happen to be busy this Winter Solstice? Perhaps I could interest you in a ritual or two?"

"I have I feeling I will be no matter what!" I called back as I bolted past, the sixth-year Gryffindor still hot on my heels.

The seventh-year Ravenclaw girl sniffed haughtily, "Very well. I shall not run after you like some sort of buffoon."

"Let's see if you're so stuck up when I catch him, Bird!" The Gryffindor girl laughed loudly.

I ran, ducking around corners and avoiding more and more girls who seemed to pop up out of nowhere. A Gryffindor here who joined the chase. Another Ravenclaw there extending a thought-provoking invitation to scholarly fun. Even a Slytherin beckoning me into the 'safety' of an empty classroom with bedroom eyes. I didn't make the mistake of trusting that offer either.

Just when my Gryffindor pursuers were beginning to tire, I came to an intersection within the Castle. At the same time, my mind just happened to be wondering where all the Hufflepuff girls were. Which was, of course, when they sprung their trap.

I saw the group of them — four in total — peeking around the corners of the intersection. The sight tickled some vague danger sense inside of me. In response, a quick flick of my wand sent an overpowered Banishing Charm at the stone floor below me and I jumped forward at the same time. I went absolutely flying through the intersection, coming up on the other side in a messy roll.

The Hufflepuff girls had tried to trigger their trap in time but were just a bit too late thanks to my impromptu banishing boost. It was, however, just in time to catch the Gryffindor girls who were happily chasing me. A bit of the stone floor seemed to peel back and a net sprung upward under the direction of the Hufflepuffs' magic, trapping the Gryffindors within.

A part of me couldn't help but stop, look back, and laugh. The Hufflepuffs stared at their unintended Gryffindor captives. The two Gryffindor girls stared back. No one said a word, too stunned to process until one of the Hufflepuffs broke the silence.

"You know… I don't know about you girls but I think we can still work with this."

"Agreed," Came the general consensus from the rest of the Hufflepuffs.

"Candy? Selina? Which one do you two want?"

"We'll take the sporty redhead. Can't go wrong with a buff tomboy girlfriend."

"Smart. I guess Sam and I will take the dumb but brave blonde then."

The two captured Gryffindors looked at each other, "What just happened?"

"I think we just got dates to the Ball."

Shaking my head, I began to walk away and leave the two girls to their 'unlucky' fate. As if finding out you suddenly had a double date with a quartet of Hufflepuffs was unlucky. Still, it gave me hope that the chase was over. I let my guard down with a sigh and was almost immediately pulled into a passing broom closet. At least this time, it was someone I knew.

Fleur tried to look down her nose at me. She failed considering the height advantage I held over her. Trapped in this enclosed space, she was pressed right up against me. I could feel the heat radiating off of her body and her softness pressed up against me. She would have smothered anyone else with her sheer presence but I was well aware of what Fleur was really like.

I sighed, "Haaa… Hello, Fleur. May I assume this is about this Yule Ball I keep hearing about?"

As haughty (read: French) as could be, Fleur nodded, "You may. As champion, I require a date to the Ball. And we cannot have you going with my innocent sister. Therefore! I am willing to make the ultimate sacrifice and allow you to escort me as my date!"

"Is that really such a good idea?" I asked.

"Wha-!" Fleur sputtered, obviously expecting me to agree immediately. "You should be honored! You will be going with the future Triwizard Champion! Rejoice, Fiend! For once I win this tournament, you may brag to your little friends how 'that woman once allowed me the pleasure of being her date'!"

I looked down at her, staring as her pride slowly began to falter into something much more nervous, "But is this what you want?"

"I-I don't see how that is relevant!" Fleur denied, pretending as if she hadn't immediately started blushing from my question. "I do not do this for your sake. N-Nor mine. This is solely to save my baby sister from your devilish clutches! Do not think any deeper on the subject. I command it!"

I hid a smirk and a chuckle, "I don't think you need to worry about that. I don't intend to take any student to this Ball. It wouldn't be proper."

"S-Since when do you care about what is proper!?" Fleur demanded, suddenly heated with Allure and standing on her toes to get in my face.

"Since this became an event apparently," I replied flatly. "I'm still a Professor. Questions will be asked if I attend the Ball with a student."

"But I am not even your student! And I am a champion. No one will question who I want to-… Allow! Who I allow to escort me." Fleur reasoned.

I was very careful to not allow any of my amusement to show on my face, "Still doesn't quite seem right."

"You are not right!" Fleur snapped. "Right in the head! Do you like playing with a girl's feelings? I knew you were a Devil incarnate but to stoop so low! H-How shameful!"

"Fleur…" I sighed. "I don't mean to play with your feelings. You are a beautiful woman. Any man would fight to take you to the Ball. I simply can't agree to this without first consulting the woman I'm actually dating. People seem to be forgetting that I am at least partially spoken for."

Fleur huffed, "Hmph! Very well. I am magnanimous enough to consider waiting for your reply. Consult this woman of yours. Surely, she is aware of your devilish ways so this will come as no surprise. You may continue to compliment my beauty and grace as compensation in the meantime."

I tried for a 'logical' compromise, "How about this? You go with someone you want to go with since, as you've said, that person is not me. And I'll go with my girlfriend. I'll be sure to save you as many dances as you wish to 'preserve' Gabrielle's purity."

"T-That-!" Fleur swallowed her next words, her pride not allowing her to reveal the truth behind her veiled proposition.

She continued through gritted teeth, "I see… T-This is… acceptable. So long as you do not go with Gabrielle either. Remember that this is for her sake, not mine. If you will spare her your beastly machinations, I suppose my work here is… done."

Fleur looked like someone had just stolen a delicious dessert from her. But I didn't feel all that bad. All she had to do was be honest with herself. I'm sure Septima wouldn't mind a third for the Ball all that much.

Still, Fleur's pride and delusion wouldn't let her say what she truly wanted to. She stuck her nose in the air and strode out of the broom closet, leaving me to shake my head at her back. Silly girl.

Chuckling to myself, I exited the broom closet as well. With yet another thing to talk to Septima about, I continued my journey to find her. Thankfully, I wasn't accosted again by the Castle's female student population. I found Septima in the expected place — her classroom — and let myself in, speaking before I'd even closed the door behind me.

"Septima, you would not believe the afternoon I've had. Not a moment of peace-…" I paused when I noticed that there was another woman in the room with Septima. "Oh, hello, Aurora. What brings you here?"

Aurora grinned at me like a predator but Septima was the one to reply, "Hello, dear. Wonderful news. I've managed to secure us a third for the Yule Ball."

I exhaled in resignation, "Of course you have."

When did my life become so complicated? I miss the simplicity of The Grind…

AN: Don't worry too much about the Bella plot point. It'll be resolved next chapter (along with some scenes for the other two Black sisters).