Fic: The Myrmidons, Chapter Two
Title:
The Myrmidons
Pairing(s): Harry/Draco, Roger/Hermione
Rating: somewhere between PG13 and R
Warnings: Slash! Sex and major AU
Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns these brilliant characters
Summary: On Halloween night Hagrid never had the change to bring Harry to Dumbledore, instead he and four others--Neville Longbottom, Roger Davies, Tracey Davis, and Mandy Brocklehurst-- were given to the Aurors and raised in a secret training program sponsored by Unspeakables and Head Aurors. Now, when he should be starting his seventh year, he and his four companions step for the first time into Hogwarts...
The Hogwarts Express
"Alastor, what you are doing to these kids is barbaric! They’re only five years old and you’re teaching them how to cast dangerous hexes! You know that there is a reason that we don’t teach children magic until they are at least eleven, it could damage their fragile and developing minds." Dumbledore was close to shouting he was so furious. He still couldn’t believe that Moody and the others were continuing this ridiculous training. "I hear that Neville Longbottom is having night terrors!"
Moody glared back at Dumbledore. "Neville Longbottom is having night terrors about his parents torture, not from the magic he is learning."
"He should have been obliviated!"
"That could have damaged his young and developing mind! It would be ten times worse than what they’re going through right now! You don’t care about these kids’s well being. You wanted Harry to be raised by muggles that didn’t even want him! Did you know what they called him? A freak! They called Harry Potter a freak with freakish parents and happily gave up any claim they had on Harry to us. That is barbaric. At least here he has friends and is well cared for." Moody argued back. He was so angry that his magical eye was swirling too fast to even see the pupil.
Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and sighed. "He needed the protection of his aunt’s blood," he replied quietly.
"Protection? Albus, this kid is living with Unspeakables. Half of them nobody knows even exist! And teaching him how to protect himself is more important than letting him rely on his aunt’s blood for the rest of his life."
Dumbledore sighed. "I think you are making a mistake."
"The only mistake I’ve made is letting you manipulate my aurors. No more Albus, no more." Moody growled. He looked about the headmaster’s office and at all the curious portraits. "We’ve already decided that none of them will attend Hogwarts. It’ll waste valuable training time."
Albus leaped to his feet faster than Moody would guess that a man of his age could move. "You will deny them education? That is against the law."
"Their guardians have every right not let them go to Hogwarts, that is the law too. They will be educated. Just not by you. I know you, you want Harry Potter to be dependent on you. Well it’s not going to happen." Moody snarled. "Consider this over. Good bye Dumbledore."
And with that Moody stomped out of the office and out of Hogwarts.
oOo
"Oh Merlin, did you hear Draco? Isn’t this exciting? He’s here! Somewhere on this VERY train!" Draco was nearly knocked over as Pansy flung her arms around him in her typical exuberant greeting.
"Yes Pansy, I know. And if I didn’t read the Daily Prophet for the past three weeks then I sure would have known from those damn nosy reporters swarming the station." Draco retorted angrily. A few of the reporters out on the platform spotted the Malfoy Heir and decided to ask a few questions about his imprisoned father. The nosy pricks had put Draco in a sour mood.
And lucky for Draco Pansy didn’t seem fazed by Draco’s attitude as they walked into their usual train compartment, followed loyally by Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. "I wonder if he’s good looking. Daphne and I tried to age his picture from the daily prophet five years ago but it didn’t work so well."
Draco snorted as he sat down next to the window.
"Don’t you think that it’s more likely for You-Know-Who to attack the school now that he has a good reason to?" Millicent mused as Pansy sat beside her.
"Does it matter? I wonder what the others look like. The Prophet mentioned his four other friends but they didn’t have pictures of them either." Pansy continued to muse over the newest additions to Hogwarts security.
Draco tuned the rest of her conversation with Millicent out as he thought about the Boy-Who-Lived. Though he wouldn’t admit it, Draco was just as excited to see Harry Potter as Pansy. Even though his father cursed The Boy-Who-Lived for as long as Draco could remember, he secretly loved the story about him. He wished he was as brave or strong as him, that he could stand up against his father or even Voldemort. He’d take his mother far away from England, and the war, and his father, if he could.
"The paper said they’d attend classes occasionally for security purposes." Blaise joined into the conversation. Draco glanced over at his gossiping friends.
"I wonder if they’ll be sorted! Could you imagine if Harry Potter was sorted into Slytherin? Wouldn’t that be great?" Pansy gushed.
"The Boy-Who-Lived sorted into You-Know-Who’s house? I very much doubt that." Draco snorted.
"You never know," Pansy huffed and turned away from Draco.
"Cheeky little virgin," Blaise smirked over at Draco.
Draco let an evil grin form, "who said I’m still a virgin?"
Pansy squealed in delight, completely forgetting she was supposed to be mad at him. "You finally did it? With who? Tell tell tell!"
"Yeah, someone finally passed Draco Malfoy’s high and absurd standards?" Blaise looked curious.
Draco’s eyes narrowed at Blaise’s comment. "Yes, someone DID pass my high standards. It was while I was at the ministry with my mother this summer, I ran into Kingsley Shacklebolt’s nephew, Kirke. Oh merlin, he was perfect." Draco’s eyes clouded over as the memory came back to him.
"You shagged the nephew of a famous Auror? Merlin Draco, are you mad?" Blaise shook his head.
"If you saw him I’m sure you would have shagged him too." Draco sneered back.
"Where in the ministry did you do it?" Millicent asked in curiosity.
"The bathroom."
"You had SEX in a ministry bathroom?" Pansy screeched.
"Well, with my mother never giving me a moment alone it was the only choice I had." Draco shrugged.
Blaise laughed, "too true."
Their conversation of Draco’s summer exploit was interrupted when the train shook as it began to move. "C’mon, we have to head to the Prefect cabin for a meeting with the other prefects and Head Girl." Pansy reluctantly stood and straightened her short skirt. "I still can’t believe you made Head Boy, first Slytherin in ages." Pansy smirked.
"I do have the second best grades in the school, next to that Granger girl." Draco gloated. He stood as well and waved to his friends as they left the cabin. He and Pansy slowly made their way through the crowded and chaotic train, dodging everyone to lost first years to rambunctious seventh years. Draco sneered as they passed Ron Weasley, who returned with an obscene gesture.
As soon as Draco stepped into the Prefect Cabin an extremely flustered Hermione Granger grabbed and then dragged him to a corner. "Granger! Just because I don’t despise you like the rest of your Gryffindors doesn’t mean I LIKE you!" Draco protested as he was manhandled.
Hermione waved off his comment. "Malfoy, Harry Potter is going to be arriving shortly to announce details on the updated security at Hogwarts!" She hissed frantically.
Malfoy was struck dumb for a few minutes. "You mean... we’re going to see him? Actually see him?" Draco couldn’t help being swept up in Hermione’s mood.
Hermione was nearing hysterics as she nodded. "What are we going to do? Say? How should we act? I mean it’s not everyday that you meet the Boy-Who-Lived!"
"We need to stay calm, I bet the last thing he needs is more fawning fans. We’re Head Boy and Girl and we should act accordingly." Draco straightened up and dusted imaginary lint of his robes.
Reminding her of her authority seemed to bring Hermione out of her hysterics. She started taking deep breaths and patted down her frizzy hair a bit. "Your right. Absolutely right. We can handle this, we are the two top students of our class. We can handle Harry Potter." She said confidently.
Draco smirked and then turned to the milling prefects who were whispering about, who else but, Harry Potter. "Listen up Prefects, Harry Potter will be joining us shortly-" Draco took a moment to glare at the giggling students in front of him. Ginny Weasley looked like she was about to faint from happiness. But they all quieted under the Malfoy Glare. "-to debrief us on the new security measures. But before he comes we need to cover the usual rules and regulations of being a Prefect..."
oOo
Reporters amused Harry Potter to no end. He and Mandy walked through the crowded platform, he was hauling both of the school trunks while Mandy held a cat that she found in an alley earlier that day ("to help blend into the crowd" she claimed). The milling reporters looked right past them. Did they expect him to arrive with trumpets blaring and a full guard of aurors? Not that there weren’t Aurors patrolling the platform, Harry nodded to Tonks and Proudfoot as they passed.
He and Mandy weren’t wearing robes. Harry wore a well worn pair of stonewashed jeans, black steel-toed boots, and a vintage looking, red ‘Manchester United’ t-shirt while Mandy wore khakis pants and a black Billy Idol t-shirt and her brown hair had blonde and red highlights. They looked like a couple of muggle-borns.
Harry even paused to ask Rita Skeeter for the time, she barely acknowledged his presence as shooed him off after she told him it was a quarter ‘til. Mandy snorted. "She’s going to feel like an arse when she finds out that she blew you off."
Harry grinned, "It’ll be great."
They boarded the train without a single incident, although both did attract quite a few glances from blushing school girls and boys. Mandy winked at one attractive boy who couldn’t do anything but stare wide eyed back.
Neville waved them into the compartment where they were ‘setting up shop’. Neville, Roger, and Tracy had arrived together while Harry was with Mandy so they would attract less attention. The other three were also dressed like muggle-borns, wearing jeans and t-shirts.
"Nev... why do you have a toad?" Mandy eyed the greenish brown amphibian as she sat down across from him.
"Oh... well, my Gran gave him to me as a ‘you’re going to Hogwarts, finally’ gift." Neville glanced down at the toad sitting on his trunk. "His name is Trevor." Neville’s Gran was a touchy subject with Neville, he visited her and his parents every Christmas. She always went on about how proud she was of Neville and how he was living up to his parent’s legacy, but she didn’t seem to care for Neville’s well-being.
"Where did you get a cat?" Tracey asked about the feline that was sitting in Mandy’s lap.
Mandy shrugged. "He ran across our path this morning and I thought I would help us blend into the crowd better. I named him Achilles." She grinned.
Harry’s code name since he was placed into the Myrmidon program was Achilles. The others from then on jokingly argued over who was Patroclus, Eudorus, and even Hector and Odysseus.
"Well, he does have green eyes." Roger mused and he grinned over at Harry. Harry smirked and looked out the window as the train lurched into movement. Tonks and her electric blue hair waved at him and he briefly waved back. Soon Tonks and Proudfoot would apparate to Hogsmede and secure the platform for their arrival.
"So, we’re supposed to head to the Prefect cabin and officially introduce ourselves to the prefects and Head Boy and let them know of security changes, patrolling duties, etcetera, etcetera." Roger reported in a bored tone.
"Blah, do we all have to go? They’re not going to pay attention to anything we say ‘cause they’ll be too busy staring at boy wonder." Mandy sat back and pouted.
"Then I won’t go. I’m sure you and Roger can handle them." Harry smirked at Mandy.
"What? That’s not what I meant- fine." Mandy sighed and glared at the smirking teen.
"But your fans will be so disappointed." Roger pretended to pout. "I agree that we don’t all have to go but you have to go Harry. You’re mission leader and you have to meet the Head Boy and Girl."
"Not that he hasn’t already met the Head Boy." Neville mumbled to Tracey, who rolled her eyes.
"Fine." Harry shot Neville a glare as he sighed. "But you’re the smart one, so you have to come too." He turned back to Roger.
Roger shrugged. He couldn’t deny that we was the brains of their team.
"Tracey and Neville will patrol the train while we meet with the prefects." Harry ordered. "Contact with the new Defense teacher, inform him of any details and have him keep an eye out. Attacking a train full of school children is just what Voldemort would do."
"Shouldn’t you talk to the new Defense teacher? After all, he is your Godfather." Neville pointed out.
Harry sighed. It was no lie that Sirius Black had been trying to be a good godfather to him for the last few years. He even joined the Auror program again once his name was cleared. Their meetings were always awkward and Harry never knew what to say to the man he once believe was responsible for his parent’s deaths. But he was trying. He considered the four teens sitting around him his family more than anyone else. "Nev, could you please...?" Harry quietly begged.
"Yeah." Neville nodded.
"In that case, let’s go. I wonder if any of these kids are good looking." Mandy broke the sober atmosphere.
"Kids? They’re the same age as us." Harry replied dryly as she opened the cabin door.
"Hey now, I am one year older than you all." Roger pointed out.
Harry playfully shoved him down the hall and called out, "Respect mah authoriTY!" imitating a annoying but funny cartoon character they had seen on TV while they trained in America for a year. Roger shoved him back and shouted something about him killing Kenny. Mandy rolled her eyes as she followed them down the aisle.
Harry stopped a few feet away from the prefect’s cabin. "Okay, the best way to go about this is act like the impersonal, untouchable, super heroes that everyone likes to make us out as. Are you ready?"
Mandy mock saluted. "Sir, yes sir."
"Okay." Harry breathed out and faced the door. He really did hate being the center of attention. Mandy and Nev were outgoing ones. He listened carefully as a familiar aristocratic voice drawled out about the Forbidden Forest being forbidden, even for prefects. Well, this seemed as good as any time to interrupt.
Harry squared his shoulders, ran a hand through his messy black hair (Sexy like I-just-had-good-sex hair as Mandy called it), and let his face settle into a serious expression before flinging open the door.
A few of the kids near the door jumped as the sliding door banged against the hall. Harry strolled in looking authoritative followed by a serious Roger and an amused Mandy. Harry saw Draco out of the corner of his eye turn bright red and then deathly pale in a matter of seconds.
"Listen up! My name is Harry Potter, Commander of the Elite Auror team the Myrmidons. This is Strategos Roger Davies and Mission Specialist Mandy Brocklehurst. Mission Specialists Neville Longbottom and Tracey Davis are currently patrolling the train."
Mandy was pretty sure if she didn’t have ten years of training on how to act properly during a debriefing that she would have burst out laughing. Anyone that knew, really knew, Harry Potter right now would know that he only gave them titles when he was being sarcastic. But these kids ate it up with awe and fear of the Boy-Who-Lived. No doubt being called ‘Strategos’ was going to go straight to Roger’s ego.
"I assume you two are Head Boy and Head Girl?" Harry pivoted to face Draco and the frizzy haired girl standing next to him.
Draco was still shocked and couldn’t respond. Hermione leaped into action. "Yes sir, my name is Hermione Granger and this is Draco Malfoy. If we can assist you in any way please let us know." Hermione reached her hand out to shake Harry’s.
Harry grinned and shook her hand. "I will let you know if I ever need any of your assistance." He replied and sent a wink towards Draco. Draco flushed prettily but still couldn’t say a word.
"Now, as you have been informed there have been a few security changes this year to insure your safety. The ones that most concern you all are as follows: First, there will now be two weekly prefect meetings every Monday and Thursday night hosted by one of the Myrmidons or I. These are not optional. There you will discuss any suspicious behavior you have seen from anyone and learn basic offensive tactics incase the school is ever attacked. You will be expected to defend the younger students"
Harry began to pace as he listed what was going to be done from now on. A few of the fifth year prefects began to back away because they were so intimidated. "Second, every night after your patrol you will report to the Head Boy or Girl, no matter what, who will then report to us. Don’t leave out a single detail. If you hear a sneeze in an empty hallway where not a single person is around in the dead of the night, do not brush it off as part of your imagination. Report it."
"Third, spontaneous searches will be conducted on each house’s dorms once a month to check for dark objects and other dangerous paraphernalia. If you warn anyone at all in advance that this will happen, drastic measures can and will be taken, including your prefect status being revoked. Is there any questions?" Harry ended is long speech and looked about the room at all the awed faces. At least they weren’t blubbering away and asking about his scar. He hated that the most.
"I have a question.... sir."
Harry turned to face the snobby looking blonde haired boy that spoke. "Yes?"
"Um... sir, where is your scar?" He asked in a half awed half accusatory tone.
Harry couldn’t believe the audacity of him. He glared fiercely down at the now cowering boy. Later, when asked, the boy swears his eyes flashed red for a second. "Seeing as no one as any real questions, we’ll take our leave." He replied in a voice so cold that the room temperature dropped ten degrees and half the room started to shiver in fear.
Harry stalked out of the room followed by Mandy and Roger. The door slammed closed with another frightening bang and this time the whole room jumped.
Hermione spun around to face Zacharias Smith. "HOW could you just ASK that of HARRY POTTER?!" She seethed. "I won’t be surprised if he revokes your prefect status for it."
He glared back at Hermione. "It was a reasonable question, how do we know that he is really Harry Potter if he doesn’t have the scar?"
"He’s being trained by Aurors and Unspeakables! Don’t you think they taught him a concealment charm or two?" Hermione hissed back.
Pansy turned to Draco to comment on the argument but stopped short as she looked at his shaking and pale complexion. "Draco are you all right?" She whispered.
Draco turned to face his friend. "Pansy... I’ve already met Harry Potter."
"What? And you’ve never told me before?" Pansy hissed.
"I didn’t know! He told me his name was Kirke Shacklebolt."
oOo
Chapter Three