Another chapter is finally up and ready, and this will also be a double update! Thank you so much for the follows and favorites! It means so much to me you're enjoying it after just the first chapter!

The trailer for always is also up and you can watch it here:

Enjoy!

All my love, JJ

Chapter 2: Sacrifices

For all the things she could have said, that was certainly not something he had expected to hear. He stared at her in open shock and disbelief. Surely this was a joke?! It was. It had to be. He actually hoped that someone was about to jump out from his broom closet yelling 'Gotcha!'. But judging by the unchanging expression on Miss Gracey's face, she was deadly serious. She honestly believed that she was the love of Voldemort's life? Oh she wasn't bonkers. The woman was completely insane!

Harry did the only thing he found that he could. He laughed. Not just a small chuckle either. A full 'head-thrown-back-tears-in-his-eyes-stomach-aching' laugh. "You're joking! Haha! You almost got me. That's actually the best joke I've heard all year. Haha!" His laughing died down however, when he saw how Miss Gracey pursed her lips and her eyebrows rose higher up her forehead. Quicker than a flash, her hand had reached out and snatched the photo back from his grasp before he'd even had time to react. Christ! The woman would've made a hell of a Seeker.

"I can assure you, Mr Potter, that this is no joke." She spat, glaring at him as her grip tightened on her photo.

Harry suddenly felt guilty. He had not only offended her, but he had in fact this time, been very, very rude.

"I apologize." He said sheepishly, running a hand down the back of his neck. He could feel his hair was getting long, he'd need to get it cut soon. "But surely you understand why I find this very hard to believe. You're telling me that the darkest wizard in magical history, a man so cruel and devoid of any empathy or emotion, was actually in love with you?" Harry scoffed. "You seem like a very well educated woman, Miss Gracey. Surely you couldn't possibly believe something so absurd." He watch as she raised her fingers to grasp the locket around her neck, a small smile on her face.

"Diddy?" She called into the air. "Diddy?"

A loud CRACK echoed around the room, Harry jumping nearly out of his seat in surprise as a house elf suddenly appeared by Miss Gracey's legs. The elf was very clearly female, dressed in a clean, pale pink pillow case and ballet slippers on her feet, with a pink ribbon tied in a bow around her wrist. The elf was slightly smaller than Dobby had been, with large blue eyes that stared adoringly up at Miss Gracey.

"Mistress!" She greeted happily, throwing her arms around Miss Gracey's calves with glee, much to Harry's surprise.

"Hello, Diddy." Miss Gracey placed a gentle hand on top of the elf's head with a smile.

"Ooh. Mistress is very cold." The elf shivered, stepping back to stare up at her. "Shall Diddy light the fire in Mistress's room? Diddy has already lighted the fire in the kitchen and parlor."

Harry couldn't help but take note of the unconditional love that shone out of the elf's eyes. Yes, since the war, new laws had been passed that made mistreatment of house elves illegal. But for such a comfortable level of contact, Harry wondered how long Diddy had actually been with Miss Gracey.

"I'd be very grateful, Diddy. Thank you. Would you also mind bringing me some tea? I find myself rather thirsty." She asked.

The house elf practically bounced on the spot with excitement at the opportunity to serve her Mistress. "Yes, Mistress. Diddy is going! Would Mr Potter like some tea too?" Diddy turned to gaze up at Harry with those enormous eyes of hers. She looked so eager to please, Harry feared if he turned her down the elf might actually cry!

"Umm...Yeah. Sure. Thanks." He stammered.

Diddy beamed at him with delight. "Diddy is coming right back, Mistress!" She curtsied before disappearing with another loud crack, leaving the two of them alone once more.

"She loves you." Harry stated as Miss Gracey smiled.

"And I her. She's wonderful. Diddy has actually been with me since my Hogwarts days. She originally was the schools elf. And when I graduated, Diddy wanted to come with me. Disgustingly, back then house elves had no choice in who they were owned by. So for her to be able to legally leave, I had to purchase her. I went to Headmaster Dippet and he kindly gave her to me a graduation gift. Luckily he shared my opinion on house elf rights." She explained.

Harry grinned to himself. Hermione would have a field day if the two of them were to ever sit and have a discussion. His friend could natter on for hours about the rights of magical creatures. Diddy suddenly reappeared with a tray of tea and biscuits. The teacups and saucers were made of what looked to be very fine China, and Harry didn't know much about precious metals, but he was pretty sure the teaspoons were real silver.

Diddy placed the tray on to his desk before turning back to Miss Gracey. That same look of adoration on her face. "Is Mistress needing anything else?"

"Thank you, Diddy but I'm fine. I'll be home soon, once Mr Potter and I are finished here," She smiled.

"Yes, Mistress." Diddy curtsied once more before disappearing once again.

Throughout it all, Harry was still mulling over her words from before. Tom Riddle had been a heartless and cold bastard right from his youth. Torturing children and animals during temper tantrums. How could this woman possibly believe that he had held any sort of love or affection for her?

"I can tell from your face, that you are still very much in disbelief of what I've told you, Mr Potter." She sighed before taking a dainty sip of her tea, placing it back into her saucer with a gentle clink.

Harry nodded, spooning two sugars from the bowl into his tea and stirring. "Surely you must understand why."

"I truly do." She replied. "But like I said before, he did love me and I loved him. I didn't realize until much later, what he was really like, but by then I was already so very much in love with him."

"Why are you telling me any of this?" Harry asked. "You came here today with the intention of doing so, what do you expect to gain from it? Voldemort's been dead for a long time. Why did you only chose now to come forward?"

"As I stated before. I couldn't come as long as my husband was alive. I promised I would spare him the embarrassment of his wife being the ex-lover of the darkest wizard of our time. He had been so good to me. How could I refuse his one and only request?" Miss Gracey sighed. "I loved my husband Mr Potter. But I wasn't in love with him. Sadly, he was so in love with me, he chose to pretend that I was. That I wasn't secretly pining for a man that I could never have. His love and blood which he willingly gave, just so I could keep on living, were such great sacrifices on his part that I can never repay him for. Veelas need the blood of their mate to survive you see. Without it, we have no sustenance. We cannot survive on mere human food alone. We can for a short while, whilst we look for our other half, but the moment our mate's blood touches our lips, we are bound together. Forever. " She sighed again. And Harry could help be feel that she looked almost...ashamed.

"Many people believe my husband died from a heart attack. But my belief is that he finally succumbed to a broken heart. My...inability...to love William ruined him. And I unashamedly feel relief that he's finally gone. He's at peace. No longer forced to suffer from having me as his mate." Miss Gracey explained. "And now that he's gone. It will soon be my turn too."

Harry gawked at her. Her turn? She could only mean one thing by that.

"Yes, Mr Potter. I'm dying. Now that my mate has gone, I have nothing left to sustain me. Although I will confess that I stopped drinking from William quite some time ago. Had I continued, I would still look the same as I did all those years ago. But I no longer have the desire to live you see. A mortal mate to a Veela can go on living if the Veela dies. But if the mortal dies first, the Veela will soon pass after. If not from heartbreak than from starvation. And due to me not feeding from William, my true age is catching up with me. I don't know exactly how long I have. But I wanted someone to know the truth before I die."

Her confession shocked Harry. He'd learned more about Veelas in the last ten minutes than he ever had from knowing Fleur. And as far as he was aware, his sister in-law certainly didn't need to drink Bills blood to survive.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked.

"My sister-in-law. She's part Veela too, but I don't think she needs to feed from her husband. Why do you?"

"How pure is her bloodline?"

"I think she said once that her Grandmother was a Veela."

"Any others in the family?"

"Not to my knowledge, no."

"Then a very diluted bloodline. I'm sure though, that she is extremely pretty."

Harry blushed. He remembered very vividly the reactions the boys at Hogwarts had had due to Fleurs' presence.

Miss Gracey giggled at his reaction. "I take that as a yes. With her diluted blood, other than her beauty, I'd be very surprised if she had any other Veela traits at all. I happen to come from a very pure lineage, Mr Potter. But believe me when I say, that I take no pride in it. The amount of suffering that has been caused due to what I am, is devastating. Not only to myself, but to many others." She abruptly stopped speaking when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in." Harry called. They both watched as Katy poked her head around the door.

"Sorry for the interruption, Mr Potter, but I just wanted to let you know I'm leaving. Did you need anything before I left?" She asked.

Harry shook her head. "No it's fine. You head home, Katy. See you tomorrow."

Katy offered a small wave to the both of them before closing the door, her fading footsteps marching down the hall towards the Floo Network.

"Perhaps I should let you leave too. Your family is waiting." Miss Gracey said, placing her finished tea onto her desk.

Harry would be lying if he said he wasn't intensely curious to hear what this woman had to say. He pursed his lips before deciding. "I'd like to hear your story." He responded.

Miss Gracey smiled. "Very well. But remember what I told you about choices. For when I am finished here, there will be a choice that you will have to make."

Harry nodded. He wasn't sure what she meant, but he'd listen to her anyway.

"Go on." He urged. He watched as she picked the photo back up from her lap with another small smile.

"Sometimes I wish he hadn't sat next to me on the train. I wish he'd never spoken to me and I wish he'd just left well enough alone. Perhaps if he had, I never would have known him. And I could've been happy with William. But then I find myself feeling guilty. Because no matter what he's done, every moment that we had is something I'll treasure forever. It all started you see, when I was a young girl. Back in 1938." she began...

Hope you liked it! Next chapter coming right up!!