Chapter 15: At the castle…at the cottage…

Lord Voldemort found himself pondering many things as his biological host slept. His memories and his personality were not dominant anymore. No, he the darkest wizard in the world had taken over his puny mind, and soon he would have the key to immortal life. He, Lord Voldemort, would possess the Philosopher stone – the only one of its kind that had been created by Nicholas Flamel, the master alchemist. Its elixir could restore the body and it could produce small pieces of gold ever so often. With this, he could restore the man's weak body and invoke any number of powerful dark rituals to regain his strength. And the gold would allow him to purchase what he needed until his followers came forward.

And even if he was killed, his Horcruxes, his soul containers were safe and scattered.

When Voldemort had possessed the quirky Ravenclaw professor, he had already planned to teach at Hogwarts. The interview had passed, and the Dark Lord was surprised that he was not detected, during the interview. Dumbledore was interested in having pleasant conversations with his host, and he did not execute the mind arts, wandlessly. The old man was not what he used to be, in the days when he battled Gellert Grindlewald. He had receded into his old age.

When the news of Harry Potter's death arrived, Voldemort had laughed in total glee. In his disembodied form, he had attempted to track the boy down – He wanted to finish what he had started. The muggle world however was too large, and he often wondered if another trap was awaiting him. After all, it was only his foresight that had allowed him to survive beyond the magic that had terminated his physical form. The Dark Lord found it amusing that the Muggleborn woman had looked to the old ways to protect her son. She had blessed him, with a very powerful and unknown ritual.

"Brightest which of your time, and you still had to resort to the old pureblooded magic. No, you filthy woman, you were merely powerful for that night, because you had borrowed strength when you needed it most! You and your whole family are gone. I am still here. No, I was the winner! The boy who lived…..how lies have fed your legend! When I return, none will ever question my power!"

Soon after the spectacle of Harry's death, the Storm-bringers had arrived on the scene. Voldemort found himself somewhat concerned at first – but after the death of Lord Goyle and Lord Crabbe, it seemed that things had gotten quiet. He had heard the rumours about the initial showdown with Lucius, and he was surprised that his old supporter had not found the perpetrators.

"No matter, my unknown adversary. I am the master of the darkest magic. I will summon plagues! I will eat away your skin! I will burn you in enchanted fire! No, those who you have killed were not crucial to my plans. They were always disposable. I will recruit from Hogwarts as I have always done. My army will be legion! We will blot out the skies with my Dark Mark. I have killed many powerful Wizards and Witches during my time. Perhaps a challenge might be amusing.

My faithful will always find their way to me."

So far, he had avoided revealing himself directly. If he asserted himself fully, Dumbledore would detect his presence. He needed to operate silently until he had reaped the benefit of using the artefact. And then after he was sufficiently prepared, he would resume his rightful place as the undisputed ruler of Magical England.

"Good. I will have what is rightfully mine. I will bring them to their knees! I am immortal! Albus Dumbledore the greatest wizard? HA!" he thought to himself.

He now had the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, a job he had always coveted, for many decades. Now he would check up on the children of his followers. Even Severus Snape – he would see who was loyal, and who had forgotten about him. And possibly, if any powerful wizards and witches could be swayed to his side.

The Dark Lord had made it his business to listen in on the staff meetings. Suddenly, he considered the prophecy that had been delivered to him by Severus – could Neville Longbottom be the boy? Harry Potter could not be powerful. He had already killed the boy. But Neville? Neville, a first year already capable of shielding? He had mastered that skill in year four, secretly. And what was this….Luna Lovegood and Ronald Weasley? All pureblood traitors. Powerful for the age, but traitors nonetheless. The boy's grandmother would be next, to teach him a lesson when he returned. And then that would be followed by the parents of the other two friends of the Longbottom boy.

He also considered the change in staff which had been a hushed affair. It became obvious that the boy had used his pureblood leverage to force Snape out of the Potions position. Now that muggle sympathizer Slughorn was the head of House Slytherin, he would only fester infection within their house. He was another that would be eliminated. It had even been rumoured that Lilly Potter was his favourite student. But then, so was he for a time. Why, Slughorn was the person who had made him immortal.

No matter. They would all die.

As he observed the boy and his friends during the Defense Class, they seemed to pay attention and take down notes. Yet there was some type of odd feeling. Almost as if…somebody was watching him. Perhaps it was the paranoia of his host.

No, he - Lord Voldemort was unconquerable.

Lord Voldemort would often frequent Knockturn Alley on a Saturday. The Hydra was an inn where the darker Magical houses often assembled for a drink. From what he had heard, the Neutrals as always took no sides. They honoured the old ways but were not interested in the war. Cyrus Greengrass seemed to be no different from his father in the last war – he would not take sides. Silas Greengrass had not taken any sides either before his death by dragon pox.

"No more non-involvement. Choose me or them. Choose me and you will live. Choose them and you will fall to my wand." The Dark Lord often whispered madly to himself.

The news that Snape had loved mudblood Lilly was nothing new to him – he had begged for the woman's life. And yet, up until his forced departure, he had commanded his servants to kill the muggleborns. When Snape had gotten wind of his plan to kill Lilly and the boy, in Snape's mind there was no rebellion. In the Potions Master's mind was only an acknowledgement that it was necessary, and this had impressed Lord Voldemort. Snape had given up love, for his service to the dark arts, before he had embarked to Lilly's house that night in Godric's hollow.

"Ah Severus, your pain is your strength. As long as you have been working towards my interests, you will always be welcome at my table. We will see what you have chosen…."

Lucius Malfoy continued to offer the face of a respectable wizard. And the word on the street was that Draco had attempted to sabotage the brooms at Hogwarts. However, he had been attacked by a wild thunderbird. It was good that Lucius had not forgotten the old ways and he continued to enjoy the support of his old supporters. His son would be useful to the long-term cause. Or perhaps leverage if Lucius failed? Perhaps it was fate that his weakest and dumbest supporters had died in Diagon alley? Had they gotten involved in schemes, and courted their disposal? No, their only job should have been to find the whereabouts of their master – what personal ambitions could be more important? No, he would not punish them. They had already been punished, even by an external party. Only the strong were to survive. They were no longer tools, that were of any use.

As for the new Lord Black? He would eventually be killed if he was indeed a person who had been hidden away. Voldemort decided that some things had to be done by family members. Perhaps Bellatrix could deal with the issue? Yes, she would be highly motivated to purify House Black. And if someone killed the muggle loving Lord Black before his resurrection into a more powerful body, that would also suit his plans. Assassins had been sent out by Lucius, from the rumours.


Voldemort found himself surprised, as that evening he had encountered a Cerberus guarding the trap door. He had already let the trolls lose in the castle and nobody had paid him any mind after the Great Hall had been completely emptied. The dog had bitten Quirrell on his leg, and he had been forced to make the man limp back to the defence wing. As his host slept that night, the Dark Lord considered a conversation that he had overheard. Vector and Babbing had whispered that every weekend, the head of the Hogwarts Houses often did something in the abandoned wing. Perhaps, they were setting traps for his prize? He would have to collect more information. What if the trap was deadly? A previous magical trap had derailed his original plans. He had time – he was immortal.

Voldemort continued to whisper in Quirrell's sleep, as he plotted toward his return. He was a narcissistic man and had always suffered delusions of grandeur. And as far as he was concerned, eventually Albus would be killed, and he would be free to do as he pleased. And yet he was not as veiled in his intentions, as he believed. Invictus would generally check through all the recordings from the 854 devices deployed throughout the Hogwarts express and the Castle. Every single device, one at a time. As Invictus heard the recording of the soft, but insidious voice, he passed it to Harry.

It was listening to this private conversation that had upset the boy greatly. To hear the voice of your parent's killer? To know that he already had his eyes on Neville? Harry had ordered Tipsy to locate his clothes in the Hogwarts laundry and to tag the cloth item with a protean-linked polymer spray.

"I am going to listen to your every word. I will study you. When the time is ordained, I will destroy you. Painfully…and without mercy." Harry whispered to himself as he checked in on the fuel gauge before the departure of the StarFury. It was after this momentous reveal, that he decided to take a short holiday. He would enjoy himself and think about how he could protect those he loved.

He would build every implement that he needed for his war. And now, he was not alone. He had a family.


Beyond the Veil, James had been observing Harry for some time but had said nothing. But the latest revelation? This necessitated that everyone be duly informed.

"Lills?" asked James.

"Hmmm husband?"

"It is Harry. I wanted to give you an update. Well, I think I should include all of you. Invictus? Glaucon?"

Invictus and Glaucon materialised immediately.

"How is our boy? And what of his little family?" asked Lilly.

"Well, the family is rather huge now. Cyrus, Reginald and Arthur have warmed up to him. And he isn't short on achievements either. But what I want to talk about is….."

"Oh, tell us a little of what he has done?" asked Glaucon.

James sighed, as he realised that they were excited. It was not their fault – Harry and Hermione were impossibly creative. And Harry was very much a Peverell now. That was the dominant magic in his lineage. The Potter magic would only manifest at seventeen, in any case. James began his explanation:

"Exactly what you said he would do – I think he even improved one of your old ideas. He is using a very unstable but okay-ish FiendFyre reactor to charge highly modified ruby power crystals. He is getting about sixty times his biggest power cell on a single crystal. I think he weaved some new materials into the crystal's structure."

"Atta Harry! Come now what else?" asked Invictus.

"Together with his previous innovations, he and Hermione had a joyride earlier in a highly modified starfighter. He took the route of using his favourite TV shows and video games for inspiration. Took Remus and Sirius along for a laugh. Full IR, Radar and Visual cloaking. Did 2,000 kph easily. Almost space capable if they sort out some of the issues. So yes my wife was right. Brooms are not entertaining for him. Hermione once again has done impossible things with runes, arithmancy and mathematics."

Glaucon and Invictus as old men began to cackle childishly. Invictus then summoned a scrying mirror. Suddenly a life sized three dimensional mock-up of the gunship appeared, as it was parked in the hanger.

"Holy. That is some scary armaments. Wait…is that muscle fibres for the flight control surfaces? Thrust vectoring on the main turbines?" Invictus commented.

"Look….they built the thing with only a single charm for a component. No explosions because they do not need the charm stabilisation matrix. They have a hover charm where they can flip the darned thing while staying stationary. All on controllable engine thrust."

"Canards are a nice touch too. I like the hyper-conducting fields. The thing looks intimidating! Oh, it warms my heart to see the Peverell and Granger crest openly engraved on the thing."

James opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off by the excited men.

"Glaucon, this feeds into his…brain?" asked Invictus, as he looked at the spinal cord interface.

"Oh crap. I can see where this is going. The design is light and strong. Cast as one piece. Organic structures. Optimised for loadbearing. Using the hollows to keep fuel? Brilliant. And what is this?" Glaucon asked.

"They have short range Quantum warping capability? What the hell! These are well thought out and excellent runes. But her mathematics? Very unconventional and such a thing of beauty. The system is accurate but power hungry but they could fix it by…"

"HEY!" James shouted. Suddenly both men were silent.

"Yes, I know our son and Hermione have amazing minds. I know you are interested in what he has built – but more importantly, Harry and Hermione bugged every room in the castle, over the last two weeks. Every room. What do you think happened next?"

"He heard Quirrelmort?" asked Lilly.

"Yes. He was upset and decided to take some time off. Clementine has given him the keys to a little cottage in France. He heard all of his comments and plans." James explained.

"Oh. Sorry. I think we both spoke out of turn. Sometimes we forget that Harry is just a young child and he is trying his best." answered Invictus, as he hung his head, somewhat in shame.

"No offence is taken. Harry's ability to do good comes from your lineage. And as Harry moves toward dealing with Riddle as the years pass by, it will only get tougher. Harry might love everyone dearly, but he never talks to anyone about his pain. He has been crying. He is haunted by what he did that night when he made his first kill. And yet he is determined to embark on the mission to deal with one of the deadliest Potion and Drug Smuggling Cartels in South America. Trained Aurors have lost their lives in the forest!" explained James.

"We might be here in the veil, but we don't get the privilege of seeing into the future. Harry will look to outthink his opposition. As for him, he will manage because he is loved and he has a family. I will pray to all the Gods and goddesses for my boy to be safe. We will hope that Lady Magic will light his way. That is what we must do. Harry will have to bring hope to all of them." Lilly replied as she held James' hand.

"Agreed. But don't think Harry will win because he is merely righteous. He will also win the way you are supposed to win – with big plasma rifles. Force can fix any damned problem if you have enough of it!" Glaucon answered.


When Harry arrived at the cottage that night, he was greeted with a small cosy house that was on the top of a hill. The long winding path was lit by the moon and the gravel track eventually faded away into a small town. Harry had been practising his domestic charms wandlessly and made a single pass around the house before all the dust and sheets were in order. It took him a great deal of focus to do such a thing, but he always pushed himself to become more familiar with his magic. By tradition, all the French Bakeries were already closed. However, some of the lights were already on. It was approaching midnight, and an old man seemed to be preparing for tomorrow.

Harry wandered through the town, and he soon found himself at a beautiful lake, which seemed to have a large enough rock in the middle. Harry apparated across the lake and found himself standing on the rock. He lay back, as he watched the stars twinkling in the night sky. After taking in the cold night breeze for a couple of hours, he apparated back to his apartment, and he slept the night away.


The next morning, Harry found himself in the same bakery that he had looked upon the previous night. The same old man was now behind the counter and he seemed to be a jolly, amicable fellow.

"Good morning Sir! You must be new?" the man asked in French.

"Yes. I am taking a little holiday. I am looking for a bite to eat, this morning." Harry replied fluently.

"Oh, that explains much. You English, non? I know that accent."

"Correct."

"Very well. What will you be having?"

"I will be having…."

As the old man watched on, he realised that perhaps the boy had experienced much. The man before his culinary career had been a French Legionnaire with the French Ministry of Magic. He had seen much as a young Auror, before becoming the leader of a Hit-Wizard squad. This boy…his eyes….he had seen much.

The boy seemed haggard and tired.

The old man scribbled some well known places in the neighbourhood and handed Harry the note.

"Visit these places and tell them Frédéric sent you. I will not ask your business monsieur but I know those eyes. We call them 'battle-eyes'. You have seen much combat. You are a soldier. And you have taken life. And you are wandering around, as I did when I was young…"

The man was now looking on at the young boy, and strangely enough, he seemed to relax, instead of feeling threatened.

"You are correct. I had to protect my family. My mother. I was asked to…spill blood. Not too long ago. I thought it was…righteous. No other way to save her. But now…I don't know if I am swimming or…sinking?" Harry replied.

"Father above! Son, you had no choice. Enjoy the sights and sounds of the village then. Magical yes?"

"Indeed."

"If you cannot sleep, come and keep me company. Even try your hand at baking. You will find in the humblest of toils, that there is much healing to be found. I don't expect you to behave like a culinary apprentice. I do expect you to make a good memory, here in my charming little town! Laugh, and eat my pastries?"

"Oh, that would be interesting. Perhaps that would be great. You former military?" Harry asked.

"French Magical Legionnaires. I used to fight once. Many years ago. Lost many friends. As the English say, I am a soldier who has retired to a garden. Perhaps some time in the garden will do you well before you take to the battlefield. War never leaves us alone, but we can choose to leave the war behind for a little time, non? Midnight if you feel like it, tomorrow morning."


Harry found himself in a charming little alcove, and he sat down on the bench. As he looked at the beautiful place, an idea came to him. He messaged his mother.

"When are you free? Want to see a charming small town?"

"Hello. I will be off rotation in half hour. Where is the place?".

"It is a surprise."

"Surprise me then? Send Grace in 30 minutes."

Harry then tapped his communicator and spoke to Grace.

"I am in France. Somewhere new. The challenge is to find me."

"Ewe!"

Harry waited and was soon surprised to see a small thunderbolt a little distance away. She had chosen to ride the lightning in the skies? This would require further investigation – it seemed a new ability had been unlocked after the recent broom incident. Grace flew over and sat on his shoulder.

"Well, that is a new one. I do like it." Harry joked as he scratched her chest.

"Thanks."

Harry did a double take and his eyebrows were suddenly raised – he honestly wondered if he was becoming insane.

"Was that you?"

"No. It was batman." The bird replied, before snapping at him playfully.

"You can speak?"

"Continue being Captain Obvious. For all your brains, not too clever this morning."

"Ouch. You are a little roast lord. How long now?"

"Can't be a lord I am female you silly boy. How long? Maybe last week. I was given the gift of tongues at birth. We can hear and understand. But to speak, I must use your mind. I am beginning to draw upon your knowledge. Keep reading to me, every little bit helps. As for the battle meditation as you call it, was a skill that was common in the old days. We are linked all the time, but now it is stronger. Clearer. And I can use it to speak."

"Well, this is nice! Gracie, I love you!" Harry replied, with a small blush on his face.

"Love you too, you oversized monkey. I am glad I have a voice. Now I can keep you in line. I can see you are distressed, and I know why. It is not easy to listen to the whispers of your parent's murderer."

"No, it is not. So far, Moldypants has been a spectre. An entity. But yesterday he became a person. Flesh and Blood."

"So, from a symbolic evil to a concrete evil. What do you plan to do?"

"Talk to my mother for now. But eventually, I am going to fucking kill him. How does the new apparition work?"

"The planet has leylines. I recently discovered I can travel them. I just need to access the open sky and I can go anywhere as long as I have an anchor. Less stressful. Easier. I can carry very heavy things now. I can still apparate the older way if the sky isn't available. I do feel like my link to the elements is becoming stronger."

"How much can you carry?"

"Not too sure. You want me to carry the StarFury?" Grace asked.

"Yes?"

"I will need a way to reach the lightning in the sky. A lightning rod. We can do some testing too. How fast can it go?"

"Ten times your speed. I still want to go faster, though."

"Glad I picked a maniac for a wizard. Faster is better. I want a ride. By the way, I like my harness. The invisibility by thought is fascinating. Nifty thing, the cable on my back."

"Thanks?"

"Sure. I am very proud of you Harry. But what kind of partner would I be if I didn't grill you? Everybody has only respect for you, so it is my job to rustle your jimmies. The tea will be scolding every single time."

"Any other notable complaints to management, Gracie?"

"You snore like a dragon. And now I can speak, I will tell you exactly what I want to eat. You will be feeding me chips, doused in vinegar."

"You should have bothered me if you wanted something?"

"Too much fuss to explain that with gestures. How many different ways can I flap my wing? Oh, is that a pear tree? Well, excuse me!"

Grace flapped over to the nearby tree and began to pick at the pear.

"Oh, the soil must be special here. Supermarket pears are not like this. Not one bit!" Grace yelled across the link.

"I need you to pick up mom. I think she will love the view."

"One trip to the Hospital via the bird uber, coming right up!"

Grace launched off the tree and then a small upwards lightning bolt travelled to the sky and she disappeared without a trace. Three seconds, Grace reappeared in the same way but had chosen to drop Priya almost in front of the bench.

"She shoots….she scores!" Grace shouted through Harry's mind link.

"Oh, this place is wonderful! It is so beautiful! Are we still in France?" Priya asked.

"Yes, and someone would like to introduce herself?" Harry replied.

"Okaaaaay?" Priya asked before she felt Harry initiating a mind link. Then she felt a presence that seemed very familiar.

"Hi, mum! I need your very specific belly scritches pretty please" Grace replied. Priya was now looking at the phoenix.

"You can talk?" she asked utterly flabbergasted.

"Through the mind link? Sure. I was hoping you will really get in those hard to reach spots. But it is nice that Harry is using the mind link, and that he is reading to me too. This is not anything new. So much magical lore has been forgotten. Where do you think those talking animal fairy tales came from?"

"That….makes sense. Oh, this is so nice! I am going to love speaking to you!"

"Same here. It takes two women to keep this one here in line. Well actually, more like seven of them, eh. But more importantly, Harry has to talk to you?"

"Oh alright. Let us speak the normal way, I already have a mild headache, I can't sustain the connection as I am dead tired." Priya replied. The connection was then terminated, and Priya was now looking at Harry.

"Son, what is wrong? You look distraught now that I am feeling your magic, you are terribly unsettled?"

"Well mum, yesterday I heard the….."


The conversation continued for the next hour and Priya hugged the boy as he cried a little.

"I want to run into that castle and lop his head off! But we have to play the long game. And I am scared for Neville and the rest. I am not sure what to do?" Harry whispered.

"Be honest. Tell them for yourself. I am glad you didn't lie to their parents. Prepare them, and trust that they will do what they need to do. And me? I will pray for you and my hands will be ready to fix you or any of your friends. A promise is a promise."

"You are the best mum," Harry replied.

"I want you to show me how to go about initiating the mind link. It will be very useful for healthcare. I do know that it is demanding but it could be worth it. I also have been taking note of some additional equipment I would like to get. Hermione has been walking me through the treatment for Alice and Frank. I am working on the finer details. Thanks for the sandwich, it was fantastic! Does Clementine's place have an extra bed, son?

"A lot of extra beds?"

"Great I will crash this evening. We can play checkers before you go off to the bakery. Chess is too complicated for me."

"I would like that?"

"Sweetie, the cottage?" Priya asked Grace.

ZAP!

Three seconds elapsed.

ZAP!

"That was good for you. You are going to walk through the village and I will be cloaked. You will show me around and teach me words. And you can let your baker friend see me tonight. He seems like a nice chap! Good thing you got bezants from Clementine. I want all the damned snacks!" Grace replied.


As Harry visited the various places around the neighbourhood, he was warmly received. Harry's ability to speak French had helped him immensely, although sometimes there was a little grin by the locals as he mispronounced some of the harder words. Grace was only too happy to talk, as she had a lot on her mind. Some of her thoughts even encompassed some choice expletives, especially concerning the darker houses.

"I am going to poop in their fucking eyesockets after I claw their eyeballs out!" Grace explained.

"Isn't that a bit violent? And what is with the sudden foul language?" Harry asked

"Isn't that rich coming from you, Harry? You are close to having the highest dead body count in England and you have the mouth of a sailor?" Grace insisted.

"Oh yeah…right." Harry ruefully considered as he continued to look around.

"Look, a bookstore. Let us see if anything is interesting. I know you love putting physical books on your shelf Harry, you cannot lie to me. Go in, don't be..shy…"

"Guilty as charged, Grace!"

Harry spent the evening roaming around before he returned to the cottage. Grace did the usual transportation duties and Harry became accustomed to pointing his fork at the blue feathered avian, as she explicitly told Harry what she wanted. She would then grab the food item off the fork with her claw and Harry and Priya spent the evening laughing at the cheeky bird.

"Look, I don't have opposable thumbs. I never asked before because I could not ask. I want my chips swimming in vinegar!" Grace explained.

"Can other animals talk via a mind link?" Harry asked.

"Sure. But how to teach them without the presence of a magical familiar link? I don't know. That is an experiment worth trying. Although, I can't say how much they will understand. You read a lot, so my knowledge flows from that." Grace replied.

"I am going to take a nap. Then I am going to wake up and go down to the bakery."

"Alright. When I get ready tomorrow, Grace will drop me off at the ward." Priya replied.


"Ah monsieur, you have arrived then! You look a bit better too!" Frédéric explained as he greeted Harry.

"I talked with my mother. It was overdue."

"Come down to the back?" Frédéric instructed as Harry followed the man into a small but well organised kitchen.

"Have you ever cooked?"

"Many times. But I stopped as I got taken up in other things. I was…pretty good at it, actually?" Harry joked as he smiled.

"Good to reacquaint yourself yes?"

"I think so. Do you know about phoenixes?"

"Only ever heard the legends about them. That they choose remarkable people. People blessed to bring light to others."

"That is a beautiful statement. But from personal experience, even phoenix owners have darkness in them."

"Personal experience?" Frédéric asked.

"Sure. I would like you to meet my phoenix, Grace."

Grace then uncloaked herself and chirped.

"Oh, how fortunate I am to see this! Oh, today I will remember for a long time! Is your bird female? The plumage is magnificent!"

Grace then nodded, which surprised the man.

"She understands French?"

"A little bit. She can draw upon what I know. She understands when she is spoken to?"

"You hold many secrets, young man."

"Perhaps. But I can tell the story without including names. Come put me to work, my arms are strong enough."

The early pitch black morning passed away as Harry caught on rather quickly. As his hands fell into a rhythm, he began to use his magic to judge the consistency and feel of the dough. He openly utilized the immense strength in his hands and his sharp sense of smell. Frédéric seemed only too happy to feed Grace little pieces of the various pastry items, as she dainty extended her claw. As the early morning arrived, he found that it was nice to speak to someone. And while Frédéric was not aware of the people involved in the story, he sympathized with the young man.

"I lost my sister and my mother to Grindelwald and his campaign. I was left alone in this world. I too grew up an orphan and was adopted by the kindness of strangers. I understand your pain."

"I am sorry to hear you lost your family."

"The pain never goes away. You learn to live with it. As I say, I became a magical legionnaire. And while my deployments never allowed me to meet Grindelwald and his followers, I was happy to do good wherever I went. We must fight for that which is righteous."

"Amen to that, and in Lady Magic we trust," Harry replied.

"Your hands have much talent. I have never seen somebody learn that quickly. You must come every night for however long you are staying. I will teach you enough to carry the tradition with you. Even if it is a few select items."

"I would consider myself honoured to pass the skill on."

"What will you do now for the rest of the day?"

"As you say my hands have much talent. I build many things, both magical and mundane. I believe time in your kitchen has given me much inspiration. I will commit my ideas to paper."

"Good. Yes, very good. Goodbye, and see you at midnight."


"Harry went on holidays?" asked Neville.

"Well, it is more like he found out something that demented him so greatly that he decided he needed some time off. This is the first time I have ever seen him look that terrible. And you better believe he is tough as nails, and he is made of stern stuff. So now I am genuinely worried." replied Hermione.

"Anything we can do?" asked Ronald.

"I doubt. But if I know him as well as I do, he will talk to his mother. And when he has gotten back his footing, he will tell us eventually. How are my two favourite snakes going?"

"Daphne has some small parasite attached to her. Looks like an anglerfish and a centipede. It is only hand-sized. It might take a very long time to affect her health. She should be fine. It is wrapped around her foot, which is an unusual place." replied Luna.

"That we can sort out. What about Tracey?"

"She is fine. She has a lot of power but no finesse. We have been helping her with that. Plate exercises, but with using the wand." answered Neville.

"You know you always check in on us. What about you Hermione?" Ronald enquired. Luna and Neville were now grinning.

"Actually, it isn't so bad. With your father, Uncle Cyrus and Uncle Reginald running the heavy stuff, it is a big workload taken off us. We have been working on absolutely huge breakthroughs, and I won't say diddlysquat until the Christmas Eve dinner." Hermione laughed.

"I almost want to think you have a good prank lined up for us. Although that prank that Aunty Priya pulled on us, I hardly doubt you can top that one." The red-haired boy answered.

"Oh, I could never be that light on my feet if I tried. I could settle for second place though. Were the new reagent shortcuts useful?" Hermione asked.

"They were. I have been helping Fred and George with their more colourful projects. The magic that they are doing isn't technical and groundbreaking like you and Harry, but they know a good joke when they see one. You want funny magic? Do you want quality pranks? You get Fred and George."

"I don't know how your mother manages. But yes, even I recognise that they are excellent with the clowning around – and that is highly useful to our long term plans. I am off, to pull out my hair again." Hermione replied. Neville and Luna were sitting next to Ronald in the Ravenclaw wing, and they were egging him on. Ronald was smiling, but his voice was even and friendly on the call.

Ronald continued, "Keep an eye on Ginny for me?"

"I definitely will. This was nice. Thanks for asking after me? Later Ron. Luna and Neville? See you guys around?"

After the call was finished, Neville joked, "Making inroads with the Storm-Priestess?"

"I don't really know. But hey I can still be a good friend, can I? You will find I am appreciative of small things now." Ronald replied.

"You love the stoic philosophers, don't you?" asked Luna.

"I do. I think they have made me less impulsive. Tipsy?" Ronald called. The elf apparated to the abandoned classroom.

"Hufflepuff bathroom." he continued.

POP!

"Do you think they are going to be an item?" Luna asked Neville.

"That is a hard one. But I want it to happen?" Neville grinned.

"We will see. Now be a good lion and escort me to the tower. Maybe I want to show you off?" Luna replied.

"As my lady commands." Neville laughed.


The next couple of days passed quickly for Harry. Every night he toiled and laughed with Frédéric. Grace ate everything that came her way and Harry's chest felt lighter after exploring the town and getting to know some of the locals. The rest had been beneficial – Harry had any number of ideas to implement after the unusual moments of clarity had come to him, while kneading dough. It was now the end of the week and Harry's final morning.

"Oh, I will miss you very much!" Frédéric complained to the boy.

"I think I like you and this town very much. Even though I will be leaving, I think my friends and I will be coming regularly for a run, every so often."

"How is that possible, when you will be going back to England?"

"Oh right – Grace can carry me faraway places. I will be apparating directly to my house in England when I am ready to leave. That also means that I will be here regularly. Takes me five seconds to get here?"

"Fantastic! When you are done with your exercise, come and visit my bakery. And please introduce me to your friends?"

"I think that is in order Frédéric Oh, I would like you to meet my mother. She just arrived at the cottage, not too long ago."

"I would be very pleased?" the man replied. Harry then touched his ears.

"Mum you there?"

"Just finished getting ready. I am almost ready to go to the ward."

"Ask Grace to bring you to the bakery?"

Five seconds passed before a ZAP! was heard.

"Frédéric, may I introduce you to Master Healer Priya Singh, Order of Merlin First Class, but more importantly, my adoptive mother."


Frédéric had been told long ago by his mother as everyone you met in your life, was not by guess. Rather, Lady Magic knew why she had sent such people, and there was much to be learned. When Mireille's son had been poisoned by some type of dart while he was on Auror deployment, the woman had cried long tears. The healers explained that he would not last more than a couple of days. The woman had dropped everything and arrived at the French I.C.U. When she heard the news that her beloved Timothée would pass into the void, she sat outside and waited for the worst, as they struggled to deal with the issue.

That was the night that an unknown, new English healer had shown up and had drawn the poison out. Then she had clamped some new artefact to his arm as she worked the night away to find the damage system by system. Nerve by nerve. And she repaired every last bit of it. Timothée had woken up the next morning to see Priya smiling at him while Camilla translated.

"Ah here we are. Now you will make a full recovery, but you won't be able to go back to work until you pass out all of the poison. I have never seen anything like it. It is nasty business. You will be able to go about your life as normal, but don't use your magic for now. A lot of water and regular exercise and I promise you will recover."

Timothée had cried not for himself, but for his mother. When Mireille arrived in the ward fearing the worse, she saw that her son had been ready to be discharged.

"Your son is very lucky. This is the first time in history that I have seen someone beat this poison. Our new healer from England Ms Singh, designed a new spell to draw off the poison. This was the first time it was ever used for a critical case. Normally I would allow you to meet her but she is dealing with every critical case that we have." Camilla explained.

"Thank Lady Magic then. I hope I will meet this healer one day. I owe her the life of my only son. He is all that I have…" the woman replied somberly.

"All in good time Madam. Duty calls." Camilla replied.

Two weeks later Timothée who had been resting at home, was reading the morning paper when he saw the headline. The healer who had saved his life had been awarded the Order of Merlin, First Class.

"Mother this is her! She spent hours on me that night while shuffling other people! I have had a lot of hospital visits as an Auror but never have I seen a healer like that! When she touches you with her hands, you know you can trust her to fix you!"

"May Lady magic bless her. I will keep this picture. And I will tell all who had heard the news of your injury, that this healer saved my son's life. And I will write her a letter."

And so, the little town came to know of the healer who had saved the boy as the other people frequented her charcuterie business. And Priya did receive letters from both mother and son, but she had not managed to deal with all the mail. It laid unanswered in a large stack of parchment.

"When you had told me of the sacrifice you had made, Lady Magic forbid that it was someone who this town knows. You may not know us, but everyone knows you. You, mademoiselle, are the woman who saved our Timothée. I do think that some people would like to meet you." Frédéric explained. The frenchman stepped out of his bakery and ran across the road. Priya began to wonder about her patients, and then she remembered one of her first poison cases. Could it be him?

"Mireille! Timothée! I have a surprise for both of you. Come to my place right now please." Frédéric asked, quite excitedly. As soon as Priya saw the young man, she knew. She could remember the first patient that she had tried her experimental poison drawing spell on, and that was something she could not ever forget.

"See mom, you are much more famous than the boy who lived!" Harry whispered.

"Oh hush you!" Priya replied, as pinched his arm.

When Mireille and Timothée had opened the door of the bakery, it didn't take long for her to figure out exactly who was standing in Frédéric's store. The old woman walked up to Priya and held her hand reverently before leaning in to kiss her cheek. After looking at Harry, she kissed his cheek too. Timothée followed through and both of them observed the custom.

"Oh, how Lady Magic has blessed me today. I had written to you and I realised that you were busy. And here you stand. My name is Mireille and I am happy to meet you. My son Timothée you already know. Is this young man your…son?"

"He certainly is. Adopted, but I love him like my own. This is Hadrian Singh. Ah, Timothée, you look good and that makes me happy!" Priya replied in French.

"The recovery was painful, but I am better. I decided to help mother with our store for a little bit. I wanted some time off from the Aurors. I am almost back to my old self!"

"Your hands are blessed. There is not a soul who doesn't know your name in this little haven." Mireille replied.

"Thank you. While it is true that I did invent a new spell, the Medi-bracelets that have become standard, that was also my invention. But it was not reliable."

Everyone in the store was listening.

"However, this bag of trouble over here redesigned the artefact from the ground up. He even manufactured it. His hands built every one of those devices. He made it reliable and figured out all types of problems, that I could not understand."

Frédéric began to howl with laughter.

"Now it makes sense! Much talent in his hands. Have you ever seen him bake bread? Oh, if it was not a talent he possessed, he certainly has it now! He learnt in one week what I took twenty years to figure out!"

"Glad to carry your recipes to England." Harry grinned.

"Harry has promised to visit regularly and to bring his friends. The young man found himself wandering, for the same reason why I was lost for many years. And his burden is what preserved the life of this talented woman here, Mireille. And so I invited him to bake with me." Frédéric explained.

Both the mother and her son understood what Frédéric was saying: Their son probably worked in some kind of protective forces or had been attacked, and he has trying to cope with such a terrible sacrifice. It made sense – if the boy had built the artefact, his world was possibly filled with intrigue.

"Lady Magic has blessed us today. Both of you are welcome in our town, whenever you feel like it. Oh, I already have customers at my door. I am afraid I must go. This was beautiful. I am happy to meet you, Ms Singh. Do not let your burdens weigh you down young man. Shoulder them like Atlas. Thank you."

The boy and his mother politely wished their goodbyes, and soon Frédéric was left with only Harry and his mother in the store.

"Please take whatever you want. Master Healer Ms Singh? Harry? A blessing and a pleasure."

"No Frédéric, you are a blessing. My chest feels light. I will see you soon." Harry replied as he kissed the man on both sides of his cheek.

"Goodbye. Gracie? Cottage." Harry commanded. Both of them disappeared in a flash before arriving at the rustic house.

"Well thank God and Lady Magic for this weekend. I think these things were fated to happen. I have learnt much about pastries, bread and dessert. But I did manage to come up with some brilliant ideas too. Time to rumble. Where are you going? To the I.C.U?"

"Yes. This little getaway was nice. Perhaps I will ask Clementine to stay here when we have a rough call. Camilla will adore this place."

"As long as you are willing to take some perimeter sensors, drones and other things sure."

"Sweetie, drop me back to work, please?"

ZAP!

There was a three second delay.

ZAP!

"This was a great week I think. Let me put order to everything and we are going back to England" Harry explained to Grace, as she rubbed his face.

"Clementine?" Harry asked as he buzzed the woman on her communicator.

"Ah Harry! Did you enjoy the weekend?"

"I needed this. It was a spiritual experience. I have fixed the house spick and span. Completely locked up. I will be going directly to England. Grace will drop the key."

"Keep it. So the tinkering begins now?"

"Just wait until Yuletide arrives."

"Oh, I will be waiting. And if you are tinkering, you are feeling better. Please take care of yourself, yes?"

Harry was now outside the cottage in a clearing with many trees before he said via the mind link, "Grace, to the mothership. Outside the gate. Show me some accuracy."

"Hold on to your nuts, chipmunk!" the cheeky bird replied. The lightning crackled and Harry found himself outside the Peverell hanger a few seconds later. Harry then apparated inside the shop and Grace followed. Harry then buzzed Hermione, who was busy at her lab.

"Hermione?"

"Harry you are back!"

"I certainly am."

"You sound better."

"I have much to tell you, but I will be busy for the next two days. Inspiration struck me while talking a walk in the French countryside."

"I had some progress too when left alone. Love your company but I guess sometimes I need silence too? That was a…unexpected thing to consider. How about we meet up on the 17th and then and we can compare notes?"

"You better come good, Mione" Harry replied before he hanged up.


Hermione called her parents, the trio, Sirius, Remus and Lorna.

"He is back with us. He sounds far better now. He is going to wrench in the workshop. We are preparing for deployment."

"Good. I have been speaking to Madame Maxine. It has been agreed that Beauxbatons would be willing to broadcast their Quidditch matches and they expect to see Hogwarts matches. Durmstrang is not interested, because of security concerns. As soon as you guys can get the five thousand data slates ready, we can go ahead. We got at least half of the French textbook makers on board too." answered Lorna.

"Excellent! Time to get cracking." Remus replied as everybody resumed their assignments.