“It would have gone better if you didn’t insult my family.”
The library was getting busier. With his amazing magic abilities, he knew the hard-working Ravenclaws had arrived. But very quickly students from other houses started flooding the place, and Harry really didn’t want to see any Slytherin, Gryffindor or Hufflepuff - excluding his “daughter” of course, though this title was a little funny to him. A fourth year is another fourth year’s father…
“Harry, I’ll summarize this quickly.” Alice whispered, like him, she didn’t want to see anyone with potential as another Rita Skeeter that kept trying to figure out what their relationship was, “I did some research about the spell. Think about it, no navigating spells would bring people back in time without a reason, they weren’t created for that.”
“You mean the spell did its navigating job?”
Harry quickly captured what Alice was meaning to tell. With a tightly bonded daughter who kept talking nonsense that he did not want to listen to, his skill to understand what the other was hinting at became gradually better. Hermione constantly told him she wished he was this fast at understanding intentions while they were studying at Hogwarts.
“Yeah. So I crafted a theory, though a little unbelievable it’s the best one I could think of.” Alice summoned a feather pen followed by a paper and started to write her hypothesis, “You’re a special case, Harry. Normal wizard's magic core when destabilized will weaken the magic, but yours is because the magic is too strong. The spell failed navigating in its “usual” way so instead of pinning the exact location, it will give you a vague idea like your target is in Germany or England. In your case, do you think instead of getting weaker the effects of the spell got stronger, Harry?”
“So… it didn’t just navigate, Alice, it took me to exactly where my destined soulmate is!”
Harry concluded.
How could he leave out such a simple explanation? A spell or a curse’s nature once made will never change, it will only be distorted based on the situation. Like Avada Kedavra, it’s not that it didn’t do its job when Voldemort aimed it at him in his seventh year. It did kill, it’s just its target was changed, the curse killed Voldemort’s horcrux, Harry actually was a few steps away from death.
“If that’s the case… I met my soulmate this year? What if it’s Cho?”
Harry made a guess.
“It’s definitely not her Harry.” Alice quickly cut him off, “Once you’ve met your destined soulmate you will never break up. You could still break up with Cho and date Ginny, both of them can’t be your soulmate. Think, Harry, during your fourth year did you have feelings for anyone else aside from Cho?”
“If not Cho then maybe it’s Parvati Patil - she danced with me, or Fleur Delacour, she kissed me as a thanks for saving her sibling, but she married Bill. My soulmate can’t be a guy, right?”
“They could be, Harry. It’s not like homosexual couples aren’t a thing in the wizarding world.”
Alice shook her head, destroying both the paper and the pen to make sure no one would “accidentally” pick them up to learn what she and Boy Who Lived talked about.
The library was getting crowded, it wasn’t a good place for private conversations anymore. Their first class today was Slytherin and Gryffindor’s Snape Potion class, so they had to be quick if they didn't want the oily man to take their points.
None of them brought any books, but a simple Accio could help with that. Their magic now could even take The Burrow for a trip around England and land at Hogwarts, some books weren’t that big of a problem.
“Oh dear, Potter and his little lover.”
A mocking laugh echoed behind them when they passed by some Hufflpuff students. Through an appraisal charm - a basic charm every Auror needed to learn to search for anyone’s information she learned from Harry, Alice quickly recognized the person was a fifth year, and Harry through his Quidditch matches knew this was a Hufflepuff’s chaser - Cadwallader.
“Not counting being a cheater, now you’re dating the snakes Potter? Your parents must be disappointed.”
“Come one Cad, his parents aren’t even alive anymore to be disappointed.”
The students around them agreed with Cadwallader. Harry might have left them alone, that is if they didn’t touch one of his nerves - his family.
Good job, boy, you’ve unlocked a new mission: be hospitalized in St. Mungo’s by Harry Potter’s wand.
You should be given a First Class medal for this bravery.
“Expelliarmus!”
“Stupefy!”
Right as Harry casted a disarming charm, Alice casted a stun charm. Just like Harry, family was also one of her nerves, and to her Harry’s family is also her family. If the “father” had already attacked, wouldn’t it be weird for the “daughter” to stand and watch?
Cadwallader, disarmed and stunned by one third of The Chosen One’s magic at same time, didn’t have time to react before getting pushed away, too dizzy to do anything other than vomiting his breakfast out.
“You dare, Potter!”
The Hufflepuff were angered, they pulled out their wands pointing at the Potters.
“Why won’t I? Weren’t you the one that attacked us first?”
Harry quickly disarmed all of them, not giving them time to prepare. Even if they were lucky enough to be shocked, they were immediately stunned by Alice.
“Come on, seniors, I thought you’d be better than this.”
Alice wore a smirk on her face as she casted charms continuously on her seniors. This must be her inner Slytherin, it made Harry’s inner Gryffindor’s blood boil.
Not even two minutes later, all the troublesome Hufflepuffs were on the ground. When Harry touched his wand, someone already informed the professors, maybe they’d be in his office listening to his lectures in just another two minutes.
“Take this as a free lesson.” Be honored, boys, not everyone can be taught a lesson by the greatest Auror, “It would have gone better if you didn’t insult my family, if there's a next time then it wouldn’t be just Stupefy and Expelliarmus.”
“Aishhh…” Alice interrupted, still wearing the same smirk, “I think you seniors should focus on your studies, today’s fight felt like we were shooting charms at dummies. Maybe learn to be as nice as senior Diggory, don’t try to copy Crabbe or Goyle.”
“You…”
Cadwallader started, but the urge to vomit caused by Alice’s stun charm stopped him.
“Harry James Potter and Alice Lily Evans!”
Snape, McGonagall, Sprout and Filch quickly approached the “crime scene”. A bunch of fifth and sixth years at the mercy of two fourth years, not to mention the fourth years were a Gryffindor and a Slytherin. What an unforgettable sight.
“Would anyone mind telling me what on earth happened here?!”
Professor McGonagall was mad. Right when Gryffindor and Hufflepuff had a conflict about Hogwarts’ champions, the Gryffindor champion caused a mess with another Slytherin!
“I wouldn’t, professor.” Alice spoke first, “Harry and I were on our way to Snape’s class when they started mocking us, insulting his family. Even if it was our fault that we attacked them, it was because they started it first! If you suspect me I can drink a truth potion and tell the events again.”
Snape’s eyebrows furrowed. Though he won’t deny Potter caused a scene and it was a wonderful opportunity to take points from Gryffindor, he can’t stand any insults directed at Lily. Besides, he looked at Alice, the little girl had a name similar to Lily, looking at him with green eyes also like Lily. Fine, Snape admitted, this would be the only time he defends Potter, there were two pairs of emerald orbs here and he was unable to stand so much gazes like Lily’s.
“For now this is only from Evans’ side of the story.” Snape stated, “But I believe no one would be willing to drink truth potions if they’re intending to lie. Pomona, please take care of your students first, they’ll be given long-term punishments for bullying their juniors. A hundred and fifty points from Hufflepuff, and you two,” and glanced at Alice and Harry, “Twenty points from Slytherin and Gryffindor for attacking your seniors. Any problems, Minerva, Pomona?”
“No, now if you will excuse me, I need to take my students to Pomfrey.”
Sprout used a floating charm to take all the badgers, maybe ten of them, and took them to Hospital Wing with some students’ help.
“About you two, for the next two days you will be cleaning the traditional room after class, Filch will monitor you. About the Hufflepuffs, I believe the fields and Quidditch ring are needing some manual - lawn - mowers.”
McGonagall gave Flich a glance and he looked at them like they were his meals. Snape glared at them for one last time and left with McGonagall.
“This punishment’s lighter than I expected.”
Harry whispered to Alice after the professors were out of sight. He expected Snape to take this opportunity and take at least fifty points from Gryffindor - which just requires a few of his Potion classes and the Slytherins would already catch up.
“To be honest with you, that was also lighter than I expected.”
Alice nodded.
They didn’t remain there for too long, students were starting to notice them and discuss what the new Slytherin and Boy Who Lived’s relationship is. Harry speedwalked to his Poison class with Alice right behind.