In the short amount of time he had spent with his convict of a
godfather he had shown him nothing but care and regret for his past
actions. The man was willing to give the then thirteen year old Harry
a real home without hesitation having only spent a small amount of
time with him. Hell, he escaped Azkaban to try and save him from
the traitor and had been on the run since.
"And he can learn the same magic as me" Harry piped up in
realisation.
"Indeed he can and that is an advantage that neither of you should
pass up" the older man replied. "You should at least consider it"
Arcturus finished, bringing the conversation to an end.
Harry had spent days considering it and found that despite the lack
of presence of his godfather throughout his life, there was no one
else he could trust in that way.
He had considered both Ron and Hermione but found the former
was fickle at best and his jealously would be intolerable and the
latter would more than likely take exception to him doing what
needed to be done.
In reality he wanted to protect Hermione more than anything else. He
knew he would have much blood on his hands by the end of this and
did not want her to have to share his fate. He knew she was a
capable witch but he could not be certain on her mind set and how
she would deal with what was to come. He loved her as he would a
sister, had he had one, and he couldn't face being responsible for
corrupting her like that. So he had concluded that Sirius was his best
option and actually found himself excited at having someone he
could rely on when he needed it. He had spent moments in the last
few weeks envisioning himself and his godfather emulating their
grandfathers' on the battlefield, sharing a true meaningful
relationship the way they should always have had and watching
each other's' backs as the older men once did.
Harry shook his head and broke himself from his reflections before
answering the older man.
"Yes sir, I remember" he answered.
The older man nodded. "How are you doing with your school work?"
he asked the boy knowing he had been paying a lot more attention
to it recently.
"I've mastered all the spell work and the theory for both my OWLS
and NEWTS and way beyond that" Harry replied.
"Even Runes and Arithmancy?" Arcturus questioned with raised
eyebrows.
"Yes sir, it seems I have a knack for them" Harry replied shrugging.
He had been very surprised at how easy he had found the subjects
and found both of them useful with his spell work.
"Impressive" the older man replied. "Well we will get Christmas out of
the way and I will get Griselda Marchbanks to come and do your
OWLS with you" he said. "She can be trusted and I will get an oath
of silence from her" he explained. "She is firmly in Dumbledores'
corner and will understand why and won't ask many questions" he
finished.
Harry just nodded and prepared to leave for his rendezvous with
Sirius.
"I will come back here before I leave tomorrow" Harry explained to
Arcturus.
"Okay, good, that gives us one more chance to go over the plan" the
older man responded.
Harry just rolled his eyes and shook his head. They had spent the
last two days on the plan and it was firmly implanted in his mind.
"Yes sir" Harry shouted, standing to attention and adding a mock
salute before disapparating.
"Cheeky Bastard" Arcturus mumbled to himself, the corner of his
mouth twitching slightly.
Harry appeared in the conference room at Gringotts, having gotten
permission from Barchoke to do so, and awaited the arrival of his
godfather. He didn't have to wait long as soon, the door opened to
reveal the man. The two looked at each other appraisingly for a few
seconds before they each closed the distance between them and
grabbed each other in a firm embrace. Eventually they broke apart
and Sirius was the first to speak.
"How are you pup?" he asked clearly concerned.
"I'm ok Sirius, really I am" he said raising a hand to prevent his
godfather questioning him further on his welfare. "Before I forget I
have something for you" he added removing a galleon from his
pocket.
Sirius was confused by the gift.
"My life may not be great right now Harry but my coin bag is not that
sparse" he explained.
Harry just shook his head at the man.
"It is a portkey that will take you to the wandmaker that made mine.
Just tap it with your wand and wait for him to activate it from his end
to take you to him and he will make you a couple of wands that will
work best for you" he explained.
Sirius was clearly taken aback by what he had been given.
"Thank you" he said gratefully. "The one I'm using is ok but it could
definitely be better" he concluded.
"Any news on what Dumbledore has the order guarding?" Harry
asked.
"No" Sirius replied shaking his head. "He's barely been seen since
he found out about Hagrid, he took it very badly" he finished sadly.
"Any news on the rat?" he asked hopefully, changing the subject.
"I'm going for him tomorrow, from what I have learnt he is in
Toulouse working on something for Voldemort" he explained.
"France" Sirius yelped. "You're not going alone are you?" he asked
worriedly.
"I am" Harry replied. "I can take care of myself Sirius and you are
certainly not in any position to help me and everyone else either
thinks that I'm dead or missing, it has to be done this way, I can get
in and out quietly without raising any suspicion" he explained further.
"I know pup, but I don't like it" Sirius responded dragging a hand
through his hair nervously.
"It will be fine" Harry said attempting to reassure the man.
Sirius just nodded although he really was not for this idea at all.
"Did you only want to see me to give me this?" he asked waving the
coin in front of him.
"No" Harry replied sincerely. "I've known about you for 2 years and
we haven't spent more than an hour with each other and there's
always been other people there" he continued. "I'm pretty sure my
Dad would be pissed about that" he finished with a chuckle.
"Yeah, I think old prongs would prank and hex us into oblivion if he
could" Sirius added scratching his chin with a chuckle of his own.
"I went and saw them for the first time on Halloween" Harry spoke
quietly.
"Oh pup, I wish I could have been there with you" his godfather said
sincerely placing a hand on his godsons shoulder.
"It's ok" Harry replied, dismissing him with a wave of his hand. "It
was horrible though Mum and Dad's graves were nothing like they
should have been so I changed them" he said without any regret.
"Show me" Sirius responded with a raised eyebrow.
"We can't go there now it's too risky, I don't know if the place is being
watched" he explained.
"Pensieve?" the animagus retorted.
"Barchoke isn't here and I doubt he'd like us going through his stuff"
Harry replied knowingly.
"I have one and a bottle of firewhisky at mine" Sirius said in a
suggestive tone. "No one else is there and we won't be disturbed in
the drawing room" he assured the teen.
Harry just nodded and smirked at the smile his godfather gave him.
Sirius handed him a scrap of parchment which he read.
The headquarters of the order of the phoenix can be found at
number 12 Grimmauld Place.
"Fidelius Charm?" Harry asked impressed.
"Yes, how the hell would you know that?" Sirius asked incredulously,
knowing it wasn't learnt about until seventh year.
"I do read Sirius, what you think I've had my thumb up my arse the
last six months?" he asked in jest.
"You do surprise me pup" the other man intoned. "Can you apparate
or do you need the help of your ruggedly handsome godfather for
once?" he asked posturing up and posing in a superior manner.
Harry just raised an eyebrow before disappearing without a sound.
"Oh come on" Sirius said loudly looking towards the ceiling and
gesturing dramatically with his arms. "Silent apparation? Really?" he
questioned whoever was watching him from above.
With that he shook his head and followed his godson, trying his very
best to be as silent as possible.
He appeared in the familiar street outside of his home and
immediately fell on his backside.
"Oww" he moaned clamouring to his feet and rubbing his posterior.
"You tried to be silent didn't you?" Harry asked trying not to laugh.
"Why can't I do it?" Sirius whined petulantly.
"Because you're a crusty old mutt who spent 12 years in Azkaban"
Harry answered casually. "You better go in first and see if the coast
is clear" he added tapping himself on the head with his wand and
disappearing under a Disillusionment charm.
"Crusty old mutt?" Sirius mumbled to himself, shook his head at his
godson and entered the house to ensure it was empty.
He entered the kitchen to find Tonks sat drinking a cup of tea.
"Been somewhere nice?" She asked when he entered the room.
"Is anyone else here?" Sirius asked urgently.
"No it's just me and I was just about to leave" she answered. "Why?"
she inquired.
Sirius ignored her and gestured to the front door to indicate it was
safe for Harry to come in. He did so and dropped his charm when he
saw it was only the two of them inside.
"Miss Tonks" he said to the now pink haired auror. "It is nice to see
you again" he added giving her a grin which made the metamorph
flush.
"Potter" she acknowledged simply attempting to compose herself
and averted her gaze towards the table.
Harry mock sighed and looked at the young woman appraisingly.
"I do wish you would call me Harry, we have been intimate after all…
in battle of course" he added seeing the woman flush further.
Sirius was shaking with the effort to keep himself from bursting with
laughter. He had never seen his cousin like this and he knew she
would not appreciate him laughing at her expense.
"Yes… well, I have to go" she replied and stood suddenly unable to
control her hair changing to a deep crimson to match her face. She
left the room in a hurry and the sound of the front door opening and
closing was heard very soon after, at which point Sirius lost complete
control and roared with laughter, banging his fist on the table.
"When did you become so smooth with the ladies?" he asked wiping
tears from his eyes after he had managed to compose himself.
"I don't know" Harry replied sincerely. "I guess when you are
Voldemort's number one target women really aren't so scary" he
added with a shrug.
"Come on Casanova" Sirius said shaking his head and leading them
out of the room, "The pensieve is up here" he nodded towards the
stairs.
They entered a nicely furnished drawing room and each stood at the
circular oak table in the centre where the pensieve sat.
"I never got the chance to visit them either" Sirius began sadly. "Let's
see how much they messed it up" he requested, gesturing to the
pensieve.
Harry complied and removed the memory of him and Arcturus
visiting the graveyard in Godrics' Hollow and placed it in the stone
bowl. Sirius entered the pensieve and Harry waited for him to return,
not wanting to revisit the memory just yet.
It was around 10 minutes later that his godfather emerged with puffy
eyes and tears streaming down his face. He immediately grabbed
Harry and simply cried into his should for a few moments before he
pulled himself together enough to speak.
"They would have loved what you did" he said confidently. "Thank
you for doing that for them" he added sincerely.
"It just felt right" Harry replied solemnly.
Sirius nodded and summoned a bottle of firewhisky and two glasses
from a cabinet on the other side of the room. He poured them both a
drink and passed one to Harry before taking a seat. Harry followed
his lead and to the two sat in silence for some time, sipping from
their glasses.
"You know" Sirius said breaking the silence. "Your father was the first
friend I ever had" he continued and took another sip from his glass.
"Being a Black is hard enough with the family reputation and growing
up myself and my brother were kept away from other families
because of our mother" he explained bitterly draining his glass and
refilling it.
Harry sat in silence and just took in every word his godfather was
saying.
"I wanted to be different so badly and begged the sorting hat to put
me anywhere but in Slytherin" he explained. "When I was sorted into
Gryffindor everyone was shocked" he added shaking his head with a
bark of laughter. "I sat at the table and everyone moved away from
me thinking I had tricked the hat. But James came over and
introduced himself. He didn't care about my family reputation,
probably because of Aunt Dorea being his mother. He sat down and
ate with me and didn't care what anyone else thought, that was the
type of man your father was Harry" he said looking his godson in the
eye.
Harry nodded gratefully at the other man for the information he was
sharing.
"Don't get me wrong, he was an arse mostly" he began again
laughing. "But he was my best friend and we were both arses
together. We didn't take much seriously but we always made sure
our work was done and we were the best in our year, along with your
mother of course, but we spent our school years playing jokes and
pranks and saw everything as a laugh. It wasn't until our fifth year
when You-know-who became a real problem that we started to
change and even then it wasn't until we graduated that we saw how
bad things were getting for ourselves" he finished draining his glass
again and pouring another helping for himself and Harry.
"What happened?" Harry asked eagerly.
"We joined the auror academy" Sirius answered simply. "Me, your
father, Frank Longbottom, Alice, who would become his wife and the
Prewett Twins, they were Molly's younger brothers. They wouldn't let
Remus join and Peter was nowhere good enough. Your mother
stayed on at Hogwarts and completed a charms mastery with
Flitwick" he added.
"If my Dad was such an arse, how did he end up with my mum?"
Harry asked trying to get his Godfather to backtrack a little.
"Ahh, well your mother really did not like your father much until our
seventh year, he was far too immature for her" he began. "Your
mother was a lot like Hermione at first, a real know it all and wasn't
very popular because of it. But that changed as she got older and
she curbed her attitude quite a bit and she became really good
friends with Alice and a few others" he explained further. "Your father
hounded her for a date from third year and she agreed to go out with
him in seventh I think to just get him off her case" he said chuckling.
"Whatever he did on that date must have impressed the hell out of
her because after that they were inseparable and she fell for him
hard, everyone could see it" he finished knowingly.
"And they left school and got married" Harry stated.
"That's pretty much it" Sirius replied scratching his chin. "I know it's
not much but that's how it was. You have to remember Harry they
were only 21 when they were killed, they barely made it in to
adulthood" he concluded sadly.
"I know" Harry replied just as sadly. "What was it like when they
found out mum was pregnant?" Harry asked wanting to change the
subject to something less upsetting.
Sirius grinned at the question. "It was very amusing" he replied. "I
was at home and prongs suddenly appeared in my front room
looking very pale and struggling to breathe. He was a real mess,
stuttering and jabbering like an idiot" he added shaking his head. "I
thought there had been an attack until he came out with the classic
line" he said with his eyes full of mirth.
"What did he say?" Harry asked impatiently.
"Now don't hold this against me pup, remember I was young and
thought it was funny" he half pleaded, half chuckled.
"Well?" Harry demanded irritably.
Sirius sighed. "He told me that the contraceptive charm I had given
him didn't work" he yielded. "What he actually said was; I should of
known a contraceptive charm wouldn't turn my semen orange" he
finished laughing.
"How the hell did that come about?" Harry asked astounded at his
fathers' foolishness.
"Well I was drunk and your father appeared pretty much the same as
he did that night and asked me for a powerful contraceptive charm,
you see powerful wizards sometimes need something a little
stronger. I gave him a colour changing charm me and Remus had
worked out that would change your bodily fluids a different colour, it's
quite clever really" he explained with a pleased expression. "Anyway,
the result of that little mishap was your mother's pregnancy" he
concluded.
"So I was a mistake?" Harry asked incredulously.
"Not at all Pup" Sirius replied. "Your Mother was delighted it was
James that wanted to wait at first but when he got over the shock he
wanted nothing more than to have you. Even though he was terrified
and your mother was a hormonal mess it was the thing he wanted
the most. Your grandparents were just as delighted" he added trying
to placate his irate godson..
"Yeah, I have the pictures" Harry replied shaking his head and
draining his glass.
Both were beginning to feel the effects of the whisky but were
enjoying the long overdue time they were having together. It was
Harry that broke the silence next.
"What about you, didn't you meet someone worth holding on to?" he
asked sarcastically, completely aware of his godfathers reputation.
He was surprised to see a pained expression appear on the mans'
face.
"I did" he replied swallowing deeply, the pained look remaining.
"I'm sorry Sirius" Harry cut in sincerely. "I didn't realise" he finished
lamely.
"You didn't know" Sirius replied shaking his head. "It's ok pup" he
said trying to assure the young man". Wait here a moment" he added
and left the room.
He returned a few minutes later and handed Harry a photograph.
The photo was of a younger Sirius and a very beautiful dark haired
woman who was wrapped in his arms. Harry could clearly see how
happy they both were and could only compare it to pictures he had
seen of his parents and grandparents. The young woman had hazel
eyes and her features were very delicate. She looked almost frail but
was stood as tall as his godfather and her eyes brimmed with an air
of confidence.
"Her name was Marlene McKinnon and we were engaged to be
married" Sirius began emotionally. "I loved her just as much as your
father loved your mother and she was the only woman who ever
tamed me and could keep me in line" he added with a forced laugh.
"Not a day goes by that I don't think about her Harry" he said
sincerely. "I couldn't ever love someone the same way I loved her,
still love her" he corrected. "It was just everything about her, the fact
that she was beautiful meant nothing to me compared to just who
she was. She was beautiful inside and out, she just had this way
about her that I couldn't resist and I know she felt the same about
me. She accepted me for who I was and I changed, not because she
made me but because of her. She made me a better man, the best
man I could be" he finished with a tear escaping from his eye.
"What happened to her?" Harry asked handing the picture back to
Sirius who clung to it as if it were a lifeline.
"I'm not completely sure" he replied. "Her family home was razed to
the ground by Death Eaters and they were all killed" he explained.
"I'm really sorry Sirius, I didn't mean to drag that up" Harry
apologised again sincerely.
"It's ok pup, honestly, it has taken me a long time to learn to live with
it but I have it is just one of the pieces of guilt I have to carry with me,
just like your parents" he added sadly.
"That wasn't your fault though" Harry pointed out.
"I didn't personally sell them out but I may as well have" Sirius
replied, clearly angry at himself. "It was me that convinced them to
use the rat and even after he handed them over I went after him
instead of being there for you" he added ruefully. "I should have
taken you and raised you as your parents wanted. Instead I was
reckless and went after Wormtail and ended up in Azkaban" he said
angrily.
"You didn't know that would happen" Harry interjected.
"No but you should have been my first priority" he replied taking a
long pull straight from the bottle. "Because of me you were raised by
those bastards who did god knows what to you and that is my fault
Harry, that blame lies only with me" he finished taking another long
drink.
"If that is how you really feel then redeem yourself" Harry stated
simply.
"And how can I do that pup, look at me" he said gesturing to himself.
"I am an on the run prisoner that can't even leave my own house
because everyone thinks I am a murderer and would flay me alive in
the streets given half the chance" he finished heatedly.
"We can change that when I get the rat" Harry responded. "And I
survived the Dursleys Sirius, yes it was unpleasant and I hate the
bastards for what they put me through but I'm still here" he declared.
He took a moment to compose himself and breathed deeply before
he continued.
"The truth is I need you now more than I ever did before" he began
sincerely. "Your grandfather was right, I can't fight this war alone and
I need people by my side that I can trust with my life and who trust
me the same way" he continued. "After speaking to you tonight I
know more than ever that you are that person Sirius and I would
gladly have you watching my back when I need it most and I would
gladly cover yours" he finished passionately.
Sirius was dumbfounded at his godsons' declaration and couldn't
find the words to reply.
Harry saw that his godfather was unable to answer so instead he
removed a leather book from his pocket that he resized to the
original large leather tome it was.
"This is a book with both the Potter and Black family magic in" he
explained to his Godfather.
"I heard aunt Cassie speak about them once, she said that Charlus
and my grandfather both had one but I didn't believe it. Me and
James overheard them a few times reminiscing about their days at
war but we didn't hear anything about this" he said in obvious
surprise.
"I have the other copy" Harry explained. "If you really feel guilty for
all of those things then learn this" he said gesturing to the book.
"Let's make every last one of those fuckers pay for what they took
from us and make sure they don't do it to anyone else" Harry said
fiercely. "I know you hate your family and don't like the magic but do
it for them Sirius" Harry pleaded. "Do it for my parents and your
fiancé, don't let their deaths be for nothing" he finished.
Harry let his words sink in before he continued. He knew he was
close to convincing his godfather and knew he only needed to push
a little more.
"I think this war needs a Potter-Black alliance just like Grindelwald
faced, don't you?" he questioned Sirius.
The emotion Sirius was feeling was very obvious. The man was
overwhelmed at the chance at redemption he had been given and he
vowed to himself that he wouldn't squander it. He had failed James
and Lily and in a way he had failed Marlene too, but he would not fail
Harry, he would die before that happened again. He took the book
from his godson and nodded resolutely.
"There is no one else I would rather stand with and fall with if
necessary pup" he slurred sincerely. With that proclamation he
succumbed to the large amount of alcohol he had consumed and
passed out, hitting his head heavily on the table.
"Sleep well Padfoot, I will be back before you know it" Harry said
quietly and placed a kiss on the head of his godfather before he left
the house and apparated back home.
He appeared in the drawing room where Arcturus was sat reading a
very old looking book. When the older man realised Harry had
returned he raised an eyebrow at the drunken teen.
"Good night?" he asked.
Harry just nodded and took a seat opposite the man.
"I can trust him, like you said" he informed Arcturus.
The older man was relieved to hear it and felt a little easier at the
prospect of the coming war. He knew the boy had someone he could
rely on and trusted both his and Harrys' judgement of his grandson.
"What do you know of the McKinnon's?" Harry asked.
Arcturus pondered the question. They had been a prominent family
before they were eliminated in the last war. They were one of the few
families he genuinely respected and their loss was felt throughout
the entire wizarding community. They were an old family like his own
and were a part of the neutral faction when it came to the political
arena. It was surprising when they were targeted by Riddle, it made
no sense to anyone. They didn't have much influence and they were
not as affluent as some of the other families. Fenton McKinnon, the
head of the family, was a very outspoken man and quite the
proficient fighter but he refused to choose sides. Perhaps it was this
that made him a target. Whatever the reasoning, it was something
Arcturus could never be sure of.
"They were an old family and well respected" he began. "They were
killed in the last war for some reason, why do you ask?" he
questioned the young man.
"Sirius was engaged to one of the daughters, I was just curious"
Harry responded.
"Was he?" Arcturus asked with raised eyebrows. "That would have
been a match I approved of" he added thoughtfully.
Harry remained silent and waited for the older man to continue.
When he did speak it was not about Sirius or the McKinnon's'
however.
"You are ready for tomorrow?" he asked the teen.
"Yes" Harry replied. "I have my portkeys and cloak ready and
everything else I will need" he added seeing that a simple yes was
not sufficient.
"Good" the older man answered. "Remember, do not take stupid
risks" he said pointing at the teen. "If it gets fucked up then you use
that portkey, understand?" he asked the teen sternly.
"I understand sir" Harry replied genuinely knowing the older man
was demonstrating a lot of trust in him.
Arcturus nodded, pointed his wand at Harry and muttered a sobering
charm.
"You will need a clear head, drinking the night before is not wise" he
lectured firmly. "Now get some sleep, tomorrow is your first real test
in this war, show them what it is they are up against Potter" he
finished dismissing the young man.
Harry stood, all signs of the drunken weariness he felt were now
absent. He nodded at the older man.
"I will sir" he said confidently.
With that he left the room and made his way to his bed, tomorrow
was going to be a long day for Harry Potter.
(BREAK)
Sirius Black awoke with a pounding headache and feeling confused
as to why he was asleep at the drawing room table. It was then that
he saw the book left behind by godson and the memories of the
previous night came flooding back.
He remembered the promise he had given Harry and the vow that he
had made to himself, he would not let him down. He removed his
wand and summoned a hangover cure from the alcohol cabinet and
the vial in one long gulp.
Harry was going after the rat today and Sirius knew he had work to
do. Today was going to be nerve-wracking for the marauder and he
planned on passing it productively. He made to leave the room to
begin his day when he was cut short by a tapping on the window.
Outside was a very bedraggled looking owl that he allowed entry and
removed the roll of parchment attached to its leg. The owl then flew
and perched on the back of one of the chairs clearly keen to rest
itself. Sirius unrolled the parchment and began to read.
Padfoot,
I am sorry it has taken me so long to reply, things on the continent
are much worse than I thought they would be. It seems the friends of
our dark friend are much busier here than they are at home. I had a
run in with Greyback and a few others but I managed to give them
the slip and I am currently making my way home . Please pass on
my condolences in regards to our large friend and I will see you
soon.
Moony
The relief Sirius felt having heard from his childhood friend was
overwhelming, he allowed himself to release a deep breath knowing
that the werewolf was ok.
He left the room to begin his day, his thoughts with both his godson
and the task he was attempting and the werewolf he regarded as his
own brother.
(BREAK)
Harry found himself at the port of Dover waiting to board the ferry
that would take him to Calais. He and Arcturus had decided that it
would be best to travel using muggle transportation as to not raise
any suspicions by using a portkey or unwarranted apparition. The
December air on the coast of England was cold, yet refreshing and
the steady warm breath of the young man could clearly be seen
leaving his body as he exhaled. Harry was grateful for the fact that
he had learned warming charms and was using them liberally to
maintain his body temperature. He had forgone wearing a heavy
coat or any other thick clothing that would weigh him down or
encumber his movement knowing he needed to be as light and loose
as possible.
Not having a passport Harry boarded the boat under his cloak and
stood at the rear of the deck in a secluded corner. As the ferry left
the port he watched as the coast drifted further away from him
particularly focusing on the white cliffs that reminded him of a song
he had heard his Aunt Petunia listen to sung by a woman. He was a
young boy at the time but he still remembered the beauty of the song
and the voice of the lady that was singing it. His entire world was on
that small island he was now leaving and it really hit him how small
his home was. The world is a huge place and he had spent his entire
on only a tiny fraction of it. It may be small but to Harry it was and
would always be where his heart was.
He knew if he truly wanted to he could flee the coming war and see
the rest of the world, spend the rest of his life drifting from place to
place but he knew he would not be happy and the thought of the guilt
of leaving his home in the hands of Riddle sickened him and made
him feel ashamed.
He scowled at the thought and found himself distracted by the
appearance of a man carrying a little girl who could not be any more
than 5 years old.
"What are they Daddy?" the little girl asked pointing to the cliffs in the
distance.
"They are the white cliffs of Dover Ella" he replied. "When you see
them coming closer that's when you know you are going home" he
added knowingly.
The little girl stared at the cliffs in awe.
"They are really pretty Daddy" she said in an innocent voice.
"They are" her father agreed. "Just like you" he said playfully
swatting her on the nose with his finger, eliciting a giggle from the
small child. "Now I think we should go back in, don't you" he asked.
"We don't want you catching a cold do we?" he continued, raising an
eyebrow at his daughter who giggled again.
"Yes Daddy because Mummy would be mad at you again like when
turned all our clothes pink" she said sternly.
"One time you put a red sock in the wash and you pay for that
mistake for the rest of your life" he grumbled to himself as he walked
away to take his daughter back inside.
Harry smiled at the interaction between the two and was hit with a
sudden realisation, an epiphany if you will.
Yes, he was fighting to avenge himself and the wrongs his family had
suffered at the hands of Riddle and his followers but he was fighting
for something else, he was fighting for those that couldn't. He was
fighting for the moments of innocence like the one he had just
witnessed. He was fighting for the right for everyone to have children
and bring them into a world that's was safe, a luxury he had not been
given. He was fighting for those every day rights that most took for
granted and he was fighting for a future that he wanted for himself. A
future that was not plagued by Dark Lords and a future where he
could finally have the family he had always craved, a family he would
do what was necessary to protect and ensure they were happy.
Harry Potter was not only fighting for his family passed but the family
he was hoping was to come and all the other families who had the
right to a life without a conflict and constant peril hanging over them.
He had feared that he would lose himself in the pursuit of vengeance
the way his grandfather had and would lose his way if that
vengeance was not attained. Harry realised that yes, he was very
similar to his Grandfather, but he was his own man and had his own
agenda an agenda that was worth his life if he was to fail, something
he refused to even consider.
He was dragged from his musings as the ferry arrived in Calais and
he quickly exited the boat and headed towards the town to get some
food. He had heard great things about the French pastries and was
particularly keen to try them while he was here.
He made his way into town and quickly found a small patisserie
which he entered having smelled the inviting aroma coming from
within. At the tinkle of the bell a young woman appeared from the
back where she had clearly been baking as she was wiping flour
from her hands with a small white towel.
"Bonjour Madame" Harry greeted her. "Deux Croissant, s'il vous
plait" he continued.
The woman looked him over critically before shaking her head and
placing two of the pastries into a paper bag. "Your French, eet ees
terrible" she declared handing the bag to Harry.
"Then it is just as well that I have other talents that more than make
up for it" Harry replied not missing a beat and shot the woman a
winning smile. "Merci" he added handing over some francs to the
woman who was blushing at the implied innuendo.
"Oui, eet ees just as well" she managed to stammer.
Harry left the shop shaking his head in amusement. He checked the
time and saw that he had around half an hour before he needed to
catch his train so decided he would take a leisurely walk to the
station.
His journey through the town was uneventful but he enjoyed it nonethe-
less. He took in what seemed to be the usual hustle and bustle
of the daily life here and found that it was tranquil in its own way. He
enjoyed the architecture of the buildings never having seen
workmanship such as this in person. Before he knew it he had
arrived at the station still clutching the empty bag that his pastries
had come in. He deposited it into a bin as he passed and made his
way to the train he knew he had to catch. He removed his cloak that
he had placed in his satchel and draped it over himself to hide him
from view, it was now time for him to be focused on the task at hand.
He entered the train and found an empty compartment that he
locked with a simple locking charm and placed a simple mugglerepelling
on the door to ensure his privacy. After some time the train
pulled away from the station and Harry settled down for the journey
ahead enjoying the passing scenery.
He had been travelling for around 7 hours and it was no longer to
possible to see the passing landscapes properly as darkness had
begun to fall. He resigned himself to reading the book he had
brought on potions with him to pass the remainder of the time. He
had barely begun reading the page on felix felicis when he was
distracted by bright jets of light of various colours that suddenly
began in the distance outside the train. It was unmistakably spell fire
and Harry could not help but marvel at the recklessness displayed by
the French wizards using magic where muggles would pass through
even though there were no buildings in sight. He shook his head at
them and paused when he recognised the types of spells that were
being fired. These spells were not friendly and were certainly dark in
nature. He noticed the group dressed in dark cloaks were pursuing
another consisting of several women who were fleeing. He saw the
women had quickly been cornered by them and he growled in
frustration, he knew he had to intervene, probably due to his saving
people thing that Hermione was always referring to.
With a sigh of annoyance he apparated out of the train to a line of
trees that were behind and close to the group of people.
He appeared at the trees completely silently as planned and was
immediately glad he had decided to investigate. The pursuers were
all dressed in full Death Eater garb and had surrounded the women
who were begging in French to be let go.
The Death Eaters just laughed and Harry felt a rage boil inside him,
but it was what happened next that really pushed him to his limits.
He flicked his wand into his hand and took aim at the man and with
another flick he sent 3 black arrows towards the Death Eaters.
" Crucio" the Death Eater roared, hitting one of the women with
curse much to the amusement of his 7 companions who laughed at
his antics.
The woman screamed in agony and could do nothing but twitch
under the onslaught of the spell. Every fibre of her body felt as
though it was on fire and she immediately wished the man would just
kill her and end the torture.
"That's it, scream you whore" the man shouted at the quivering heap
of flesh beneath his curse. "My master….
He was cut short, was suddenly gurgling and wearing an expression
of pure shock as a black arrow had entered his neck from the back
and was protruding from the front through his throat, causing blood
to leak profusely from the wound.
His companion to the right of him had fallen also, instantly silent, as
an arrow had found itself embedded in his skull and one sticking out
of his chest that had gone straight through his heart via his back.
Both groups turned towards the direction that the arrows had come
from in shock, the women feeling hope and the Death Eaters furious
that someone would have the gall to interrupt their activities. What
they saw had them all shuddering as a shiver ran down their spines.
A tall, young and muscular man was stalking towards them with
purpose. He was dressed in a dark grey hooded sweater with jeans
and white trainers. It was not the obvious athleticism of the young
man that had the Death Eaters shuddering, but the brightly glowing
green eyes that could be seen clearly even in fast approaching
darkness. They could see he was a wizard by the unusual white and
black wand that he held loosely in his right hand.
The women shuddered at the power that the young man was
radiating, they could feel the magic and the fury rolling off of him in
waves and found themselves worried for him, it was 6 against one,
not the most favourable odds.
One of the braver Death Eaters stepped forward to intercept the
newcomer.
"You should not have gotten involved sonny" he shouted at the man
who just kept walking towards them without hesitation. "Avada
Kedavra" he roared aiming the killing curse at him.
The women screamed as the curse hurtled towards the young man
who simply turned his head slightly to avoid the jet of green light that
missed him by inches. He then flicked his wand towards his would
be killer and the man was instantly hovering six feet in the air, his
arms outstretched as though he had been crucified.
A further flick of his wand and the Death Eater was screaming in
agony as each of his limbs were ripped from the sockets with loud
teeth gritting, pops one after the other.
The rest of the Death Eaters were shocked at the use of magic the
young wizard was demonstrating and knew he was no slouch with
that unusual wand he had.
They all began firing curses simultaneously at the man knowing that
it was there best chance to take him out quickly and not get hurt
themselves.
The ambushed women watched in a mixture of horror and awe as
the young wizard moved with a speed and grace that none of them
had ever witnessed, dodging the lethal curses and batting some
aside as if they were nothing more than an inconvenience to him. It
wasn't until another killing curse was fired at him that he retaliated
with a spell of his own. He conjured a large, thick slab of granite in
front of him that exploded as the curse impacted. In the blink of an
eye he had transfigured the airborne debris in to a long javelin type
projectile and banished it towards one of the men who quickly
produced a shield.
The rod of granite whistled through the air, passed straight through
the barrier and struck the man through the chest with a sickening
crunch, the end impaling into the ground. They watched in morbid
fascination as the body slid down the shaft under the weight of itself,
the man screaming the full descent.
The young man then hissed something incoherent that had them
shivering again and feeling uneasy. At his hiss the ground beneath
one of the men transformed in to the head of a serpent which
instantly grabbed the man in its maw up to the neck and simply held
him there as the man panicked and tried to escape.
The wizard then sent a long stream of boiling water at one of the
cloaked men who screamed in agony as his skint was burnt red raw
as it struck him. The young man then had a look of deep
concentration on his face and his eyes appeared to glow even
brighter. With a sharp jab a thick bolt of lightning careened from his
wand and hit the man silencing him permanently and filling the air
with the nauseating smell of burnt flesh that had the women retching.
He then turned to the last two capable of fighting back who now
seemed reluctant to engage him further. He fired a pink jagged spell
that caught one of them on the side of his torso almost cleaving the
man in two and he joined his comrades as nothing more than a
bested heap on the floor.
He finally fired a bone breaker with incredible speed that ploughed in
to the man's neck, killing him instantly. He then approached the last
man that he had captured in the earth serpent and addressed him in
a casual yet dangerous tone.
"Where is the rat" he asked in a low voice.
"Please" the captured man begged. "He was with us when we found
them" he said shakily gesturing to the group of women.
The young man then turned and scanned the area with his still fury
filled and glowing eyes. He muttered a spell under his breath and
growled in frustration when it did not yield the results he expected.
"The coward obviously ran" he spat turning back to his prisoner.
He then flicked his wand and hissed again, releasing the man from
his bind.
"Wand" he commanded holding out his hand.
The other man reluctantly complied and handed it over and thought
better than to protest as the younger man snapped it.
"Go" he instructed gesturing to the large wooded area behind them.
The Death Eater did not need telling twice he left quickly and made
his way to the indicated area.
"You are letting 'im go?" one of the women asked incredulously.
The young man did not even turn to look at them when he replied.
"He won't even make it to the trees" he explained knowingly.
With his proclamation the women turned to watch the fleeing man
only to see him clutch his chest and fall to the ground just shy of the
first line of trees.
The woman that had been under the crucitaus turned to look at the
young man who was now walking towards them. She steeled herself
and allowed her eyes to meet his. They were still glowing but much
more gently now and the look of fury had now been replaced by one
of concern.
"Are you okay Madame?" he asked softly. "I know from experience
that that is awful, can you stand?" he inquired offering her a hand to
help her to her feet which she took.
She managed to get to her feet but collapsed in to the mans' arms
instantly and he simply scooped her up and carried her in them as
though she was a child. She felt safe there and the pain seemed to
ease now that she was off of the ground. She couldn't move even if
she wanted to and found that she in fact didn't. She lost all control as
the horror of the evening settled in and she sobbed in to the young
wizards' chest and he pulled her closer to himself in a gentle
embrace in what she knew was an attempt to comfort her.
The rest of the women watched how the young man who had just
decimated eight other men without remorse had transformed in to
the gentle man they were now seeing. He no longer looked the
terrifying killer he had only moments ago, he instead looked every bit
the saviour he was. They were all shaken from their individual
thoughts by the man addressing them.
"We need to get her somewhere out of the cold" he said gently.
"Which one of you live the closest?" he asked the group.
"She does" one of the women stuttered indicating her friend in his
arms. "She leeves just over ze 'ill there" she explained pointing to a
hill close by.
"Ok, lead the way" he requested with a nod towards the hill.
(BREAK)
Peter Pettigrew was astounded at what he had just witnessed and
could only be grateful that he had fallen behind as his team had
pursued the women, he was not built for running being as short and
stout as he was.
He watched the unknown young wizard dispatch of his men as
though they were nothing. Thy outnumbered him 8 to 1 and he
hadn't even been scratched. The magic he had seen was on par with
that of his masters and he knew he would have to report what he
had seen and what had happened to his Death Eaters.
He shuddered at the thought knowing that a punishment was coming
his way. He had failed in his mission to capture the woman and he
cursed the fallen men for playing too much and not taking their
assignment seriously. He scurried away in his rat form to inform his
master as quickly as possible knowing the longer he waited the
worse the punishment would be.
(BREAK)
Harry followed the 7 women who were leading him while he carried
the final member of the group. He reflected back on his performance
and was content in the way he handled himself. He knew he could
not allow any of the men to escape and report back to Riddle, he
was not ready to come out in to the open just yet.
"Why ees it you are carrying 'er and not using your wand?" one of
the women questioned him suspiciously.
Harry was not fazed by the question and answered the woman who
clearly had no exposure or knowledge of the Cruciatus curse except
for what she had seen tonight.
"Madame your friend was held under the Cruciatus curse, this way is
much more comfortable for her as I can hold her and she won't be
bumped around too much, and even the most mild exposure to
foreign magic after the curse would be quite painful for her" he
explained.
The other woman just nodded at his answer and questioned him
further.
"'ow old are you?" she asked. "You look very young but your eyes
look like zhey 'ave seen much, non?" she inquired.
"More than you could ever know" he mumbled quietly so that even
the woman who asked the question couldn't quite hear his reply. He
grew weary of the questions and opted to remain silent despite
seeing that the woman was waiting for an answer.
The woman persisted in trying to gain information.
"You are eenglish, non?" she asked to which Harry simply nodded
but maintained his silence.
Seeing that the young man was not going to answer any more the
woman stopped questioning him, not wanting to annoy the man.
It was only ten minutes later that the group emerged on the other
side of the hill and Harry saw the house for the first time. Clearly the
woman came from an affluent family as it was more of a mansion
than a house. The building was carved from white stone and had a
high matching wall that enclosed the property within it. Despite its
large size the house looked very homely and inviting.
The 7 women and Harry carrying the last made their way in to the
entrance hall of the house where one of the women called out
frantically causing a man to appear shortly afterwards, who froze at
the scene before looking shocked and angry. He then began
shouting at Harry in French and he only understood a few words
here and there.
The man was tall, broadly built and looked fairly rugged. He had
short blonde hair that was carefully combed backwards and he had a
goatee to complete his looks. He had icy blue eyes that were
currently filled with both confusion and anger as he continued his
tirade. Harry was not intimidated by the man however so he just
stood and waited for the man to finish his rant.
The man was cut off by one of the women who grabbed him in an
attempt to calm down. He stopped his tirade and listened to what
she was saying. Harry could not understand what was being said but
he knew she was explaining what had happened. The man's
expression changed several times throughout the explanation from
anger to fear back to anger and then sadness coupled with a rage
that made him shake uncontrollably. He gave the woman some
instructions and she left to carry them out. He then turned to Harry
and gestured for him to follow him, which he did, followed by the
remainder of the women.
They entered a lavishly decorated parlour and the man gestured for
Harry to place the woman he was carrying on a comfortable looking
couch. Harry complied and as he placed the woman on the couch
she moaned.
"It's ok now" Harry comforted her by taking her hand. "You're home"
he finished giving the hand he held a gentle squeeze.
"Zhank you" the woman replied weakly and attempted to give the
teen a smile which came off as more of a grimace.
The woman who had left to carry out the instructions the man had
given her returned carrying a vial of what Harry recognised as a
powerful pain relief potion. She poured the potion down her friends
throat who sighed in relief and immediately begun to look better.
"You are eenglish, oui?" the man questioned Harry.
"Yes sir" Harry replied still watching the woman who had fallen
asleep now.
The man just nodded at Harry and led him to the adjoining room with
the rest of the women. They were now in what Harry saw was a
living room. The man gestured for Harry to take a seat which he
gratefully accepted, he was feeling a little tired from the fight and
carrying the mans' wife.
"I am sorry for shouting at you, I saw my wife in another man's arms
and I assumed zhe worst" the man explained with genuine remorse.
"It's ok sir" Harry replied. "I understand" he explained nodding to the
man.
The man gave Harry a weak but genuine smile.
"It seems zhat I am een your debt monsieur" he stated in a business
like tone. "Name what eet ees you want and eef I can do eet then
eet will be done" he added firmly.
Harry just shook his head at the man before he replied.
"You owe me nothing sir" he began. "I didn't help them to gain
something, I did it because it was the right thing to do" he answered
respectfully and truthfully.
The man looked dumbfounded as did the rest of the women in the
room.
"Zhere is nuzzing zhat I can do for you?" he asked incredulously.
"No sir, I have more money than I could ever spend and the only
thing I do want is something that can't be given" Harry replied a little
sadly.
"And what ees eet zhat you want?" the man asked clearly confused
by Harrys' answer.
Harry looked the man in the eye before he replied.
"Peace" he stated simply. He was aware that it was only peace that
could give him everything else he wanted in life.
The rest of the occupants looked at each other clearly confused by
the young man in the room. It took some time for them to think
clearly enough to question the young boy further who was clearly
lost in his own thoughts.
"Eef I cannot reward you can I please at least learn zhe name of zhe
man zhat saved my wife?" the man asked. "She eez zhe most
precious zhing to me" he added seeing the young mans' reluctance
to answer.
Harry was trying to think fast so that he would not have to reveal his
name, not wanting word to get out of his deed. He could see the rest
of the room were looking at him expectantly waiting for an answer.
He was about to give an answer when he was distracted by a young
blonde teen entering the room.
"Papa…" she froze when she saw the gathering of people in the
room.
Her gaze eventually rested on Harry and she scowled gently clearly
confused. She walked towards him slowly not taking her eyes off the
young man who was now feeling uncomfortable. She drifted closer
and looked him in the eyes, her own changing from a scowl to
widening in recognition.
"'Arry?" she stuttered in shock and threw herself in to his arms.
"You know zhis man?" one of the women questioned the girl raising
her eyebrows.
"Of course I know 'im" the girl replied as if it was the most obvious
thing the world and composing herself. "'e pulled me from ze bottom
of zhat lake at 'ogwarts, 'e ees 'Arry Potter" she said.
The rest of the people in the room looked at each other
disbelievingly before one of the women addressed the young girl.
"Don't be seelly Gabrielle, 'Arry Potter ees just a leetle boy" she said
confidently.
"Eet ees 'im" the girl replied heatedly. "I can feel eet, but 'e look
different now and ees magic 'as changed" she said frowning again.
The group looked at Harry critically before the man asked.
"Are you really 'im?"
Harry sighed in resignation and nodded reluctantly knowing it was
useless trying to hide who he was. The people gathered in the room
gasped.
"Prove eet" one of the women demanded with a frown.
Harry sighed again and shook his head.
"If Gabrielle is your daughter that would make Fleur your daughter
also, we competed against each other in the triwizard tournament
last year with Viktor Krum and Cedric Diggory" he said to the man.
Seeing that they weren't entirely convinced by he removed his wand
and intoned. "I swear on my life and magic that I am Harry James
Potter, the very same one who competed in the triwizard tournament
at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry last academic year, so
mote it be".
The golden glow that surrounded him sealed the vow and to prove
that his magic was still intact he lit the end of his wand with a simple
flick.
The people in the room were truly shocked. It took several moments
to pass before any of them were able to talk and it was Mr Delacour
who broke the silence.
"But you can be no more zhan fifteen years old" he stated dumbly.
"And yet you best 8 fully grown weezards with ease" he added
shaking his head.
Harry just shrugged at his observation and remained silent.
"'e deed what?" Gabrielle broke in shocked and a little angry.
Her father sighed and explained to his daughter what had happened.
Upon hearing the explanation she shot Harry a look that he could not
quite decipher and she left the room.
"Monsieur Potter" Mr Delacour began. "You 'ave saved both of my
daughters and now my wife, zhere is nuzzing I could ever do to
repay zhat debt" he mumbled shaking his head.
"There is no debt to repay sir" Harry said firmly. "Mostly I was in the
right place at the right time" he explained.
The other man looked at Harry appraisingly before asking him.
"Ees eet true zhat 'e ees back?" he questioned seriously.
"Voldemort?" Harry asked causing those in the room to flinch and
gasp.
"Oui" Mr Delacour replied.
"Yes he is back" Harry stated simply. "They were Death Eaters who
attacked your wife and the rest of these ladies earlier" he explained
to the man.
"Zhat explains much" the Frenchman mumbled angrily.
"It does?" Harry asked confused.
"Oui, eet does" the other man said. "Eet seems zhat zhey were goin
to take my wife 'ostage so zhat zhey 'ad leverage to make sure we
do not intervene" he added.
At the confused look Harry was giving him the man explained further.
"You see Meester Potter I am zhe 'ead of magical law enforcement in
France and 'e must know zhat I would not risk my wife for anything.
'e must 'ave known zhat eef 'e 'ad my wife zhen I would stop zhe
French from 'elping your country eef eet gets too much to 'andle" he
concluded.
Harry nodded in agreement at his logic.
"Why are you 'ere Monsieur Potter" the man asked.
"I was looking for someone who was with the Death Eaters but he no
doubt ran when he saw what I did to them" Harry replied bitterly.
"Sirius Black?" the man questioned. Seeing the look of confusion the
young man had. "Oui, I know all about 'im, your story ees famous
even 'ere" he pointed out.
Harry shook his head.
"Sirius is innocent I was looking for Peter Pettigrew, it was him that
handed my parents over" Harry replied his temper rising, causing the
women to shiver at the burst of magic he released unintentionally.
"Merde" Mr Delacour said. "Your government are good at messing
zhings up, non?" he asked.
"You have no idea sir" Harry responded, shaking his head.
"Please Monsieur Potter call me Jean you 'ave earned zhat right" he
said to the teen.
"Only if you call me Harry" the younger man replied.
"'Arry eet ees" Jean said with a chuckle.
Before the conversation could go any further Gabrielle returned with
who Harry recognised as Fleur. The two teens were stood either side
of their mother helping her in to the room. They placed her carefully
on the couch next to Jean and Fleur immediately flung herself in to
Harrys' arms.
"I am so glad zhat you are ok 'Arry" she cried into his chest. "And
zhank you for saving Maman" she sobbed.
Harry just wrapped his arms around her and allowed the girl to cry.
He wasn't particularly comfortable with the situation but knew there
was little he could in the moment.
"It's ok Fleur" he said rubbing her back comfortingly. "She will be ok I
promise, she just needs to rest" he finished knowingly.
The young woman eventually extracted herself from the young man
and looked at him properly for the first time since she had entered
the room.
"You are no longer a leetle boy" she said chuckling.
Harry joined in the laughter remembering the night his name had
come out of the goblet and Fleur's preconceived impression of him.
"No not so much" he eventually replied.
Without warning she grabbed him and placed a gentle chaste kiss on
his lips which he instinctively returned.
"Zhank you 'Arry" she said blushing after she had pulled away.
"really Zhank you" she added again stood up.
"You're welcome Fleur" Harry replied giving her a smile.
The people gathered in the room were shocked at what the young
woman had done and Jean, who had been conversing with his wife
was the first to compose himself.
"You are a very curious young man 'Arry" he said shaking his head.
"Curious?" Harry asked with a frown knowing that curious was not
usually a good thing.
"Yes very" Jean replied. "You are een a room with eleven veela and
yet you are not affected, non?" he asked the teen.
To the surprise of those in the room Harry suddenly burst out
laughing and it took him quite some time to pull himself together.
"I'm sorry" he said to everyone. "It's just that I am considered missing
at home and one of the rumours printed in the paper is that I
exhausted myself at a veela conclave and died or lost track of time,
this just reminded me of that, that's all" he explained chuckling.
Jean shook his head and laughed also while the women had flushed
red and looked a little embarrassed.
"I'm sorry" Harry said sincerely to the women, "I did not mean to
offend you".
"Non Meester Potter we are not offended" one of the women
explained. "Any veela conclave would welcome a young man with
your power and resistance to us" She elaborated in quite a seductive
tone biting her lower lip at the thoughts she was having.
Harry raised an eyebrow at her but kept silent on the matter and
turned to address Jean instead.
"In answer to your question, yes I am immune to the allure" he said
to the man who nodded appreciatively.
"Zhen you are a very strong willed man" he replied simply. "I am ok
with just my wife and daughters but 'ave to wear zhis when zhere are
more around" he explained pulling a chain from beneath his shirt that
was silver with a glowing purple pendant on it. "Eet is a charm
created by zhe veela to help fight zhe allure" he said holding the
chain so Harry could see.
Harry nodded at the man knowing that a charm like that would be
very rare outside of a veela community.
"I think you need to put up more wards" Harry suddenly said
realising that Riddle would not give up so easily if he really wanted to
kidnap Jeans' wife.
"Zhat was what I was just discussing with Apolline" Jean replied. "Eet
ees difficult as our magic ees different and most wards interfere with
zhere magic" he said gesturing to the women.
"What about a Fidelius Charm?" Harry inquired.
Jean shook his head. "It would work but zhe property ees too big
and I do not know anyone zhat can perform zhe charm" he said
despondently.
"I can do it for you, if you trust me enough" Harry offered.
"Zhank you 'Arry but you have already done much for my family"
Jean replied shaking his head. "I couldn't ask zhat of you".
"If it will keep you all safe then I honestly don't mind and it will save
me worrying about you all when I leave" he said sincerely.
Jean shared a look with his wife and two daughters and nodded in
resignation.
"Are you powerful enough?" he asked the young man.
Harry shrugged in reply. "I guess so" he answered.
"What is your most powerful spell you can control?" he asked further.
Harry was a little reluctant to answer but quickly remembered that
most of the people had witnessed him kill 8 men this very evening.
"Fiendfyre" Harry said quietly causing all the women in the room to
shudder which made Harry look at them in confusion.
"Eet ees zhe only fire zhat can 'urt us" Fleur explained.
"You 'ave complete control, oui?" Jean asked.
Harry nodded in reply.
"I would show you but your house would no longer be here in less
than a few minutes".
The women shuddered again and Jean looked at him speculatively.
"What about a patronus?, Eet is a good indicator of the power and
control of a weezard" he said knowingly.
Harry understood what the man was asking so he flicked his wand in
to his hand and thought of the usual photo that he did when casting
the spell. "Expecto Patronum" he said quietly causing his Thestral to
erupt from his wand in the usual blinding light.
The room was silent as they all looked upon the patronus that the
young man had conjured. It was Gabrielle that approached the near
solid beast and raised a hand to touch it.
"Eet ees beautiful" she whispered "I can feel eet, eet is so warm" she
added, awestruck.
Harry flicked his wand and the creature disappeared causing the rest
of them to snap out of the respective reveries.
"Well you are strong enough, if you are sure you can do it" Jean
stated.
"Yes I can do it" Harry replied. "Who will be your secret keeper?" he
asked.
"I will do it" Fleur insisted. "Your job ees risky Papa, eet should be
me" she said to her father who looked as though he wanted to
protest but nodded at her reasoning.
"Ok stand still" Harry said to the woman. "And the rest of you just be
calm, you will feel confused but you have to be calm" he explained
firmly.
With that he began chanting in Latin and waving his wand around
Fleur in intricate patterns that the others could not follow. The
women could all feel the power coming from the young man and
shuddered again at it. After a short amount of time Fleur was
enveloped in a bright blue glow and Harry could feel the drain on his
magic. The occupants of the room stared around dumbly looking
very lost.
"You have to write down the location of your house and show it to
them" Harry instructed Fleur who complied by conjuring a quill, some
ink and parchment. She wrote down the address of the house and
passed it to her father who then read it and passed it around the
room to the rest of the occupants. When it came to Harry he passed
it to Jean without reading it.
"I know where the house is because I performed the charm, but I will
forget it when I leave" he reassured the man.
"Non 'Arry" Jean replied. "You are always welcome 'ere" he said
firmly handing the parchment back to Harry who read it and handed
it back with a nod.
The group sat in silence for a while until Harry broke it.
"Ok I have to leave and go and break the bad news to a few people"
he announced.
Jean stood and offered the young man his hand which Harry
accepted and shook.
"Zhank you 'Arry for everyzhing" he said sincerely. "I cannot promise
zhat my government will 'elp your country but I will come if you send
me word and I will bring as much 'elp as I can when you need it, oui".
"Thank you Jean" Harry replied. "I may take you up on that offer,
help is something I am short on at the moment and by the time the
ministry pulls its head out of its arse it might be too late" he said with
a sigh.
"You are a good man 'Arry Potter and don't worry I will have zhe
mess you left out zhere cleaned up" he chuckled gesturing to the hill
they had come down.
Apolline stood and took Harrys' face in her hands and gave him a
kiss on the cheek that warmed it slightly.
"Zhank you Monsieur Potter, for everzhing" she said simply and sat
back down, clearly still feeling the effects of the curse.
Gabrielle hugged him and placed a kiss on his other cheek and
expressed the same sentiments as her mother.
"I will walk you out" Fleur said a little sadly and started to lead him to
the door.
Harry turned to the group before leaving and addressed the rest of
the women.
"It was nice meeting you ladies and I may just seek out your
conclave one day" he said with a grin and a dramatic wink causing
the women to turn red and blush uncontrollably.
Jean roared with laughter and Harry found himself being dragged
from the room by the back of his sweater by an annoyed Fleur.
"Did you 'ave to say zhat?" she asked heatedly. "You will get zhem
all excited" she moaned scowling at him.
Harry said nothing but laughed at the reaction he had gotten from
everyone. He was glad they were parting on better terms than
discussing the approaching war.
They soon reached the front door and Harry made to pass through
but was stopped by Fleur who had grabbed him in a tight hug.
"Please be careful 'Arry" she pleaded with him and Harry could see
she was close to crying again.
"I will try" he replied gently holding her by her shoulders and looking
her in the eye.
She swallowed deeply, nodded at him and placed another gentle
kiss on his lips.
"Write to me when you can" she said making it sound more of a
question than a request.
"I promise" Harry replied and he returned her kiss before turning and
walking away. He had a surly old git and a reprobate godfather to
give some bad news to, something he was not looking forward to
doing.