Muggle-Raised Champion

An Offer of Dragons

Disclaimer – I solemnly swear that JKR owns everything Harry Potter. Whether or not I am up to no good with her characters is for you to decide.

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1:05pm

Saturday, 25 November 1994

The Great Hall, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

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Harry kept his face firmly fixed upon his plate. Even to take a drink, his hand groped blindly on its own. There was no way that he had any intention of even meeting anyone else's eye in the Great Hall, let alone engaging them in conversation. Just a single full day since his spectacular rise to prominence as the nation's newest parseltongue was nowhere near enough to dampen all of the looks, whispering, pointing and cringing.

If he wasn't so hungry, Harry may have simply skipped the meal. In fact, he'd had half a mind to do so anyway, but if there had been one thing that the Durseys had taught him, it was to always take the opportunity to eat – you never know when your next meal might be.

Thus, he'd gingerly slunk into the Great Hall for lunch. His option of which table to eat at had been limited; indeed, he was hard pressed to decide upon a table that wouldn't be a bad choice. In the end, he took a gamble and chose Slytherin, figuring that a House with a snake motif as their emblem were more likely to be lenient with someone who could actually talk to snakes.

Judging by the way that he hadn't been hounded away the instant that he sat down, he took it as a good sign. The fact that those closest to where he'd chosen to sit immediately relocated, was a negative. Overall, though, Harry took it as a neutral stance and dug into his meal as quickly as he could.

"Harry?" a familiar voice sounded as he was finishing his last bite of his roast beef and gravy sandwich.

Swallowing quickly, he turned to look up at the speaker standing behind his left shoulder.

"Hi, Susan."

"My auntie's here," she said. "She was wondering if she could talk to you after you've finished your lunch."

"I've finished now," Harry replied, wiping his hands on the closest napkin.

He stood then, dropping the used napkin onto his plate and followed Susan from the hall. They found Madam Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement sitting ramrod straight on one of the benches in the Entrance Hall, watching the comings and goings of the students as they passed her. Her eyes fixated on the two of them the instant that they'd left the Hall and she rose to greet them.

"Good afternoon, Mister Potter," Madam Bones said.

"Madam Bones," Harry replied, shaking her offered hand, "it's good to see you again."

She focussed then on her niece. "Thank you, Susan. I'll have to ask you to go now, though. This will be a private conversation between Mister Potter and myself."

Susan's head swivelled between the two before she broke out into a small smile. "Okay, Auntie. I'll talk to you later. Harry? Perhaps you could have dinner at the Hufflepuff table?

"Thanks, Susan, I'll do that," Harry smiled back.

Then, after a brief hug with her aunt, Susan disappeared up the staircase which had conveniently lined itself up to take her.

"How about a walk outside?" Madam Bones suggested. "Perhaps around the lake? There'll be less chance of inquisitive ears that way."

With a nod, Harry indicated the great doors.