Unveiling Secrets: A New Path for Harry Potter

Harry pushed the food around on his plate. Valentine's Day had started out so very well too.

But the rest of the day had been frustrating as hell. Not that anything had gone wrong, per se, but hiding his relationship with Pansy from the rest of the school had never made him so upset. The afternoon had been spent doing normal things. Pansy and the girls had worked on their makeover project for Neville. He had finished a couple of assignments for the week while studying with Hermione. Although, studying with Hermione was really little more than an excuse to sit by her and try to make sure Ron's scowls and sneers didn't make her burst into tears. Thankfully, that hadn't happened since Tuesday.

None of it was terrible, but all he wanted was to be alone with his girl.

He wondered how much longer they would have to maintain this charade. Her father was gone. Malfoy was gone. How many other enemies would have to be removed before he could openly have Pansy as a girlfriend?

He had realized that she derived a certain thrill from the subterfuge. He knew that she enjoyed the taboo nature of what magical society would have expected her role to be as well as how they were flaunting those rules. But as he had told her, Harry was simpler than that. He didn't need complicated motivations. Have girl, love girl- that was enough.

Many of the older students were spending time with their significant others, and it angered him that he had to wait to be able to do the same thing. At least they had the privacy of their quarters. He had a feeling the castle's broom closets would all be full tonight.

He did have a couple of amusing moments that night though. Ron was being his typical grumpy self, which Harry had quickly grown used to, and he was sitting by Ginny, who looked quite put out with her brother. Her wistful looks over at Harry kept getting interrupted by Ron mumbling something to make her glare at him.

But she wasn't the only one that seemed to be pining away. Harry had caught Neville glancing over at Hermione a couple of times as well. The second time, Harry smiled and winked at Neville, which made him choke on a bite of chicken. Seamus had to pound on his back several times before Neville finished coughing.

Pansy hadn't eaten much at dinner yet either. Oh, she appeared to be speaking cheerfully to Parvati and Lavender, but he thought that she probably was ready to go be alone with him too.

Hedwig flying down with a letter for him was just the catalyst he needed. He had been waiting to hear from Sam and hoped that this would solve one dilemma. He thanked his owl for the delivery and offered her the bite from his fork.

"If you all will excuse me," he said as he got up.

"Are you alright Harry?" asked Hermione.

"I'm just not that hungry right now. Plus, I think this is a legal matter that I need to deal with. Enjoy the rest of your night, Hermione." Harry leaned over and kissed the top of her head. He had become more physically affectionate with his best friend over the last week, but with the belligerent way Ron was acting, he thought she could use it to keep her spirits up. He just hoped that she wouldn't start thinking there was anything more to it than that. The last thing he needed was Hermione starting to fancy him. For that reason, he really hoped Pansy's scheme for Neville worked.

Pansy got up and followed him as he left the Great Hall.

Once they were on their way upstairs and out of sight of others, she asked if the letter was from Sam. He told her it was and he would tell her all about it once they got back to their rooms.

They made that trip faster than they usually did.

Once through the portrait, Harry threw the letter down on the table, grabbed Pansy and began kissing her neck.

"Is something wrong, Harry? Maybe feeling a bit frustrated?"

He looked up at her grin.

"Show me how frustrated you are," she purred out.

Harry grabbed her shirt and ripped it open. She laughed.

"Take yours off too," she said as she removed her bra. In seconds flat, Harry kicked off his shoes and shed his shirt, then kneeled before her. He slid his hands up under her skirt and pulled down her panties. He hungrily tasted her for a moment; but she was wet and ready.

"Stand up Harry." Pansy turned and leaned over the back of the couch. Harry flipped up her skirt and was swiftly inside her. One hand went around her waist and up to her breasts, the other grabbed her by the hair and turned her head enough for him to kiss her mouth. Then he trailed down to her neck while they thrust together.

Pansy was in heaven, giving herself to Harry and just letting go. As frustrated as she had been that afternoon, she knew Harry must have been worse, and now she was finally receiving her reward. She loved when Harry unleashed this more dominant side, and he was getting more at ease with it.

'Oh, fuck yes.' He was getting a lot better at it. Pansy slumped over the couch, her legs trembling as she crashed down from her orgasm. Harry wasn't done yet; if anything he was picking up speed. She felt him squeezing her bum and leaning further into her, and despite the somewhat awkward position, she came again.

She was gasping for air a minute later when Harry finally released and collapsed on top of her. They almost tumbled over but Harry was somehow able to stand and hold her up. She was impressed; her own legs were still very wobbly.

"Happy Valentine's Day," she panted out, turning to kiss him. Harry chuckled.

"Happy Valentine's Day to you too."

They stumbled over to sit down on the couch, she stepped out of her skirt on the way, and Pansy curled her sweaty body up against his. She could feel Harry's heart beat pounding in his chest even harder than her own was.

After a few moments to catch their breath, she snickered at a thought.

"What's so funny?"

"I was just thinking that we're lucky."

"How so?"

"There can't be too many broom closets with couches in them that you could bend me over and shag me silly on."

"Probably not," he answered with a laugh. "We really aren't a very good Hogwarts couple in that way. I don't think we've been in a broom closet since that first day of school."

"You're right, we haven't. But I think this is better, and I don't want anyone to know about us just yet."

Harry sat in silence for several seconds. He wanted to ask her why not, but he knew part of that answer and thought that maybe he should try to track down Black sooner rather than later. He was a threat after all, and danger was one of the reasons that Pansy wanted to hide as much as possible about not only their relationship but their capabilities and resources.

For his part, he wanted Dobby to remain as a secret weapon for as long as possible. It had occurred to him just how much he had relied on the elf to take out Pansy's father. Until the other Death Eaters were all dealt with, no one could know.

That was one of the only problems with how they had gotten rid of Lucius Malfoy. Harry had a feeling he might have known many more names of Death Eaters. He vowed to try to get another list at the next opportunity.

But now, Harry had one more thing to do for his girlfriend today.

"Come to the bedroom with me, Pansy."

"Oh, ready for another round already?" she teased, but took his hand as he got up.

He led her to the second bedroom, though. The one that was supposed to be hers but that she used mainly only to store some of her things or when she wanted access to a second bathroom.

Inside, she found that Harry, probably with Dobby's help, had a surprise for her. There were several lit candles around the room, and a vase with another rose in it by the bed. The blankets had been removed from the bed. Only a sheet and a pillow remained.

Harry picked up a bottle from the night table.

"This is massage oil," he said with a leering smile. "You just lay down and I'm going to rub all the stress out of every inch of your body, even if it takes me all night."

"That sounds wonderful," she said as she climbed onto the bed. "I'm going to have to come up with something to reward you for being such a good boyfriend now."

"This is a present for myself as well, you know. There isn't really anything I enjoy more than you being naked. Now, close your eyes and relax."

He started at her neck and shoulders. Pansy dozed off a couple of times, but Harry just kept going. She awoke first when he reached her lower back and she really enjoyed the next half hour, although she was pretty sure his tongue wasn't necessary for a massage. But who was she to argue with another fabulous orgasm?

After that, his hands had their work cut out for them as her thighs had a lot more tension to remove. Somewhere around her knees, she was once again asleep.

She stirred back awake just as he was finishing up her feet.

"Harry, I feel amazing. What time is it?"

He looked at his watch and answered, "Almost eleven."

"Good, not too late yet." She rolled over and saw that he was aroused, just as she expected. "Come here."

While the day itself might not have been perfect, that first Valentine's Night was something they would both always remember.

The next week passed without any major incident. Pansy spent time with Parvati and Lavender, and Harry was surprised that she even joined in some of the giggling. He was very pleased that she was enjoying her project and even developing something like friendship with the two girls.

He was still working to keep Hermione from getting down as Ron's stubborn streak was going strong. The glaring barely fazed Harry at this point, but Hermione still got upset at times.

He was also doing his bit for Project Makeover by continuing to help Neville in Charms, Transfiguration, and Defense. Progress was slow, but working with Neville was not much of a burden. He was even appreciative of the help. Polite too. It made Harry that much more frustrated with Ron.

Nothing more had come from Harry's nightly checks looking over the Marauder's Map. However, Dobby had indirectly given him an idea. One night when he came by to deliver Harry another stack of sorted mail, Harry had the elf sit down with him.

"Hey Dobby, I'd like to ask you a few things."

"What can Dobby do for master Harry sir?"

"You told me that there are house-elves that work here for the school. Would they be willing to help us with something?"

"Master Harry needs lots of house-elves?"

Noticing the upset look in his friend's eyes, Harry quickly moved to reassure him.

"It's not like that, Dobby. There must be a lot of house-elves that work at the castle, right?"

"Oh, yes sir. More than one hundred."

"It's a big castle, that makes sense. Anyway, you know how Sirius Black has tried to break in a couple of times now. I have been keeping an eye out on the map for him or anyone else trying to get into the castle. I was wondering if you could introduce me to the house-elves that work here. I'd like to ask them to help keep a look out for anything suspicious. While Fred and George suggested that Black might have been sneaking in through a secret passage, I'm wondering if he might have had help coming from inside the castle. I know there are several children of Death Eaters at the school.

"Maybe Black had help breaking out from Azkaban. And maybe he's had help trying to kill me too. Lupin said he would never work with Black, but as far as I'm concerned, he betrayed House Potter when he abandoned me after the deaths of my parents. I don't trust him."

"Dobby doesn't trust bad wolfy teacher either, master Harry sir."

"Actually, I really only trust you and Pansy. Sam too, for the most part, I suppose."

"Dobby would be happy to introduce the Great Harry Potter sir to the Hogwartsies house-elves."

"When should we do that?"

"After dinner would be a good time, master Harry. Meal times are busy times for house-elves, so Dobby can find them all in the kitchens at the same time."

"Alright, tomorrow night then?"

Now the thing about the house-elves of Hogwarts is that they see Hogwarts as their family, which it is their honor to protect and serve. That means not only the school, but the teachers and students as well. Like how they viewed magic as a living being, the school itself was just as alive to them. Things that hurt any part of Hogwarts were absolutely evil to them.

The dementor horde had tried to do terrible harm to Hogwarts. Harry Potter had driven them away on the quidditch pitch, and then he had led the charge to drive them away permanently through a public outcry.

Therefore, Harry Potter was completely adored by the Hogwarts house-elves. He could have asked them for their first-born and they would have given him dozens of house-elf babies.

Asking them to help him protect the school was akin to asking Oliver if he wouldn't mind if they won the quidditch cup.

The first couple of days, in their over-enthusiasm, saw house-elves telling Harry all sorts of things, much of it minor gossip. But students sneaking into broom closets, while technically suspicious, wasn't really what Harry had in mind. Plus, he definitely didn't want to know that much about the dating habits of the student body.

A couple of days later, Harry had to explain in greater detail the types of things he wanted them to let him know about. Actual threats, people being hurt, that sort of thing. And bullying of course. That was something he had zero tolerance for, obviously. He thought it might let him catch Draco and some of his ilk being bastards, and Harry knew that his duel with Malfoy senior should still be fresh enough in the minds of the other students to put the fear of god into anyone foolish enough to cross him.

Little did he know that it would be a very different group that would face his wrath.

Being abducted at wand point would be traumatizing for most wizards. Neville Longbottom hoped that he wouldn't need to change his pants when Pansy ordered him into a room one evening after dinner. Or that anything worse might happen, for that matter.

Seeing the grins on the faces of Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil was pretty scary too. They were waiting for him in a mostly empty classroom. They sat at a table with some parchment in front of them.

"Hi Neville!" Their chorused voices followed by giggles didn't make him any less afraid.

"You may as well sit down, Longbottom. This could take a while." Pansy shut the door behind her, then cast spells to ensure their privacy. She walked around the table behind the other two and looked at him appraisingly. She didn't seem to like what she was seeing. Neville wondered, not for the first time, why Harry was friends with this utterly terrifying Slytherin witch.

Neville gulped and sat down across from the girls.

"First of all, we know that you seem to have a little crush on Granger."

His blush was all that was needed as a response. Neville was sure that he would have stuttered if he tried to speak, but with Pansy staring at him, he was afraid of even opening his mouth.

"Seeing that she is Harry's best friend, it is in my interests to make sure that any potential suitor be adequate."

And Neville had a feeling that he was not meeting her expectations.

"These fine ladies have agreed to help get you up to snuff." Lavender and Parvati smiled predatorily at him. "Therefore, we are going to turn you into someone that will catch Granger's eye. Treating a young lady properly will also be something you will be learning. Failing to do so with Granger would make Harry very displeased with you.

"And if Harry is displeased with you, then I am displeased with you." A small whimper escaped him. He didn't want to know whatever her glare meant. Pansy wasn't a very large girl, and she had never shown off any particularly powerful or dangerous magic, but there was something about her that was very intimidating.

"You're soft Longbottom. It's time to shed the baby fat, grow a spine, and learn how to woo Harry's little bookworm.

"To that end, I'll turn things over to my associates."

Pansy would have cackled at the shy boy's expression, but instead she merely stood back and let Patil and Brown get to work. This project was becoming even more fun than she had anticipated.

Over the next couple of weeks, Neville Longbottom would be worked like a dog. The words "diet" and "exercise" were bad enough. Having to spend time with Lavender and Parvati, who were determined to bring him out of his shell, was even worse, as neither of the girls was holding anything back. Unfiltered teenage girls might soon replace Snape as his boggart.

But the ever watching Pansy was the worst. She didn't try to hide her scorn for him, which made it that much more confusing as to why she was "helping" him.

At least Harry was nice to him in class.

"You'll never guess what happened with Longbottom today."

Harry was ready to laugh just seeing the delight in Pansy's eyes. He knew there was no way that Neville would have enjoyed whatever could make her this excited.

"Alright, I won't try to guess."

"So, Lavender decided that he needed to learn how to kiss properly before he tries to make a move on Granger."

Harry began to chuckle. He had a feeling this was going to get even better.

"Did she volunteer herself or Parvati to be his teacher?"

"She tried to get Parvati to do it, but I think we both know that she wants to be kissing on someone else." Pansy grinned at him and Harry rolled his eyes.

"Yes, yes, I know. So what happened?"

"After Parvati's refusal, she briefly looked at me. I would have been much more angry if not for the fact that Longbottom fainted."

"I think I said that you would make each other miserable. I guess you're taking that out on poor Neville now."

"Oh, it gets better."

"I'm sure, " Harry snickered.

"After I slapped him awake, Lavender came up with a brilliant idea."

"That might be the first time anyone has ever said the word brilliant when describing her."

"We hired a firstie to be his kissing partner."

Harry laughed so loud and hard that he nearly fell off the couch.

"The only way this could get better is if Colin was there with his camera."

"You know I can't stand that little stalker, so no luck there, Harry. But if you're good, I'll let you watch the next time we practice my Occlumency."

"It's been awhile. I'd actually forgotten about that."

"Anyway, I paid a girl named Romilda Vane to kiss Longbottom. I took a couple of galleons out of your trunk, I assume you don't mind."

"Not at all."

"Good, because she earned a tip."

"Neville learned a lot from her then?"

"Oh, I doubt it. He looked pretty horrified by the whole thing. But the Vane girl was enthusiastic and at least I enjoyed myself."

"I'm happy to pay for your amusement," Harry said with a smile.

"I know. I'm tempted to pay for another kissing lesson for him, but I think you probably want him functional so that he eventually will ask Granger out."

"Besides, it wouldn't be as funny the second time, right?"

"You know me too well, Harry."

"That I do, my love."

"Then you probably know that after such an enjoyable day like this, I'm in the mood for a different type of fun now."

Harry didn't need any further invitation; he carried Pansy directly to bed.

She waited until late that night for Harry to fall asleep, then crept out of the bedroom.

"Dobby?"

"Yes miss Pansy?"

"How good are you at Transfiguration?"

"Dobby can do some changing magic. What does miss Pansy need Dobby to do?"

"Can you change an animal into something else? Like another animal?"

"Dobby is sorry miss Pansy. Dobby can't do that type of magic."

"Hmm, then I'll need to work on my second idea," she said as she went into the second bedroom. Dobby followed her quietly. Pansy pulled a book out of her trunk and flipped to a page that she had already marked.

"I don't know if I could do this," she muttered to herself as she read. Dobby waited patiently.

"If I asked you to help me do something but keep it a secret from Harry, could you do that?"

"Dobby could never lie to master Harry."

"It's not going to be a lie, Dobby. More like a surprise. Remember when you helped me for his birthday last summer? Something like that. Nothing that will hurt Harry. In fact, something that I hope will make him very happy."

"Dobby will always help for master Harry."

"Good. I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet, but when I do figure it out, I'll let you know. I may need you to get a few things for me."

"Dobby can do that for miss Pansy."

"Excellent. You've been a great house-elf, Dobby. I wanted to say thank you again for helping Harry when he dealt with my father. I feel a lot better knowing that you were there to protect him."

"Thank you, miss Pansy."

"You're welcome, Dobby. I'm going back to bed now. Good night."

Pansy was able to settle back into bed without waking Harry, but she did not fall asleep for awhile. Her idea should work, but she might need Harry's help with the magic involved. And she didn't want that. This was something she had to do for him. Not that he wouldn't be willing, but Pansy needed to do this on her own. She owed him too much. Hell, they all owed him so much.

This last year with him had been wonderful. But Harry deserved more. She couldn't give him his childhood back. He had made her father pay for his sins. Now it was her turn.

She would make the Dursleys pay for theirs.