A New Page
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A/N: First, another reminder that FwB and all my works are NOT CHILDREN'S STORIES. They are gritty, dark, and feature mature themes throughout of many kinds. In addition, many kinks are explored, for which I make no apologies. If a particular kink isn't your thing, well... sorry. You can try and skip those parts, or read them and maybe learn something to enjoy about them. As always, after the dark comes the light. This, part two of the HP:FwB trilogy, will have both more and darker content than the previous, but it will also have more light. It is anticipated (at this time) to be about as long as FwB1, perhaps 20-30 chapters longer at most.
And yes, this IS Part Two of Harry Potter and the Friend with Benefits (see the new title below). It is written by the same person, and is a direct continuation of the previous chapter and story (Ch. 111, Dawning). No timeskip here- but there will be a few timeskips later in the story, between a few days and a few weeks, maybe a month or two at the end of the next school year. Part three will have more and larger ones, but for now they're still mostly small.
Anyway, that's all I have for now. Enjoy the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Friend with Benefits, Part 2:
PART TWO: FAMILY WITH BENEFITS
Chap. 1 (Friends with Benefits Ch. 112): A New Page
"So," Harry began over lunch, which he and the others had elected to take out on the same veranda where the glorious party had been held the night before, "what's on everyone's agenda for the summer? I've got some vague plans, but they're pretty, well, vague."
"Well," Mr. Granger answered, after it became clear no one else would go first, "Emma and I talked about taking Hermione over to the 'States for a week or two, but I'm not sure how well that would go, given the state of... well, things here. Hard to beat a wealthy, handsome young suitor with the old family vacation, you know?"
"Please, Daddy," Hermione snorted as Harry turned red, "we both know I'd love to go, there's no reason to tease Harry. There's many places over there I'd like to visit. Broadway, the Statue of Liberty, the Grand Canyon, the National Mall..."
"All of which would be delightful," Emma agreed, "though we had a bit of something else in mind. Of course, while we couldn't possibly bring everyone you might invite, if others did want to come, and Harry wouldn't mind financing, or they themselves...? I'm not sure what magical transportation might be like internationally."
"It is done by Floo, mostly," Fleur answered, her accent faint with her growing use of the Queen's English, "though only locally. Acrozz Europe, for example, there are 'undreds of Floo stations one might take from country to country. But acrozz the Atlantic...? Ships, or flying. Portkeys would make a person sick, and it iz too far to Apparate or fly on a broom, so zhe muggle airlines are zhe next best thing."
"Airlines...?" Daniel asked, sounding quite surprised.
"Yes. Zhere is a 'hole ozher terminal in 'Eathrow most muggles never see."
"Fascinating," the older man exhaled, "and they just... use that to board our flights?"
Fleur nodded, "Zhat is my understanding. I 'ave never flown zhat way, but Mama and Papa 'ave done so many times, 'e prefers to fly from Paris to London zhan take two Floo trips, even if it is much slower."
"I've... never been outside the country," Harry said quietly, "Don't you need, like, a passport? Or something?"
"Well, yes, but we can probably arrange that," Daniel replied, "And you don't need to be embarrassed about that, Harry. Plenty of people don't travel abroad. Normally it can take months, but with a bit of palm-greasing- nothing illegal, Hermione, don't get all up in arms, just a little help- you can expedite the process down to a few days or weeks. Emma's quite good at cutting through the red tape like that."
"If that's what you want to call it," his wife muttered with a roll of her eyes, "I just know how to find who to talk to. It's really not bribes, Hermione, you should know that by now. At any rate, that's all we had planned, but we obviously understand if that's got to change."
"I'm not sure why it would," Harry shrugged, "There's plenty of time to do several things, and my plans are vague anyway. I know more what I want to accomplish than how to do it."
"I... I'm in kind of the same situation," Pansy murmured, "I'd... I know I'd like to learn some Healing. I don't know if I want to work for St. Mungo's, as they're administered by the Ministry, and that's increasingly corrupt... but I talked to Katie a fair bit about it last night, and Fleur this morning. It... it seems like something I might enjoy."
"You should talk to Madam Pomfrey when we get back to Hogwarts, too, then," Hermione suggested. "I've spoken to her about it before, she's got a lot to say on the subject. She gets paid better than most Healers at St. Mungo's, and only has to deal with the relatively minor catastrophes at school. Yes, she has a larger total number of people to care for, but she says it's well worth the trade-off."
"I'll do that, thank you, Hermione," Pansy beamed.
Harry smiled, too. Just in the last six months, the two girls had come a long, long way to undoing the damage they had suffered at each other's hands due to the bullying that had gone on in previous years. Now, they were not just lovers, but also friends. He knew he was largely responsible for kicking things into motion, but the work had been their own... and it showed.
Maybe, just maybe, they were evidence that his plans for his family were actually something that might happen, rather than the lust-mad fever-dream of a pubescent wizard. Not that there wasn't plenty of that, too, he had to acknowledge... but there was more to it than that. As always, his love and admiration and, yes, a probably-unhealthy level of envy for those with a decent family life was at the forefront of his motivations.
He wanted not just a family... but a big one. The best one. A huge, loving family that were devoted to not just the pursuit of selfish, worldly pleasures and showmanship against the neighbors, but a family that truly loved and cared for each other.
Harry James Potter could think of no better dream.
Which meant, perhaps, that this was the time to openly discuss his plans with more than just Lilith. But first, a bit of warmup might be in order. "I agree with Hermione, Pansy, that sounds like a great idea. I know you've mentioned Healing before, but hadn't realized you were that passionate about it, I'm sorry. I'll support you every step of the way."
"Thank you," the raven-haired beauty replied quietly, blushing a little as the whole table, much smaller though it was than the night before or even at breakfast, congratulated her and gave her their well-wishes.
Once everyone had had a chance to give the increasingly-reluctant Slytherin either advice, support, or both, Harry continued, "Anyway, I thought first we'd continue a bit with the D.A. One of the rooms I've had Fleur and the remodeling team work on is a training room downstairs. I haven't seen it, so I don't know the exact dimensions, but I know there's a workout space, spellcast practice-dummies that mimic spell fire back with a light stinging jinx, and a couple of muggle-style white-boards to study strategy and things like that on it."
"Ron'll love that," Hermione grinned.
Harry did too, "That's half the reason it's there. I'm more of a, er, spontaneous dueler, but as I've won precisely one game of chess against him ever, and I cheated, well... I think we'll let him take the lead there."
"That sounds... worrisome," Emma commented, "leaving war-time strategy up to a sixteen year old."
"Maybe," Harry shrugged, "but due to events beyond our control, namely a Prophecy I now know by heart, Voldemort is coming after me, specifically. I gave- and continue to give- everyone around me the chance to withdraw, to protect themselves."
"You know what we choose, 'Arry," Fleur replied quietly, "what we 'ave always chosen."
With a solemn nod, Harry looked seriously at the only muggles present, "That's how it is. I am... awed, honored, and humbled by the people around me. People that choose to fight. For me, yes, but also for themselves, for their own hopes and dreams. Voldemort is the one who made me the center of this. It could have been another boy whose parents fit the bill, whose birthday is precisely one day before mine."
Hermione drew in a hiss of surprise, but said nothing.
"Yes, he is our friend, too. If I fail, he's probably your best bet going forward. But I can promise all of you, and everyone not here, that if I go down I'll go down fighting and taking as many of those bastards with me as I can." Here, Harry had to hold up a hand to stall a few protests, "Mind you, I don't intend to die. I have... I have too much to live for, now. For the first time in my life, I have hopes and dreams beyond just surviving Voldemort. Plans. Things I want- that my soul craves to- accomplish before I die a happy old man surrounded by a vast family."
That made Romilda, Fleur, Pansy, Hermione, and even her mother ooh in quiet delight, and even Lilith and Mr. Granger looked a little misty-eyed at Harry's declaration. "That's just one thing, though. Practice in fighting, strategy... that's all well and good. But this is summer, too. And if there's one thing Lilith has taught me, it's that life just isn't worth living without a bit of fun."
"Here, here," Hermione cheered, surprising everyone, but her parents most of all. "What? I can let my hair down once in a while! Even I know you need to relax to be at your best when it's time to work!"
Once the chuckles died down, Harry kept on, "So I've thought of several fun little activities. A beach trip, a pool party, some sightseeing... either in London or in America, or both, I s'pose. A party or two... Daphne mentioned something in passing about a summer solstice ritual she wanted to try."
"Ooh," Emma perked up, "I've heard of those."
Even her husband looked incredulous.
"What? I had a friend in Uni who was a practicing Witch. Er, not like you four," she gestured around the table, "but like, a muggle-style one. It's a religion, I think? Anyway, she did rituals- often involved drinking and sex, if I remember right- on a few nights out of the year, including Solstice. Invited me a couple times, but I never did end up going."
"I... Can't speak to the muggle side, of course," Pansy added, "but if they're anything like what we practice, then it, er, might be the sort of thing you could regret if it got out of hand. So that might've been a good idea. Of course, they're perfectly safe when done properly, and I don't see how a muggle would be able to do anything too dangerous... but for example, the Yule and Samhain rites tend to make magicals... frisky. I've no idea if the same would work for muggles, or on them, but I have no reason to believe that there isn't some crossover."
"Then you're welcome to join us, of course, both of you," Harry told the Grangers, "not that you aren't always welcome in my home, but I'm not sure where Daphne would be doing these rites, they may be at her parent's estate, or somewhere else."
"That, I can speak a bit to," Pansy explained, "the Greengrasses do indeed have a traditional ritual grove to do rites like that in, as do my family, and many other older ones. If possible, I'm sure they would prefer doing them there. That being said, Harry, as you now own a not-unimpressive piece of real estate yourself, and also coming from an old, established family no matter what muggles might have been involved, Mr. and Mrs. Greengrass, and even Tracey's parents, might be happy to come help you build and establish a grove of your own. It's something of a rite of passage for a new homeowner, or someone seeking to re-establish ties with several ancient traditions if they have been broken. In that case, they would likely perform a smaller, maintenance-style ritual at their own grove earlier in the day, or even the day before or after, if they are going to assist you."
"That.. sounds really interesting," Harry said, "I'd have to consider it, and there's the safety issues to address of course, but my property does extend quite a ways back into the trees there, so there might be a place to put a grove. At least, if it's anything like I'm imagining."
"I find myself fascinated too," Hermione admitted, surprising no one that an aspect of magic would be a source of curiosity for her, "is... it the sort of thing a muggle-born would be appropriate at?"
Pansy snorted, amused, but rested her hand on Hermione's to take away any sting, "Perhaps not at most groves, but here, in Harry's home? I'm pretty sure his first girlfriend and likely primary wife would be required."
"It wouldn't be my home grove without you there, Hermione," Harry reminded her softly, taking her other hand.
She sniffled, then pulled both Pansy and Harry into a quick, fierce hug.
Harry let the conversation drift to specifics of what landmarks or sites, mostly historical but some quite modern, that the Grangers, Fleur, and even Romilda recommended seeing for several minutes, until most of them were nearly done eating. "Of course, there is... one other big thing I've had planned, or been planning rather, for some time. I won't be able to really start it until I'm of age, because of legal reasons and all that, but..."
"That's not even a month away now, Harry," Hermione reminded him needlessly, "but what's this big thing? And why haven't I heard about it? A raid, or...?"
He grinned, "No... not a raid. Though now that you mention it, we might have to see about... well, being a bit more pro-active in that respect. But no. I'm..." He took a deep breath.
"Sorry, this is... nerve-wracking. I've talked about it with Lilith, sent a few query letters- that's how I know I can't start until I'm seventeen- but... I've not talked about it to anyone else."
"Go on, Harry, you don't have to be nervous around us," Hermione encouraged, and her hand gave his a squeeze. He hadn't realized she hadn't let go, and that he'd finished his meal left-handed without thinking about it until that moment.
All around him, familiar faces, friendly, happy faces of people he cared for deeply, smiled. "Go on, son," Mr. Granger added.
"Whenever you're ready, 'Arry," was Fleur's thoughts.
Pansy, Romilda, Emma, all simply smiled.
"I can break the ice with a blow-job if you'd like, Master," Lilith added.
While Mr. Granger sputtered, Emma laughed out loud along with the other girls... which, of course, meant that she'd succeeded in breaking the ice wonderfully. "Maybe later, Lils," Harry laughed after he'd gotten control of himself again. "No, I..."
One more deep breathe, then, "I'm going to start an orphanage. For magicals, but maybe non-magicals, too. There isn't one in the U.K. right now, the last one was the one... was destroyed during Voldemort's last reign of terror. He wiped it out in a night, after he found out he could've been raised there, among 'his kind', according to Dumbledore, before there were even Death Eaters. He was sixteen... it was probably not long after he killed his grandparents and father."
"That's horrible," Hermione whispered.
"I know. A- Anyway, I don't know what I'm going to call it. Maybe something simple, like the Potter Home, or something. But it's... we'll take anyone who needs it. Anyone without a home, even adults, if they're safe. Anyone I can house, I will, but the priority will be the children, of course. And it's going to take a lot of work. There's a lot of legal requirements. A matron to look after the kids, plus an assistant, one for every twenty, but I think I can do one for every five. Make sure no one is left out, or neglected. A chef, a cleaning staff... I might see about other House Elves who want to work, like the Hogwarts ones, or better like Winky and Dobby. There's social workers, because apparently the Ministry of Magic has a department like CPS, and... well, all sorts of things."
"That's... impressive, Harry, and I'd be honored to help however I can," Hermione murmured, "But I've got one question. Where? Where would you put something like that? I mean, you can commute, but..."
"Right there," Harry told her, pointing at the nearby hilltop, which lay bare of trees but covered in grass. "Right off the edge of my property. Another twenty acres, so the kids have plenty of room to play, too. The zoning work's already been filed, along with the escrow. It's just waiting on my birthday to go through."
"Wow," Hermione whispered, "You... you're really going to do it, then? Oh, Harry... I'm so proud of you!"
True, there were only seven people there hugging him suddenly, but Harry could not have told the difference between how he felt just then, and how he felt with more than a dozen shortly after Dumbledore had died.
No, that wasn't true. As nice as that had been, this wasn't a consolation party. This was because...
Well, as Hermione had said.
Harry cried the happiest tears he could remember crying, and he did not stop for a long time. No one present ever complained.
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