Aug 28
When the
Roses Bloom
Again - Home Having received the brief note from Charlus, Minerva had
barely slept and had spent much of the night pacing back
and forth, waiting for any further news, waiting to hear
from Harry himself.
Minerva,
Harry killed Grindelwald. He is f ine but is resting and will be
in touch as soon as he possibly can.
Expect company, but until they arrive, stay at home.
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Charlus
On its own, the note was ominous, and she had read it
dozens of times, unable to believe the words.
She likely wouldn't have had they not been penned in the
familiar scrawl of Charlus Potter.
Minerva had done as she was bid, and though it was
difficult to not seek further clarification the night had
passed, and she had busied herself caring for Rosa.
She was nearing her second birthday now, was growing
quickly into a curious, adventurous girl.
For almost a year she had been displaying bouts of
accidental magic, nothing dangerous much to Minerva's
relief, but she had become rather adept at escaping her cot.
Thankfully, Kora was on hand to intervene when needed,
and often enough, Minerva would hear the little elf gently
chastising her giggling daughter who found no end of
amusement from her own escapades.
She was just like Harry in so many ways; quiet, observant,
but proving to have quite the fiery temper, though that
could have been inherited by both her parents.
With a snort, Minerva recalled trying to feed the girl some
mashed carrots, only to find that Rosa did not want them.
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Instead, the bowl had somehow been propelled into
Minerva's face, much to the joy of her daughter.
She was pulled from her reminiscing by the sound of an
alert, letting her know that someone was at the door.
Picking up Rosa who had been playing with a set of
Quidditch figurines, she headed to the entrance hall and
opened it to be greeted by the sight of Reg Yaxley and
around a dozen others.
"Minerva," he greeted her warmly. "Harry has sent us to act
as a guard for you and the little one."
"Is it necessary to have so many of you?"
A smirk tugged at Reg's lips as he nodded.
"Orders from the commander himself," he snorted. "Some
of Grindelwald's followers are still out there and he is not
taking any chances. We will try not to get in your way."
Minerva tutted but allowed them to enter the house.
Had they not been given express permission by Harry, they
wouldn't have made it passed the gate, after all.
"Well, haven't you grown," Reg cooed at Rosa as Minerva
led her guests to the parlour room that looked over the
grounds.
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Harry had brought the man to visit Rosa shortly after her
first birthday, and the girl had been quite taken with him.
Rosa eyed him curiously for a moment before blushing and
hiding her face in the crook of Minerva's neck, eliciting a
chuckle from Reg.
"Oh, that is so cute," an American woman who was
unfamiliar to Minerva commented.
"What can I say, the ladies love me," Reg returned with a
grin.
The woman rolled her eyes and shook her head amusedly.
"You've spent too much time with Potter and Gilbert."
"Probably," Reg conceded. "As you can already see, the little
lady that is hiding is Harry's daughter, and her beautiful
mother was somehow charmed by our commander.
Minerva, this is my wife, Nancy."
Minerva offered the woman a tight smile.
"What happened, Reg?" she asked as she took a seat and
gestured for others to follow suit.
Reg's expression darkened and he released a deep breath.
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"I don't know how much you are aware of what we have
been doing, but we managed to enter France undetected
and catch Grindelwald's men unaware," he began. "It didn't
take long for him to hear what had happened and he
arrived shortly after. Seeing that he was going to lose, he
challenged Harry to a one-on-one duel."
"And Harry accepted," Minerva sighed.
"Would you expect anything less from the prat?"
Minerva shook her head and allowed Rosa, who had finally
emerged, off her lap to roam around the room.
"Is he alright?"
"He's fine," Reg assured her. "Nothing more than some
superficial wounds, but bloody hell, none of us will ever
witness anything like we did between them. They were at it
for hours, and when Harry won, Grindelwald's lot
surrendered. We took them into custody. There are still
things to deal with, but Harry has promised that he will be
home by tomorrow to see you, and I'd like to see anyone try
to stop him."
"Tomorrow?"
"He's already been summoned for a debrief by the ICW,"
Reg sighed irritably. "He's not happy, but I suppose they
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want to hear what happened from him."
Minerva nodded her understanding.
"Am I allowed to leave the house now?"
"You can do whatever you like," Reg replied. "We're not
here to keep you prisoner, just as an extra precaution. You
know what Harry is like."
"So, he sent twelve of you?"
Reg chuckled.
"He was going to send twenty, but I managed to convince
him that was too much."
Minerva snorted amusedly.
"Has the news broken yet?"
"It will in The Daily Prophet this morning," Reg explained.
"We've already had reporters sniffing around, taking
photos, and trying to talk to Harry."
"I bet he loved that."
"He doesn't know," Reg said with a grin. "They haven't
managed to get past Arcturus yet, and they're not so wiling
to push their luck with him."
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Minerva couldn't blame them.
The name alone was enough to deter anyone.
"I'd like to visit Diagon Alley. I need to see it for myself,"
she declared.
Without hesitation, Reg nodded.
"It happened, Minerva," he reassured her, "but we will take
you. I'm sure most of this lot will appreciate being in
civilised company and enjoying some fresh London air. Get
yourself ready, we will be waiting for you."
Minerva offered the man a grateful smile, retrieved Rosa
and headed to her bedroom.
Harry was okay, and the worst part of the war was finally
over.
For years now, he had been on the continent doing all he
could to put an end to Grindelwald, and though it wouldn't
seem real until she saw Harry for herself, she allowed a
sense of relief to wash over her as she dressed Rosa.
When they were ready, half of the group sent to watch over
them used the fireplace to travel to The Leakey Cauldron
before Minerva and Rosa followed where they waited for
the rest.
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The pub itself was full to capacity with people drinking
even at this early hour as they sang the praises of those that
had fought, the name of one person in particular being
mentioned time and again.
On the wall was a haphazardly created banner that simply
read; Evans for Minister, and Minerva couldn't help but
laugh to herself.
Harry would hate it, but the best part of the last four years
had been difficult. There wasn't a single person in Britain
who hadn't been affected by the war.
Whether it was a family member or a friend who had
volunteered to fight, it had touched each of them, and with
it now finally coming to a close, a collective breath of relief
could be taken.
Exiting the pub, Minerva found the alley to be in very
much the same mood. The witches and wizards of Great
Britain had come out in droves to celebrate with each
other.
It was quite the heart-warming sight, and Minerva felt
herself fill with pride as the gathered crowd began cheering
for Harry as vendors handed out copies of The Daily
Prophet, and others did so with ice cream and drinks.
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"They're cheering for your dad, Rosa," Minerva explained
to the clueless girl as she looked around interestedly.
"Da?" Rosa asked, her eyes searching for the man.
"He will be back soon," Minerva promised.
Rosa merely stared at her before she was quickly distracted
by the sudden explosion of fireworks that erupted from
near where Gringotts was situated.
"Harry won't like this," Reg guffawed as he held up the
paper he'd been handed.
On the front was a picture a photographer had managed to
snap of him in Bulgaria. He was helping a family find their
belongings amongst a pile of rubble that had once been
their home.
Minerva smirked at it.
In the photo, Harry was blowing bubbles out of his wand
to entertain the children as he helped pull a large portrait
from the remains of a collapsed fireplace.
When her gaze shifted to the other accompanying photos,
Minerva's smirk fell.
"Is that what was left after?" she asked.
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These photos depicted an area of land that looked as
though several bombs had been dropped on it.
Reg nodded.
"That's it," he confirmed. "It was a mess by the time they
were done."
As she suspected, this was where Harry and Grindelwald
had fought. How any of them came out alive from the
devastation that had been wrought, Minerva didn't know,
but seeing the images of the aftermath made her realise just
how dangerous it must have been.
"He really is fine," Reg reiterated, seeing her demeanour
shift. "He won, and that's all that matters."
Minerva nodded and tore her eyes from the page.
She didn't want to look at it anymore. If anything, she
wanted these past years to one day fade so that they seemed
to be nothing but a long, bad dream she'd once had.
She wanted to forget the war had ever happened at all, but
that wasn't possible. Minerva would settle for Harry
coming home so they could begin healing, so that they
could begin finally being a family.
She could settle for that.
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(Break)
With the students away for the summer, it was the time of
year that Albus and Armando switched their focus to the
less urgent aspects of running the school, the things that
were either put on hold whilst the students were here, or
that were merely not needed to be discussed until now.
For the most part, they tried to get this done at the
beginning of the break so that they could enjoy a respite
themselves, and it was no different now.
"Any thoughts on who should be head boy and girl?"
Albus hadn't given it much thought. His mind had been
rather distracted as of late and who would take up the posts
was not something he had considered much.
"I think Mr Fawcett of Ravenclaw would be an excellent
choice," he offered thoughtfully.
Armando nodded and made a note on his parchment.
"I was going to suggest him myself," he replied, his
expression darkening as he released a deep breath. "I am
surprised that Horace has not visited to plead his case for
Mr Riddle. They do not seem to have been as close this
year. If anything, I would say they have drifted apart."
Albus frowned at his colleague's observation.
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"Has Horace not said anything?"
Armando shook his head.
"No, he hasn't mentioned the boy once this year. That itself
is unusual."
Albus hummed as he drummed his fingers across the desk.
What had happened between them for the man who
advocated the boy so strongly to suddenly stop?
Had Horace simply grown tired of being rebuffed by
Armando?
"Do you think we should talk to him?" he asked.
Armando shrugged.
"I will monitor the situation and broach the subject if I feel
it is needed."
Albus nodded his agreement.
"Perhaps Rosalina has some thoughts on the matter," he
chuckled. "She is heading in this direction rather quickly."
Even before Armando could reply there was a frantic
knocking on the office door.
"Come in," Armando called.
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Rosalina was uncharacteristically excited as she entered
clutching the morning edition of The Daily Prophet.
"Have you seen this?" she asked as she dropped it on the
desk between them.
Reading the headline on the front page, Albus experienced
several emotions at once: jubilation, anger, sadness, and
even heartbreak.
EVANS KILLS GRINDELWALD IN SENSATIONAL
DUEL!
By Peter Stanforth
Albus didn't know what he was supposed to feel. He was
glad that the war was over, pleased that the fighting would
finally stop, but there was still a part of him that would
mourn for Gellert.
He felt guilty for taking the easy way out, for avoiding
confronting his old friend when he could have been the
difference between life and death.
Albus knew he could defeat Gellert in a duel, but he hadn't
been able to face him, not after what happened to Ariana.
Perhaps he should have.
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If Albus had managed to muster enough courage, Gellert
could have been defeated yet his death would have been
avoidable.
Not that he could change that now.
"Albus?" Armando pressed gently.
The transfiguration professor swallowed deeply as he stood.
"I'd like some time alone," he requested before taking his
leave of the room.
He and Gellert had once been best friends, more in truth,
and Albus had never truly gotten over what he had lost in
the pursuit of that relationship: his sister, his brother, and
now the one who had been his greatest inspiration.
Despite everything that had happened, and all that Gellert
had done, Albus had never stopped hoping the man would
change his ways, had never stopped loving the enigmatic
young man he had made the acquaintance of all those years
ago.
Now, Gellert's foolish ambition had gotten him killed, and
though Albus abhorred violence of any kind, he might just
be able to endure it for a reprieve from his aching heart.
(Break)
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Nicholas could only gawp at the newspaper as the owl
delivered it, and he blinked several times to ensure his eyes
weren't playing tricks on him. For the first time in as long
as he could remember, he ran towards the kitchen with an
excited Camille in tow.
"Perenelle!" he gasped as he entered, clutching his chest,
and breathing heavily.
His six-century-old body was certainly not cut out for
physical exertion.
"Oh, Nicholas, look what you made me do," Perenelle
huffed as she gestured to a fallen flower she had been
pruning. "I've been growing these for months."
Nicholas said nothing as he handed the woman the paper.
Perenelle frowned before her eyes widened and she looked
between her husband and the headline.
"Can it be true?" she whispered.
Nicholas nodded and Perenelle murmured to herself.
"The boy did it," she declared emotionally. "He really did
it!"
Nicholas beamed as he wrapped his arms around her.
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He couldn't remember a time he had felt prouder, not even
when he and Albus had finished their work on the twelve
uses of dragon's blood.
"He did," Nicholas confirmed, truly relaxing for the first
time in almost four years.
Both he and Perenelle had been worried for Harry, and not
a day went by that his wife didn't look out for a letter from
him.
There would be no need of that anymore.
The war was all but over, and Nicholas had no doubt that
Harry would return home to be with Minerva and Rosa as
soon as he possibly could.
Once more, Perenelle spoke to herself under her breath as
she dried her tears of relief, and Nicholas found it hard to
not let his emotions get the better of him.
Harry had won the war, and though Nicholas had no doubt
that what he'd experienced would haunt him for years to
come, the man would have the opportunity to live.
'As soon as he puts his parent's murderer to rest,' he added
internally.
That was another problem in itself, but one that only Harry
had the right to address in any way he chose.
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Nicholas knew he wouldn't outright murder the boy whilst
he was in school, but when he left and was considered a
man grown, there would be nothing that would stop him
finishing what began more than twenty years ago.
Then he could live.
(Break)
The last time Harry had been within the chambers of the
ICW, the mood had been tense, and the expressions fixated
on him grim at best. Now, however, that atmosphere was
absent.
The representatives of each country had given him a
standing ovation as he entered, and even once that ended
after several awkward moments, they offered him smiles,
and nods of appreciation when he met their stares.
It was something that Harry was not comfortable with, but
something he had been advised to accept, nonetheless.
Arcturus and Charlus had taken it upon themselves to offer
him advice before he had left, the thought of which left
Harry fighting the urge to smirk to himself.
"Everyone will want to kiss your arse, Evans. Let them get it
over with, accept whatever they want to give to you, and then
they will have no reason to bother you anymore."
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That had been the suggestion of the Lord Black, as blunt
as ever but an approach Harry had come to appreciate.
"You earned everything, Harry. You have sacrif iced more than
they will ever be able to give you."
"So has everyone else," Harry pointed out.
"But no one else fought as long or as hard as you," Charlus
retorted. "This war would still be happening without you and
how you led us, and we won't let you think otherwise."
Arcturus had nodded his agreement firmly and the two of
them had insisted on escorting him here.
They were currently waiting outside the chamber, only
content to do so when Harry had insisted he did not need
them to guard him within.
He didn't need them to guard him at all, but he appreciated
the gesture from the duo, though their presence may have
shielded him somewhat from the continuous flashing of
cameras coming from the public gallery that was full of the
world's press.
"Commander Evans," Abreo addressed Harry, pulling him
from his thoughts. "I would like to begin by thanking you
on behalf of everyone in this room for what you have done.
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Without your efforts, we would not be here today
celebrating victory."
Once more, the representatives of the ICW broke out in
applause, and Harry waited for an awkwardly long time for
it to subside so that Abreo could continue.
"The wizarding world owes you a debt that it can never
hope to pay, Commander Evans," the Supreme Mugwump
said sincerely. "These past few years, I have come to know
you quite well. You have proven to be a competent leader,
an incredible wizard, and an even more extraordinary man.
You have overcome adversity and persevered when most
others would have given up, and in the end, you personally
stepped up to confront one of the most dangerous men in
recent history to preserve the life of your own men, and
even the enemy. There truly are no words that we could say
that would do justice to the gratitude we all feel."
The other representatives called their agreement, nodding
animatedly as they did so.
"You will, of course, receive the highest honour that we can
bestow upon you and many other benefits befitting your
achievements during the war."
"As he will from our own Ministry," Doge broke in with a
smile. "Minister Fawley plans to make some
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announcements of his own to the Wizengamot in the
coming days and wished for me to offer his appreciation on
his behalf. He is very keen to make your acquaintance once
more, Commander Evans."
Harry offered the man a slight bow in response, doing his
best to ignore his own thoughts regarding politicians and
their own agendas.
"As would be expected," Abreo declared before turning his
attention back to Harry. "Although the fighting is
concluded, we hope, there are still matters that must be
attended to, Commander, and we would be most
appreciative of your input."
Harry had known his work was not done but hearing the
Supreme Mugwump speak it made his stomach sink.
Before he could speak, however, Abreo continued.
"The war will not officially be concluded until Germany,
Austria, Hungary, and Japan formally sign a declaration of
surrender," he explained. "Once that has been done, we will
need to negotiate treaties for each country who supported
Grindelwald to ensure that something like this does not
happen again."
Harry nodded his understanding.
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"What are your intentions for these countries?" Harry
asked.
Abreo released a deep sigh.
"We have never faced anything like this. It is something
that we must discuss in depth before any decisions are
made, but we would like you to be a part of those talks in
your current capacity. Your input will be invaluable as the
man who led our forces."
"I'm no politician," Harry pointed out.
"No, but your opinion is valued, and you have already
demonstrated a propensity towards fairness with the
suggestions you made regarding Italy. Those were your
terms, Commander Evans, we simply agreed with them,"
Abreo returned.
That, Harry couldn't deny.
Many of the representatives wanted to punish Italy harshly
and in a way that would only breed further resentment, but
Harry had been very vocally firm that should not be the
approach taken.
One merely needed to look at muggle Germany over the
past decades to see what unfair and harsh treatment would
result in.
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"Okay," Harry agreed.
Abreo offered him a smile.
"What would your recommendation be in dealing with the
rogue countries as they stand?" he asked. "We have yet to
address them. Do they still have a standing force on the
border?"
"Germany, Austria, and Hungary do," Harry confirmed. "I
am uncertain of Japan, but they have little resistance to
offer. Many of those killed in France were Japanese."
Abreo nodded his understanding.
"As for my recommendation, I believe that you should open
negotiations for terms of surrender but make it clear that
they must do so and that they hold no advantage. Extend
something of an olive branch. Without Grindelwald and
much of his army having been captured, their position is
not favourable. Remind them of this, and they may be
more willing to take a diplomatic approach."
Abreo nodded thoughtfully.
"Not a politician," he muttered to himself amusedly.
"Speaking of the prisoners, what would you suggest being
done with them?"
Harry released a deep breath.
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"We captured more than three thousand men," he
explained. "Holding a trial for each of them here is
unfeasible. It would be much more convenient to send
them back to their own countries and hand out fitting
punishments to those that have committed war crimes.
What they are deemed to be is at the discretion of the
ICW. For this to be fair, an agreed upon set of criteria will
need to be created."
It was what Harry would do if given that decision to make.
"The idea has merit," Abreo mused aloud, eliciting
murmurs of agreement from his peers. "That is something
to add to the agenda of things we must discuss."
"May I make another suggestion?" Harry broke in once
more.
"You may," Abreo allowed.
"I just want to emphasise that punishments should be
fitting," Harry reiterated. "Those who willingly and
knowingly harmed civilians should receive the harshest of
these, but those that killed in battle should be treated
differently. If we were to harshly punish those, then I too
would deserve to receive that punishment, as would many
good men I know."
Abreo nodded.
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"Your input is duly noted, Commander Evans."
"What of Nurmengard?" Harry enquired.
"The prisoners will be freed as soon as possible," Abreo
assured him. "We already have a team of cursebreakers
ready to be dispatched as soon as Austria is deemed safe
enough to do so. We are also in the process of ensuring aide
is given to those countries in need of it."
That was the only other topic Harry wished to broach, and
he offered Abreo a bow of acknowledgement.
"When do you expect that you will hear a response from
the countries that were occupied by Grindelwald?"
"That is something we cannot be certain of," Abreo sighed.
"They may take time to ponder their positions, and even
when that is done, it could take weeks for emissaries to be
sent to begin negotiations. I will, of course, keep you
informed of progress. Why do you ask?"
"Because I have thousands of men who are keen to go
home," Harry answered. "Some have not seen their families
for months. I would suggest that each representative
summon their commanders and begin making
arrangements for that to change as quickly as possible."
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"We will do that as a priority," Abreo replied. "We will aim
to have our forces disbanded in the coming weeks. The
quicker the treaties are in place, the quicker that can
happen."
Harry nodded gratefully.
"What do you plan on doing, Commander Evans?" Doge
asked curiously. "With the war over…"
"There is no need to retain my position," Harry cut in
firmly. "I will assist you with what loose ends need tying
up, but as soon as agreements are in place, I will no longer
be required."
"Nonsense," Doge snorted. "You have proven to be
indispensable; it would be foolish for us to not keep you on.
The Department of Justice still requires a head, does it
not?"
"It does," Abreo confirmed, and Harry shook his head.
"I'm not interested," Harry sighed. "The world knows who
I am, so being a Hit-Wizard is no longer a viable option,
and I have no desire to train others to do it. If Fox is still
alive, she is welcome to it."
Doge did not appear to be pleased by Harry's dismissal, but
he didn't comment on it.
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"Let us not make any decisions about the future when there
is still much more to do," Abreo urged diplomatically.
"There will be lots of time to discuss that when our more
pressing matters are resolved. I think it would be prudent
for Commander Evans to take his time and consider what
it is he wishes to do. You will have the full support of the
ICW whatever you decide."
Harry offered the man an appreciative nod.
"Is there anything else you need me for?" he questioned.
"I do not believe so," Abreo replied before anyone else
could speak to the contrary.
"Then I am going home," Harry declared. "It will be my
daughter's birthday tomorrow, and I have missed enough of
her growing up already. If you need to reach me for
anything relating to what we have discussed, then do so
through Reginald Yaxley. For anything else, speak to Petr
Sokolov who will be acting in my stead."
With that, Harry turned and headed towards the door,
ignoring the flashes of cameras and the questions fired at
him by the gathered members of the press.
He had nothing to say to them, and he had somewhere else
he would much rather be.
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"Done?" Charlus asked as he exited.
Harry nodded.
"Done," he confirmed. "For now, everything else can wait."
Charlus chuckled.
"I'm going to get my mother and bring her home," he
announced happily. "Everything else can wait," he agreed.
"Arcturus?"
"You'd best not leave Dorea waiting too long," Arcturus
snorted. "For me, I just want to spend some time with
Melania and the boys. I've barely seen Orion and Cygnus
since they were born."
Harry could empathise with the man.
Rosa was going to be two and he had barely been around
for more than a few weeks for her.
Now, however, he would make it up to her and Minerva.
Although the ICW had requested he assist them, that
didn't mean he had to spend all of his time on the
continent after Germany and the other rogue nations were
dealt with.
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No, there was nothing more than Harry was looking
forward to than going home.
Whatever he decided to do later mattered not.
He did not wish to even think about it until he had grown
tired of home.
Not that he would.
If he ever had to leave his family again it would be too
soon.
(Break)
Angelica Potter was never one to put much stock in
rumours, so when talk of the war ending reached the
island, she did her best to ignore it. According to the locals,
Grindelwald had been killed by Harry Evans, the mere
mention of the name almost enough for her to believe that
there may just be some truth to what was being said.
Had Harry truly triumphed?
She had not seen him for so long, and no matter what he
had achieved, he would always be the quiet boy Charlus
had brought home to share the festive period with them.
How long had that been? Six years, maybe?
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Since William had passed on and Charlus had gone to war,
Angelica's sense of time had been skewed, but there was no
mistaking the figure of her son as she spied him walking
towards the house.
Her chest tightened as she took in his appearance.
Her boy was truly a man now, scarred by whatever hell it
was he had endured in Europe, yet, he was alive, and
Angelica could not ask for anything more.
"Is it true?" she asked, fearful that the rumours would be
unfounded.
Charlus smiled, though their remained an edge to his gaze.
"It is," he confirmed happily. "I've come to get you."
Although Angelica was ecstatic, the thought of returning
to the home she had shared with her husband terrified her.
She knew that everywhere she looked she would see
William, and as much as she wished he was here, she could
not face being haunted by his presence.
"I don't think I can," Angelica choked.
Charlus said nothing as he pulled her into his arms and
simply held her for a few moments.
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"Why not?" he probed gently.
"Without your father, it's not my home anymore."
Charlus hold on her tightened, and she melted into him.
He was like William in so many ways, yet so different now.
Charlus had become his own man in the wake of his
father's death.
"What do you want to do?" he asked.
Angelica shrugged.
"I don't know," she answered honestly.
"Then we will stay here for a while," Charlus decided. "At
least until you know what you want to do, but you will have
to return to Britain for my wedding."
"You're getting married?"
Charlus nodded before he explained what had transpired
between himself, Dorea, and Selwyn's plot.
"He would never have dared had your father been alive!"
Angelica snapped angrily.
"Well, he won't try it again," Charlus said confidently. "It's
fine, mum, I dealt with it."
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Angelica smiled at the man.
"He would be so proud of you, Charlus," she offered
sincerely. "I'm sure he is resting easy knowing that you are
doing so well."
Charlus returned the gesture.
"They are big shoes to fill," he chuckled.
"You're already doing an amazing job. He would tell you
the same."
"Thanks, mum," Charlus replied. "Now, I know you're
itching to ask me some questions, so, should we get those
out of the way with?"
Angelica nodded.
"How many stupid things have you and Harry done?" she
asked.
Judging by how Charlus's face fell, Angelica knew that she
wouldn't like the answer to that question, and after he had
spoken for barely a minute, she could feel the beginnings of
a headache setting in.
If William was alive, he would tan both their hides,
something that she herself was considering, though
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knowing both had made it through the fighting curbed that
urge for the time being.
For now, she was merely happy to have her son with her, so
everything else could wait.
(Break)
Becoming aware that someone else had just arrived at the
house, Minerva took in her reflection and began fixing her
hair, eliciting a snort of amusement from Reg.
"Bloody hell, girl, you could be dressed in a bin bag and
Harry would worship the ground you walk on," he
commented.
Minerva shot the man a glare, but she couldn't hide the
blush of her cheeks.
Still, Reg held up a hand to prevent her from leaving the
room, doing so himself to see who was approaching the
house.
He had taken his guard duty seriously since he'd arrived the
previous day, and Minerva doubted the man had even slept.
Her heart began to race as she heard the voices drawing
ever closer, both now quite familiar to her, but one more so.
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The very same one she had come to love and miss during
his absences the past eight years.
As Harry entered the room, Minerva felt herself fill with
warmth at the easy smile that graced his lips, lacking the
usual tension that hung over him like a lead weight.
"I'll be in touch soon, Reg," he said, embracing the man
briefly and thanking the others before they took their leave,
offering Harry bows and words of gratitude as they did so.
When they were finally alone, Minerva did not hesitate to
close the distance between them and wrap her arms around
him.
"Is it really over?" she asked.
She felt him nod against her.
"For now," he replied, breathing her scent in deeply. "There
are things to do, but not for a while, hopefully."
Minerva smiled as she relaxed.
She didn't want to speak about the war anymore, or about
the fight Harry had with Grindelwald. She knew him well
enough to know that he didn't wish to discuss it either, and
all he would want to focus on was being home and
spending some time with their daughter.
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"Where is she?" he asked only a moment later.
Minerva laughed as she looked up at him, his eyes
searching for Rosa.
"She's asleep, well, she was. Would you like to see if she's
awake?"
Harry nodded and the two of them made their way to
Rosa's room where the girl was indeed sleeping, clutching
the training broom that Harry had brought for her birthday
the previous year.
"She sleeps with it often," Minerva explained. "She loves
that broom."
Harry smiled as he simply stared at the slumbering toddler.
"Let's leave her," he suggested, though it was clear that he
wanted nothing more than to wake Rosa up. "I'm not going
anywhere."
Minerva nodded and led him away from the bedroom and
to another one only a short distance down the hall.
"What are we doing here?" Harry asked.
Minerva released a deep sigh.
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"I know you don't want to talk about the war, but I don't
think you'll be able to ignore this for long," she said as she
pushed the door open.
"Bloody hell, what is all that?" Harry gasped.
"Mail, for you," Minerva said casually. "Kora has been
sorting it into piles of official correspondence, business
letters, and letters and gifts from anyone else who has sent
them. They began arriving last night and haven't stopped."
Harry looked horrified and cursed under his breath.
"I only set wards up to block anything dangerous," he
groaned. "What am I going to do with all this?"
"Well, usually, you would open it," Minerva replied with a
smirk. "I would probably start with the official ones.
Several of them have Ministry seals on them."
"From our Ministry?"
"From several Ministry's," Minerva corrected amusedly.
"Bollocks," Harry grumbled as he looked towards her
pleading, the very same way he did when they had been
teenagers and he needed something. "Help?"
Minerva hummed thoughtfully to herself before caving at
the expression of helplessness of the man.
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"Fine," she huffed dramatically.
Harry shot her a winning smile and the two of them sat
down to begin the task.
Although sizable in its own right, the ones that had arrived
from the Ministry's paled in comparison to those that
arrived from whom Minerva referred to as Harry's
'admirers,' much to his chagrin.
They worked through the pile of missives, some containing
medals of some description, and personal letters from
Ministers and other leaders offering their congratulations
and gratitude on his victory.
In truth, it was quite overwhelming for Harry, something
that Minerva couldn't miss.
Amongst them, she found one from the British Ministry
and handed it to him.
"The Minister would like to see me at my convenience," he
sighed.
"An open invitation?" Minerva questioned.
"Well, he hasn't given me a time or date, so I suppose so.
Maybe I'll arrive in the early hours so he can't try to use me
as a show pony," he mused aloud.
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Minerva snorted as she shook her head.
"I know you don't like it, Harry, but it will blow over
eventually," she assured him. "The more you hide from it,
the worse it will be."
"I know," Harry grumbled. "I'll see him, but everything else
can wait until we are married. How soon do you think we
can do that?"
Minerva was taken aback by the question.
She would never forget that he had asked her, but with
everything that had happened, she hadn't seen it as a
priority.
"I don't know," she answered honestly. "We would have to
ask him."
"Then we will do that," Harry declared, as he pulled
Minerva to her feet. "I think we've both waited long
enough. If that's what you still want?"
It broke her heart to still see the insecurity he carried from
his childhood.
Despite everything he had done and how highly thought of
he was, Harry's opinion of himself would always be lower
than anyone else's.
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It bothered Minerva, but at the same time, it was an
endearing quality.
Harry was as humble as anyone else she had met, even
though he had reason to be more boastful than others.
"It is," Minerva answered easily, "but I think our
conversation with dad will have to wait," she added,
nodding over his shoulder.
Harry turned to see a sleepy Rosa walking towards them,
still holding her broom and pausing as she looked up at
him, her eyes widening.
"Da?" she asked curiously.
That simple query was all it took for Harry to sweep her
into his arms, the final vestiges of irritation melting away as
he held their daughter who began giggling happily.
Rosa was just as happy to have her father home as Minerva
was, and as Harry shot her a glance, she could see that
there was nowhere else he would rather be either.
There were things that would need to be addressed in the
coming days and weeks, but for now, nothing was more
important than this, not even the dark cloud on the
horizon that Harry would soon look towards.
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Comments (17)
Cuteness overload by the end! Lol
I'm going to have a good laugh if the protections set up to
catch the rogue Black daughter end up catching Tom
Riddle when he tries to harm Minerva or Rosa.
very sweet, glad to be home now he has to start living (after
Tom of course)
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AvidReader2425 2 weeks ago · 0 Likes
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Please write the next chapter already. Thank you very
much. I really appreciate it and liked it a lot. I am sorry if I
am being rude or annoying you with my reviews; I don't
mean to be rude or annoy you with my review; I just really
like your story a lot.
Well, this has been a wild ride, and I am ever so grateful
that I got to be a part of this experience.
Thank you, Baron, for all the work you put into this, and
for the story itself, of course.
Now, with all that touchy feely stuff aside, I look forward
to your next works, and the resolution of this great story.
I hope that his identity is actually not revealed, and only
those who already know are left with that knowledge. It
doesn't seem to have any bearing on the story for it to be
revealed so it would just be weird, and there are already
Justin 2 months ago · 0 Likes
Not Logged In - great name, I know... 2 months ago · 0 Likes
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established dynamics with Harry, as a person, as Evans not
Potter. To the Potter's anyway, he is already family and that
is just as good.
I too hope the same, as that is just meaningless at this
point. I do think, though, that a dramatic reveal to Tom
alone, or perhaps Charlus and Arcturus as well
(if they are present), when Harry confronts him and then
kills him would be cool. Which still is meaningless, but
cool.
There are a few things that may or may not be resolved by
the last chapter, and there are a couple that I really
definitely want to see. Tom Riddle is an obvious one,
general after war conversations and gatherings like with
Dumbledore and others... but mostly I want to see the
secret of his identity finall revealed. Harry using the stone
to bring back William's shade and telling him his true
name. Or Charlus and his mom figuring it out somehow.
Somethinng like that.
Not Logged In - great name, I know... 2 months ago · 0 Likes
StoneTheLoner 2 months ago · 0 Likes
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Thanks for the story!
Harry has already spoken with William's shade, go back to
chapter "The Cold on my Cheek" for the summoning and
chapter "To War Once More" for a short flashback
conversation with the shade
Oh yeah... I remember William's shade being summoned,
but my brain is completely blanking on what they actually
talked about. Thanks for the reminder!
Brilliant chapter. The author did an excellent job capturing
the behaviors of a toddler Rosa.
Harry played it smart with Reg and his crew. He's 100%
correct that the war really isn't over until Grindelwald's
dead-enders are dealt with.
Warvillage 2 months ago · 0 Likes
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I really liked this chapter a lot! Thanks for crafting and
sharing.
Harry has been visiting home for the past ten chapters,
how's he missing it all the time lol
when is the next chapter coming out?? I really liked it a lot.
Should probably inform Churchill of what happened and
the fact that the magical side of the war is about to end
What a beautiful chapter
Village Mystic 2 months ago · 0 Likes
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Author/Site Owner: Lee : TheBlack'sResurgence
Email: (For all enquiries)
When the Roses Bloom Again - The Most Precious of Things
When the Roses Bloom
Again - The Road to Home
no. No dark clouds on the horizon please
Welcome 2 months ago · 0 Likes
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