A Chance
Harry looked at them.
"So?", he prompted.
Hermione sighed deeply.
"We do not want to kill you, Harry.", she said.
Harry stayed where he was, his wand still raised but acknowledged her with a head tilt.
"And what are you doing right now?", he challenged them.
Ron scoffed in disbelief.
"As if you don't know!", the Gryffindor yelled.
Harry rolled his eyes. Trust his former friends to speak in riddles worthy of a sphinx.
"If I knew why you attacked me I wouldn't have asked. As if I'm stupid.", Harry taunted them.
Ron growled and threw another spell at him which was absorbed into his shield.
"Okay, I knew you tended to do stupid things but attacking me without a reason is the stupidest of them so far. So I ask you again why are you attacking me?"
Ron and Hermione looked at each other and then back to Harry.
"You really have no idea?", Hermione asked slowly.
Harry rolled his eyes at her.
"No! That is what I'm trying to tell you!", Harry yelled, frustrated now and completely foregoing his pureblood etiquette taught by Tom.
Again Hermione and Ron looked at each other again and then both lowered their wands. Harry kept his own wand raised. No matter to what understanding those two came, he wouldn't take any risks.
"Harry, Professor Dumbledore said that you were taken over by the... by Riddle and that you needed to be brought to him so he could get you back to us. He also said that this explained your behaviour."
Harry wanted to laugh hysterically at Hermione's explanation. He barely suppressed it before he answered her: "I am not and will never be taken over by Tom. Dumbledore just wants to kill me to be able to kill Tom. I am the last piece to make Tom immortal. As for my behaviour; I have decided to just stop letting everyone trample on me."
The two Gryffindors looked at him sceptically.
"See that's why we think you're possessed. Our Harry wouldn't say things like that.", Ron replied.
Harry sighed.
"Look: have I attacked you to get you to keep quiet? Did I try to kill you? Do I look insane? And to be honest 'your Harry' as you call me was a raised martyr ready to die for this world. For your information: I've been in contact with more Slytherins than Gryffindors since June and honestly? Self-preservation is quite a nice thing.", Harry explained impatiently.
Ron and Hermione again looked at each other. Harry was quite tired of being a witness to them talking via their eyes.
"Okay, I believe you.", Hermione declared while Ron was scowling into the ground.
"Why did you threaten me after I confronted you on the first day of classes?", the redhead asked.
Harry refrained from rolling his eyes a third time in barely half an hour. Were his friends always this stubborn or did that come with him being Tom's husband?
"You were accusing me of going dark, telling me I was a bad friend and then proceeded to claim to only having liked me due to my fame. What was I supposed to do? Cry? Oh, hell no. I will never cry in front of the whole school again. Once after Cedric's death was enough, thank you very much. And Hermione proclaiming I'm cheating? Yeah, that made me want to updo you more than ever. Be glad that I have a hold over Draco or you both would've landed in The Prophet about two weeks ago.", Harry chided them.
Both were looking down in shame when voices from the walkway made Harry turn his head.
Draco and Blaise were walking up the hill. Upon noticing Harry with his wand raised and Ron and Hermione in front of them, the two Slytherins raised their own wands.
Harry shook his head at them and motioned for them to wait. They frowned but complied.
"I... I'm sorry.", Ron mumbled.
Harry could hear Draco snort but shot a glare the blond's way. He hadn't forgotten Lucius mistake and would take no cheek from Draco now. This interaction was important. If he could get his friends back to his side, there was a big chance the majority of the school wouldn't follow Dumbledore's lead.
The blond winced and held up his hands in apology. Harry nodded and turned back to his former friends.
"I apologize for my behaviour.", Hermione said stiffly and Harry sighed.
That was better than nothing he supposed.
"Thank you for apologizing, both of you. If you want to be my friends again it will take some time to trust you. But I am willing to give you a chance.", Harry said seriously.
Both of his friends' heads shot up.
"You are?", Ron asked.
The two Gryffindors looked really surprised.
"Of course I am. You were my best friends before all of this. I am hurt by your actions and I need time but if you're showing good faith I am willing to forgive you.", Harry explained patiently.
Hermione and Ron both had their mouths open and seemed at a loss for words. Harry chuckled.
"Are you two willing?"
"Of course we are!", they yelled simultaneously.
Harry smiled. "Good. First thing you need to learn: Dumbledore is a scheming bastard and wants me dead. If Tom hadn't send me the ring with an integrated portkey, there is a real possibility I would have died after Vernon's beating. And yes, it really was that bad. Ask Snape, he was my healer."
Hermione gasped loudly and clapped a hand over her mouth in shock. Ron just gaped at Harry.
The black haired teen heard Draco tut behind him and the blond moved to stand next to him.
"And you will have to put up with us.", Blaise said from Harry's left.
Harry rolled his eyes fondly at the dramatics these two came with. Sometimes a bit of drama doesn't hurt, he mused.
Ron looked like he'd sucked on a lemon but nodded his head, while Hermione just sighed defeatedly before nodding as well.
"Good, then let's move up to the Castle because I would certainly like some food.", Harry ordered and started walking.
The unlikely group followed in silence and Harry hoped that they would learn to like each other. He certainly had some things to tell Tom later during their nightly mirror meeting.
Snape only raised an eyebrow at seeing the unlikely group entering the Great Hall and splitting to sit at their respected house tables. Harry waved the man off. He would explain later. For now he needed to think.
If Dumbledore was spreading rumours about Harry's credibility as a person it was no wonder the Order tried to discredit or even outright capture him. How to work against it?
He caught sight of silver blond hair and had an idea. Abruptly he turned to Draco, startling his housemate. Maybe he could change the public opinion of Dumbledore to his favour.
"What?", the blond asked warily.
Harry grinned broadly. Draco paled.
"Draco, my dear.", Harry started sweetly making Draco sweat. "You mentioned a certain influence over The Prophet. How about we use it?"
The blond paused for a moment. Draco's shark-like grin in response made his own grin widen a fraction. Blaise and Theo shuddered while a few younger classmates paled upon seeing their faces.
He would get that old coot back. Dumbledore wouldn't know what hit him. And with Skeeter out of the picture, Lucius' influence over The Prophet was the best thing happening to him. Maybe, just maybe, they could get Snape behind all of this.
A glance to the teacher's table showed Snape pinching his nose in defeat. The man probably had a sixth sense when it came to Harry's scheming. They would probably be cause for quite a few headaches.
Harry's attention was taken up by an unknown owl landing in front of him and sticking out its leg. For a moment no one reacted.
A second later Harry threw spell after diagnostic spell at the poor owl but the letter was neither cursed nor was there any other charm stuck to it. Slowly the teenager took the parchment from the owl which immediately launched into the air and left. Well, no offense taken by that.
Harry opened the roll of parchment and smiled. The letter was from Remus.
Dear Harry,
I know it's pretty late for me to contact you. I am sorry. I didn't know what to write.
It wasn't easy for me to see you being married off to Riddle.
While I am happy that you are unharmed and apparently healthy, I still struggle with your obvious comfort around him.
Please don't see this as critique but I just thought you would be slightly more uncomfortable with someone who murdered your parents.
Whatever happened between you two, please feel free to talk to me. No matter what, I'll try to help you.
Also: I am glad you liked your birthday present.
Love
Remus
Harry was a bit disappointed. He had thought Remus would be more supportive than this. That was Dumbledore's doing he supposed. With a sigh the teenager made a mental note to write back and talk some sense into his honorary uncle.
He liked Remus enough to want to have some form of contact with the man. And yet, someone was obviously influencing the werewolf.
Harry threw a suspicious glare at Dumbledore and turned as soon as the headmaster looked at him.
Let him think whatever he wanted, the teenager would get Remus on his side no matter what. While Remus would never change himself and go over to the dark side, Harry was pretty sure he would change to Harry's side.
With his mind made up he turned to Draco and began to plan.
Tom had wanted to take Dumbledore down after Harry graduated to lessen the risk for his younger husband, Harry needed the old wizard out of the picture now before a second war started. He had to bring his husband in. Tom needed to just move a few things further up the timetable than the man had previously anticipated. Harry hoped it would be fine.
For now he planned to get the public and Remus on his side.
The next two weeks were spent planning and plotting with Draco and reacquanting himself with Ron and Hermione. They had found a rhythm to meet up inbetween lessons or during free periods as during meals was out of the question. Harry couldn't be seen at the Gryffindor table right now. It would set back plans he had in motion. His two friends seemed to understand it without him saying anything outright.
It only left Remus to be swayed. The teenager still had to receive an answer to his letter, though. It made him nervous. Maybe Remus wouldn't want to listen to him because he was far too deep in Dumbledore's pocket.
Though there was something freeing about talking to Ron and Hermione without any animosity, their friendship still hadn't reached the level it had had before the marriage.
Ron was cheeky enough to ask about the book Harry had gotten from Hermione. The black haired teen blushed brightly while slapping Ron's shoulder. No matter how much he liked the sex with Tom, there was just no way he would tell Ron and Hermione any details about it.
While his two friends still argued like no tomorrow, Harry was pretty sure they had a healthy relationship. The besotted looks they threw each other always had Harry gagging mockingly.
Harry cringed at the loudness of the Great Hall during lunch upon entering. Most students were already arguing about their day creating a noise that set Harry on edge. The teenager only listened half-heartedly as Draco told Blaise about some rare artefact his father stored at the Manor. Harry internally rolled his eyes at the blatant bragging. But the blond mentioning his father reminded Harry to take away the man's punishment. Lucius had been quite docile since their last meeting. Harry found that the man had suffered enough punishment. During the next Hogsmeade weekend, which was in two days, he would undo his spell.
Harry realised he had tuned his friends out completely and grimaced. Tom would scold him for his inattention if he ever found out.
Hedwig swept into the Hall and landed in front of the teenager. Harry smiled gently at her. As she stuck out her leg, he took the offered letter and unrolled the parchment.
Harry,
please meet me during your next Hogsmeade weekend.
And bring that husband of yours, too.
Love
Remus
Harry grinned brightly. That meant Remus was at least willing to listen to him and Tom. Hopefully that meant that the man would support Harry.
It was time for him to stop being apolitically. He was ready for some changes. And Dumbledore being Chief Warlock would change first.
The teenager looked to the teacher's table, catching Snape's eye as he did so. The man raised an eyebrow and Harry gave a simple nod. The man nodded back and turned to McGonagall to talk to her quietly.
As Harry locked eyes with the headmaster, he presented the man with a glowingly bright smile. The man frowned at him.
Let's lead the Wixen world into a time of peace and cooperation without meddling old coots.