The fact that Remus had agreed to be Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor had been quite the surprise at the beginning of the year. But Harry happily attended DADA classes that actually taught him something for the first time. Though Harry found both Runes and Arithmancy to be kind of a letdown. Third Year classes were merely introductory material and Harry had surpassed that before he'd ever gotten to Hogwarts. Though it was fun to chat with Professor Vector and Professor Babbling about higher level topics after classes on occasion. Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures Class was interesting. Though Hagrid was slightly put out that Harry would rather harvest materials from Creatures instead of raising them as pets.
"It was a lovely day, Harry." Penny smiled at him on their ride back to Hogwarts.
"It was." Harry agreed with his own smile. He was surprised when Penny leaned forward and kissed him. Their lips connected for a few moments. Harry enjoyed the soft kiss far more than anything else that day. The two separated and Harry opened his eyes with a dopey grin. Penny looked rather pleased with herself too and the two leaned against each other for the rest of the ride. Penny only smiled and leaned into Harry more when the younger teen's arm wrapped around her waist. The two were noticeably closer to anyone that paid attention from then on.
-Halloween-
"They really went all out on the decorating this year." Harry mentioned as he and Penny were enjoying the Feast. "Let's hope nothing horrible happens this time." He muttered.
"Nothing strange has happened so far, Harry." Penny reassured him with a smile.
"Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, but three times is a pattern." Harry mentioned and Penny sighed with a fond smile.
"Hush and enjoy the sweets." Penny giggled as she placed a spoonful of pudding into his mouth. Luna giggled from Penny's other side with her own spoonful of pudding.
-Albania-
"This is what I need." Voldemort hissed as he looked through a weathered tome. Stephen Flint flinched at the delight in his Master's tone. Because the Dark Lord currently inhabited Squibs he couldn't use a wand. But from what he'd just heard, Stephen was sure he'd be under the threat of Voldemort's wand soon enough. "Flint!"
"Yes, My Lord?!" Stephen bowed to the Dark Lord.
"I'll need several things to move to the next phase of my return." Voldemort stated his red eyes locked onto the trembling Wizard. "You'll get them for me."
"Yes, My Lord." Stephen didn't rise from his bow.
No one in Britain would know that on this Halloween something horrible had indeed happened. Harry would actually get to fully enjoy a Halloween with nothing happening to him. But it seemed to be his fate, as long as Voldemort was alive, that Halloween would be a day that horrible things happened.
-First Week of November-
"Nice." Harry smiled at the note that Tayla had just delivered to him. The Dwarves had finished the DMLE's Commission of five hundred 'Auror Batons'. At one hundred Galleons per baton Harry and the Dwarves had made fifty thousand Galleons. With their current deal that meant Harry now had thirty thousand Galleons in the expanded trunk back at Wood End Cottage. The Dwarves had happily celebrated the twenty thousand Galleons they'd made from their work. That money would also go to expanding their offerings in the storefront of Diurn Alley. As the old saying went, 'You have to spend money to make money'.
With his fortune growing bit by bit Harry felt confident in his future. Now if he could only get his Artifact Sword and other projects completed the Artificer would be even happier! Though to be fair, Penny could be rather distracting when she wanted to be. Not that Harry was complaining! He wasn't sure just how he and Penny had ended up in Tonks' relationship idea so well, but he wouldn't trade their relationship for anything! The Artifact Sword was still slow going. Isimun could have Runes etched into it, but finding the right Sequence to link up with his already made Array was difficult to say the least. Not to mention that differing materials interacted differently with certain Arrays. Harry had found that out with his Oulm Circuit Knife after all. As of now he was still in the planning stages of the full Array he hoped to integrate into his Artifact Sword.
-The Next Day ~ Breakfast-
Harry smiled fondly at Hedwig as the beautiful snowy owl landed at the breakfast table. She allowed him to pet her and feed her some bacon and ham. Harry smiled as he removed the letter from her leg and she flew off to the Owlery. Penny looked at who the letter was from and teasingly nudged him with her elbow. Reading the name Harry found himself smiling too.
"I wonder what new thing Fleur wants to talk about." Harry smiled as he opened the letter. Reading over the French version first and smiling at having gotten most of it right when he read the English version next, Harry felt his cheeks warm up slightly.
"Told you so." Penny whispered into his ear. Harry refused to meet his girlfriend's eyes. Fleur had expressed interest in 'deepening' their relationship in her letter. The picture she'd sent along with her letter, once again wearing the tiny bikini from his birthday, had made it obvious how serious the Veela girl was.
"This reeks of Tonks' mischief." Harry remarked as he looked at Penny out of the corner of his eye. "And a certain Head Girl's too, now that I think about it."
"What? Me? I'd never." Penny smiled 'innocently'.
"Uh huh, sure." Harry shook his head disbelievingly. "How did Tonks corrupt our sweet and proper Head Girl?"
"I am not corrupted." Penny huffed jokingly. "I just found a good man a lot earlier in my life than I thought I would." Harry wouldn't have been able to stop the smile that spread across his face if he wanted to. His hand quickly found Penny's and entwined their fingers.
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