XV

Hermione made her way into the kitchen, her head swimming with thoughts. She was alone in the house with Harry, who was still sleeping. Harry. He was all she could think about, he invaded every thought, every moment. She was hopelessly in love with him, but she was extremely conflicted.

She knew she wanted to be with him, but could she get past her own scruples and Muggle upbringing and accept being in a relationship with Harry, and six other women? If Harry even wanted her. Narcissa had assured her that wouldn't be a problem, but Hermione was still uncomfortable with the whole idea. She had planned to spend the day with Harry, so perhaps they might discuss it that day.

She was planning on going to her parent's house to fetch Crookshanks. (God, her parents. What would they think of all this?) He had been staying there, a few days after she'd moved in with the Weasleys, because the cat could not stand Ron. And Ron, in turn could not stand Crookshanks.

In all honesty, that should have told her something about the relationship, because her cat was an excellent judge of character, and the only other person he came into contact with that he didn't like was Percy. Leaving it at that, she decided to make breakfast. One good thing she had learned from living with Molly Weasley; to make great food.


When Harry awoke, it took him a moment to realize he was alone in his bed. He breathed in slowly through his nose, taking in Andromeda's scent, which permeated the room. It soothed him, and brought a smile to his face.

He got dressed and entered the hallway of the sleeping quarters. He let go of his senses, and discovered all the rooms were empty. More than that, he could only sense a single person in the stronghold, aside from Hedwig, who barked contentedly at him from a perch at the end of the hallway, happy to see him up and about.

Harry walked up to her and rubbed his fingertip over her beak. "Hello, girl."

Hedwig hooted at him, and leapt onto his shoulder. Harry winced ever so slightly as her talons gripped him, but in truth, it wasn't that painful. He made his way toward the kitchen, the smell of frying bacon urging him on.

He eyed Hedwig from the corner of his eye. Was she sick? Why the blazes had she been sitting on her perch and not pestering Hermione for a piece of bacon? He entered the kitchen and found his best friend toiling away in there, and already, there were several dishes of food on the table, which was set for two.

"Morning, Hermione," Harry greeted his friend and sat at the table. "What's all this?"

Hermione turned sharply on her heel. "Oh! Harry, you startled me!"

"Sorry," Harry said, and held up his hands. "I'm still getting used to not being alone in here," he said, and picked up a piece of bread, and started feeding his owl, but kept teasing her, which turned into a game between the two of them. He would put a piece of bread at her beak, and she would try and nick it from him before he managed to pull his hand away.

Hermione turned her attention back to minding the bacon and eggs, but she was finding it hard to concentrate on her work with Harry in the room. His hair was dishevelled, ruffled in the back as always, and the way he was playing with Hedwig, was simply adorable. His presence was... intoxicating, simply put.

"Where are the others?" Harry asked, as his friend approached the table, carrying the bacon and eggs.

"Narcissa had something to do down at the Ministry. Bella went somewhere with her staff and that book she found, and Tonks and her mother are going to spend the day together in Muggle London. I believe Fleur went home to say goodbye to her family. They'll all be here for supper."

Harry nodded. "You didn't go with Cissy? I would have thought they'd have to pull you out of there with a tow truck."

Hermione smiled at her friend. "There'll be enough time for that later." Her smiled faltered, and she became serious. "You're going away again, Harry and I wanted to spend the day with you. First, I was planning on going to my parent's house and fetch Crookshanks, and I was hoping you'd come with me."

"Sure, I'll join you."


Shortly after they'd had breakfast, Hermione side-Apparated with Harry to Hampstead, a very affluent area of North-London. She had a particular spot she liked to Apparate to, whenever she went to visit her parents. It was a park she and her parents had frequented when she was small. It was not too far away from her house, it would take maybe half an hour to walk there at a leisurely pace.

They had appeared at her chosen spot, and as soon as they did, Harry turned slowly in a circle and took in the area. Then he did something peculiar. He closed his eyes, and slowly breathed in and out and raised his arms slightly from his sides. Then he opened his eyes and smiled.

"I like this place, Hermione. It's got a good feeling about it. You have a lot of good memories from this park, I suspect."

Hermione nodded. "I do. My parents and I used to come here all the time."

"Right."

They walked along the path in the park in a companionable silence for a while, when Hermione simply could not keep silent any more.

"Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"Is Hedwig glued to your shoulder?"

Hedwig's chest puffed out, and she glared reproachfully at Hermione, then flew off to the nearest tree. She landed gracefully and turned her baleful stare at the bushy haired one, once again. What was that female's problem? What business was it of hers, what she, the most important female in Harry's life did with him? If she wanted to perch on his shoulder, then she would. Hmpf. That one was lucky she served her proper bacon earlier. Otherwise, the girl would have felt her talons!

Harry chuckled at the owl's antics. "She's been like that since she found me again, Hermione. She missed me, and you can't even imagine how much I missed her."

Harry had walked a few steps, before he noticed Hermione had stopped walking. "You alright, 'Hermione?"

"She wasn't the only one," Hermione mumbled.

"Pardon?"

"Hedwig. She wasn't the only one who missed you."

"Hermione, I-" Harry began, but faltered.

Hermione walked over to a pond, a little ways of the path. She stared into the water, and as Harry approached her, he could see she was struggling to maintain her composure, barely succeeding. She finally turned around and slapped him on the cheek with some force, before she turned away again, taking deep breaths. After a few moments, she had regained enough control to articulate her thoughts.

"I told myself I wasn't going to be angry at him," Hermione chided herself. She then carried on in a stronger voice. "I never had any friends growing up. I tried, but I could never connect with any of the other children around here. I was too smart for my age, I think. When they would play tag, or some other game, I would sit with my parents, and leaf through some books, or ask them a million questions."

"So, I turned to my books. They were my friends, they didn't judge, didn't leave when I over analysed whatever game we were playing, or groaning over how stupid the film was. Bossing everyone else around was another thing I did. Kids don't have any patience for a person like that."

"I know what it's like to be lonely, Hermione," Harry said and walked to her side. "Dudley made sure of that, by beating anyone who looked like they wanted to be my friend."

Hermione nodded at Harry's comment, and went on with her story. "Then came the Hogwarts letter, and every strange little event in my life thus far, made sense. I was eight years old when I had my first bout of accidental magic, that I can remember. I pulled a ball point pen a few inches, when I couldn't reach it." She eyed Harry. "What was your first?"

Harry grinned at his friend. "I Apparated to the roof of my school when I was being chased by Dudders and his Duddies, and the week after that, I regrew my hair overnight, after my aunt gave my this terrible haircut, using a pair of kitchen scissors." Harry made clipping motion with two fingers.

Hermione shook her head, and laughed at Harry. "Why is it, that everything you do is always over the top? Apparating for your first bout of magic... Only you Harry James. Anyway, I was elated when I got my letter. I was so happy when I realized that I would be going to be a part of a different world, a world where no one knew me, where I could reinvent myself."

"Those are some heavy thoughts for a eleven year old," Harry remarked.

"They are," Hermione agreed. "But I was so fed up with it all. So, I got onto the Hogwarts Express, and I met Neville, who had just lost his toad."

Harry nodded. "Right, I remember. That's when you met Ron and me."

"And slipped right back into my old self," Hermione said with a frown.

"It's who you are, Hermione. You shouldn't have to feel the need to change who you are to appease someone else. It'll only make you miserable."

Hermione looked at her friend with a somewhat bemused expression. "When did you become wise, Harry?"

Harry chuckled at that. "Spending a year with a thousand year old is bound to change something, Hermione."

They were silent for a few moments.

"I was about to give up, you know," the bushy haired girl told her friend. "On Hogwarts. That Halloween, in the bathroom, after Charms class. I had decided to ask to be allowed to leave for home. I was alone in a huge castle in the middle of the Scottish highlands. At least back here, I had my parents. Then I was attacked by a troll, and this insane boy came rushing to my aid. It was such a horrible experience, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. It marked the beginning of the best few years of my life."

"Yeah. Despite everything, we had a great time, all things considered," Harry said and smiled.

"Then you disappeared. Left me alone."

"I'm sorry, Hermione," Harry said, and took her hand in his.

"It's alright, Harry," Hermione said seriously. "Hitting you in the face was very therapeutic."

Harry frowned, then noticed a tiny tremor in the corner of his friend's mouth. "Ho! Look everyone, we've a comic in our midst! At least you didn't punch me, like you did Malfoy. That would have been embarrassing. Instead, I got a bitchslap. Not embarrassing at all."

Hermione laughed out loud at that.

"Are you certain you're alright?" Harry asked when Hermione stopped laughing.

"Yes, I am. I don't want to waste any more time being angry with my best friend."


"So, I asked you here to pick up my cat, but I really wanted you here, because I'd like you to meet my parents, Harry," Hermione said as they entered the street where her parents lived.

Harry was a little confused. "I have met your parents, Hermione."

"You have? When?"

"Don't you remember?" Harry asked. "That day in Diagon Alley, before our second year. We met outside Gringotts..."

"And..."

Harry thought about that day, and finally, he eyed his friend. "I haven't really met them, have I?"

Hermione laughed at that. "No, you haven't. As I remember it, Mr. Weasley hijacked them, and they couldn't get away from him, until he got into that brawl with Mr. Malfoy."

"Yeah, that sounds about right."

They walked the rest of the way in silence, and finally, they came up on a quiet street, with houses on one side, and a view of a park on the other. While the houses weren't too large, Harry knew this had to be one of the most expensive neighbourhoods in London. Hermione's parents were dentists, but he had not thought drilling people's teeth was quite that lucrative.

"Dad comes from money."

"Hmm?"

"I can see it on your face, Harry. You're wondering how they can afford to live here."

"Well, I know dentists do alright, but this seems a bit much. I mean, look at that view."

"We're here," Hermione said and motioned to a house that had a brand new Seven series BMW parked outside it.

"That's a nice car," Harry remarked and approached it. It was done in a very dark blue colour and looked like it had been waxed recently.

"I suppose. Mum's the car enthusiast. Dad and I couldn't care less what kind of car we have, so long as it does what it's supposed to."

"Can't disagree with you there. I don't know anything about cars, really."

"You're more of a motorcyclist, aren't you, Harry?" Hermione asked with a grin.

"Who put a Penny in you, then?" Harry asked back, when he joined Hermuione on the steps. "You just keep them coming, eh?"

They came up to the door, and Hermione rapped her knuckles on it three times. They waited a for almost a full minute, before Harry heard someone come to the door. It swung open, and as soon as it did, Crookshanks flew into Herrmione's arms, purring like an old diesel engine. Harry couldn't help but smile.

Harry turned his gaze from his friend and her cat, and onto the person who had opened the door. She was a woman in her late forties, and it was clear, Hermione took strongly after her mother. They had the same build, same eyes, same nose, and if Harry wasn't mistaken, Jean had once had an overbite, like her daughter had, before Madame Pomfrey had fixed it.

"Hello, Mum," Hermione said and let Crookhanks go, so that she could hug her mother.

"Hello, dear. Richard! Hermione's here! And who's this young man?"

Before Hermione could introduce Harry, her father arrived. He grabbed his daughter in a bear hug, which was returned just as enthusiastically by her. Richard Granger was a tall, robust man, who was clearly in good shape, and obviously worked hard to keep that way. He had warm eyes, with plenty of laugh lines around them, and his hair was a bit wild, just like his daughter's.

"It's been too long, sweetheart."

"Sorry, things have been very hectic over the past few weeks. Anyway. Mum, Dad, this is Harry. Harry, my parents, Jean, and Richard."

Both her parents turned and regarded Harry, who felt like he was being weighed and measured. Harry thought he could feel a slight animosity from them, but couldn't be sure. Richard finally extended his hand in a greeting.

"So, we finally meet. About time, too, wouldn't you agree, Jean?"

"Yes, indeed," she said, and extended her own hand for Harry to grab. "Please, come in. I'll make tea."

They entered the house, but when Hermione meant to call Crookshanks, he had gone to climb a nearby tree, where Hedwig had settled in. The pair made happy sounds, as they had not met for a long time, and they were great friends.

Jean Granger led them to the living room, where she asked them to sit down, before she went to put the kettle on. Harry looked around, and could see pictures of Hermione everywhere, with a few others mixed in. He felt good in this house, it had a wholesome feeling about it, and he was really glad that his friend had grown up in a loving home.

"Hermione, dear! Could you pop to the store and grab a pack of biscuits. I'm afraid we're all out," her mother called from the kitchen.

"It's alright, sweetie," Richard said. "I'll go."

No, it's fine, Dad," Hermione reassured her father. "I'll be back in a bit," she told Harry.

And with that, she left the house, and her friend alone with her father, who leaned back in his seat on the sofa, staring at Harry, who was starting to become uncomfortable. Then Jean came into the room with a tray of tea and cups. She sat it down on the coffee table, and joined her husband on the sofa, and gave Harry a similar look her husband was.

"You've been the cause of great heartache for our daughter, over the past two years, young man," Jean started and glared at Harry.

"Indeed, you have," Richard continued. "Would you mind explaining yourself?"

Harry felt he should have known they would ask about that. "I was trying to keep her safe. Or safer, at least. What I've been doing over the last year, or so was extremely dangerous. Brilliant and brave as she is, she would never have survived."

Their eyes softened at that, and Jean smiled. "That's what we thought," she said. "In truth, we have plenty of biscuits. We just wanted a moment alone with you."

"And why is that?"

Richard rubbed his chin for a second. "You are, without a doubt, the most important person in Hermione's life."

Harry felt a blush coming on. "I'm sure that's not true. I mean, we are each other's best friend, and have been for a long time, but that's-"

"Clueless, like Mr. Oblivious over there," Jean said, and pointed at her husband.

"Hey! I'm only mostly clueless. I certainly knew how I felt about you, even before you figured it out."

"Please," Jean said and rolled her eyes. "That's only what I wanted you to think."

Ok, what's this about?" Harry asked. This was all very strange.

Jean looked at Harry, before she started speaking. "Over the first two months of Hermione's stay at Hogwarts, she sent us so many letters, Mr. Potter. It was very clear to us, that our little girl wasn't happy, that this new school hadn't been what she'd hoped it would be."

"Yes, we were rather worried about her, but like Jean said, something changed. After Halloween, in fact. The letters became fever, and things seemed to be looking up. But we noticed another change."

Jean grinned at Harry and clasped her hands together. "She began writing about this boy! Our Hermione was taking notice of a boy. Most letters, she spoke a little bit about herself, the schoolwork, and Hogwarts, of course. But mostly, she talked of you, Harry."

"Well, if she wrote about me," Harry said, "no doubt, she was complaining about me not taking my studies seriously enough."

Both of Hermione's parent's laughed heartily at that. "Yes, she was." Jean smiled. "At first. Then things changed. Over the years, we noticed you were becoming more and more important. She had gained such confidence, and strength, and we knew you were at the heart of it."

"Harry, we've only recently become aware of what happened on that Halloween night, and we want to thank you for saving Hermione's life. Which you've done over and over again, it turns out."

Harry scratched the back of his head with a sheepish expression. "Well, anyone would have-"

"No," Richard said with certainty. "Most people would have run for their lives, when faced with trolls, or a mob of soul sucking demons, or whatever they're called."

"Then you disappeared, and the old Hermione returned. The bookish, quiet and unassuming girl, that had finally been cast aside. Then we found out she had begun a relationship that Ron fellow," Richard said with a look that told Harry how Hermione's dad felt about Ron.

"She never brought him here, you know," Jean said. "In fact, she didn't talk about him a whole lot. I know she is aware of how we feel about that lazy lout, but I still think, if she is serious about him, she should bring him here to meet us. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Well," Harry began. "It's not really my place to tell you this, but I really don't think you're going to have to worry much about Ronald Weasley from now on."

Jean stared at Harry, then smiled a relieved smile. "Oh, good. Then you have our blessing."

"What?" Harry was completely lost. "I have your blessing to do what, exactly?"

Jean shook her head in wonder, and eyed Richard, who grinned at her, and mouthed the word 'oblivious' at her.

"My daughter is very much in love with you, Harry, and I suspect she has been, ever since that troll incident. I'm not certain she knows, to be honest."

"What? Don't be ridiculous."

Jean stood up, and grabbed Harry's hand, and pulled him to his feet. "Come on, let me show you something."

Harry allowed himself to be led up the stairs, to the second room on the right, opposite the bathroom. Jean opened the door, and stepped inside, still pulling Harry behind her. She let Harry's hand go, and sat in the chair by the desk, watching Harry as he took in the room.

It was a simple room, really. A bed, desk, and a number of large book cases, filled with all kinds of books. Very neat and tidy. Organized. Almost obsessively so. The room practically screamed Hermione!

Harry's eyes found her bed stand, and on it was a large book, which bore the evidence of having been read in its entirety, many times. Hogwarts: A history. It was a rare edition, a collector's item, if you will. It was self updating, tied into Hogwart's magic, meaning, anything significant was added by itself.

He had given her that book for Christmas, during fourth year. He had wanted to say thank you for her support after his name came out of that cursed goblet. She had been the only one who hadn't faltered. She had been there, as she always had, and always would. His voice of reason, in a world so often devoid of it.

He opened the book at a random place, and something fell out. He put the book back on the night stand, then bent down and picked it up and turned it around. He could only stare at the picture. Smiling and waving were himself and Hermione, at the Yule ball.

He remembered now. Colin Creevey had asked him if he could take his picture. He'd been talking with Hermione, and she seemed excited. Harry looked back at the picture, and had to smile. Hermione seemed so happy. He was holding her to him by the waist, and she had one hand on his shoulder. She'd been so beautiful that night. Well, he had always thought her beautiful, but that night, she'd been absolutely radiant.

"Do you remember how excited Colin was when you told him he could take your picture, Harry?" Hermione asked with a small smile.

"Yeah. He's an excitable fellow."

"Was," came the sad reply.

Harry's heart sank. "No. Not Colin."

"And Dennis."

Harry sat down on the bed, and kept staring at the picture. Hermione walked slowly over and sat beside him. She placed a hand on his thigh and squeezed lightly.

"It's not your fault, Harry."

"I know. It's just... He was always such a kid, you know?"

Hermione snorted. "You're just saying that, because he was smaller than you were, when you started Hogwarts."

When Harry didn't answer, she became a little worried. He was still staring at the photograph. "What are you thinking, Harry?"

Now, that got a reaction from her friend. He took a deep breath, then turned his emerald gaze upon her. "I had a horrid time at that ball. In fact, this was one of the very few bright moments of that evening. And I was so awful to Parvati. She deserved better, Hermione."

"Harry, you were a boy at the time. I'm pretty sure you did a lot better than some."

"Yeah. Thing is, I know now that I asked the wrong girl to the ball. I looked all over for a date, when my perfect date was right under my nose, the whole time. I was a bloody idiot, and I let Krum have her. The arrogant ass couldn't even pronounce your name."

Hermione's breath caught in her throat. Was this going the way she thought this might go?

"Harry, what are you saying?"

"I think I may be in love with you, Hermione. Do you... do you suppose you would ever consider joining me and the others?"

Hermione was silent for a long while. "I don't know, Harry. I do love you. I realize that now, but it's just... I don't know. I was raised differently than the others. And then there's the whole thing you said about me being a role model for the Muggleborn. Me being in a relationship like that may not send the right message. And we have to be honest; what we're trying to do is bigger than us two."

Harry nodded. "Yeah. You may be right."

Hermione tilted her head toward the door with a thoughtful expression.

"What is it?"

"You know, I think my parents want us to happen."

"Oh, they do," Harry said with a grin.

Hermione tilted her head to one side. "What do you know?"

Harry went over their discussion, in some detail.

"They gave you their blessing?" Hermione asked, giggling.

"Yeah. For a moment, I felt like I was in the eighteen hundreds. The only thing that was missing was me fondling my hat in my hands, looking at my toes, asking permission to court their daughter," Harry said, and the pair of them broke out in gleeful laughter.

They eventually left the room, making their way into the living room, to find Hermione's parents sipping tea, and eating biscuits the bushy haired girl couldn't help but notice weren't the ones she bought.

"Keeping the new crackers until later, Mum?"

Jean giggled and Richard became very interested in the paper he was reading. "It's just good housekeeping. So, you're going to have a go at it, then?"

"We haven't decided anything," Hermione replied. "But there's something I think you should know." Hermione eyed Harry, who was starting to feel awkward. "I wouldn't be the only one."

"Pardon?" Jean asked.

"I wouldn't the only one Harry would be involved with, Mum."

Richard looked baffled. "What are you talking about, Hermione? A relationship should be between one man and one woman. Well, two individuals, as it were."

"And just how many women are you involved with, young man?" Jean asked firmly.

Harry was feeling more uncomfortable than ever before. "Four."

"Four!" Jean exclaimed, and Richard looked very unhappy.

"Just who do you think you are, Mr. Potter?"

"Dad-"

"My daughter will not be involved with any such nonsense. I forbid it."

"Dad!" Hermione shouted. "It's not your decision to make. I haven't committed to anything yet, and I'd like to have a talk with Minerva and the others, to ask for advice."

"Minerva? Surely,you cannot mean the deputy Headmistress? She's old enough to be his grandmother!" Jean said and stared at Hermione.

"We age a little differently than regular people, Mrs. Granger," Harry said, trying to keep things calm. "We live much longer, so it's not quite as big of a factor."

Hermione's parents were silent for a little while. "Are you sure about this, sweetheart? Jean asked. "Now I feel as if we shoehorned you into something that you might not have gotten involved with, otherwise."

Hermione took a deep breath, which she released slowly. "I'm not sure of anything. We'll see."


"So, that was... interesting," Harry said to Hermione as the pair walked through the cave outside of Gryffindor's stronghold. It was afternoon, and everyone should be there soon, for a little party.

"They just need a little time to get used to this, Harry. They like you, so I wouldn't worry too much about that."

Harry grinned at his friend. "I'm just happy he doesn't own a weapon. He'd probably do his best impression of King Triton."

Hermione laughed out loud at that. The Little Mermaid was one of Disney's finest. Didn't beat Lion King, though. "I love that film."

"Meh," Harry said. "I'm more of an Aladdin fan, myself."

"Because of the flying carpet?" Hermione asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It flies, Hermione!" Harry exclaimed. "It flies!"

"What flies?"

Harry and Hermione stopped to allow Tonks and her mother to catch up to them.

"Well?" Tonks urged.

"The carpet from Aladdin," Hermione supplied with a sigh.

"Oh, that one's fantastic!" Tonks said and grinned at Harry. "Best character in the film."

"I wonder if Bella and Fleur would be willing to let me fly them to Hamunaptra on a magic carpet?" Harry wondered while rubbing his chin.

"What about me?" Tonks asked with a cute pout.

Harry winked at her and placed an arm around her shoulders. "You're the same adrenaline junkie as me, Nym. I just assumed you'd be along for the ride," he said and started humming Magic Carpet Ride by Steppenwolf, much to Tonks's delight.

"Yes! Take it away, Wonder Boy!" she yelled, and Harry began singing in a horribly off key voice. Tonks sang along with him, in a tone that was even further off. In fact, they sounded like a couple of drunkards, as they slowly marched towards the door, Harry's arm still across her shoulders.

"Some people simply should not be allowed to sing," Narcissa said as she arrived with Bellatrix at her side. "Seems my niece did not inherit your talents, Andie," the youngest Black sister remarked as she watched the pair go.

"Well, she's still more proficient than Bella," Andie said, to which her oldest sister simply nodded. No use getting angry over a well and repeatedly established fact.

By then, the singing pair had run out of lyrics they knew in that song, and had somehow morphed into singing the Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits. Which eventually became a mash of that song, Radar Love by Golden Earring, and the occasional line from Baba O'Riley by The Who.

"C'est trop horrible!" Fleur had arrived as well. "Merde! S'il vous plaît, faites-les arrêter!" she shouted, covering her ears.

"I know, Fleur, it's genuinely horrific. I'll make them stop," Andie said and waved her wand, and drenched Harry and her daughter in water.

"Hey!" Harry shouted indignantly at her.

"Yeah! You just wait until we sing for you lot again!" Tonks growled, her hair turning red.

"We should be so lucky!" Bella shouted right back. "Can't wait!"


Harry stood in front of the fireplace with a full belly. He had just finished bidding everyone good bye, and Minerva had returned to Hogwarts. She had taken a promise from him that he'd be careful, and that he would be by Hogwarts as soon as he returned. There was something she wanted to discuss with him.

Nym, Andie and Narcissa were with Bellatrix in her room, and Hermione was... Well, being Hermione.

"Just be careful, Harry. I've been reading about some of the ruins of Egypt, and how horrible some of them are. You need to avoid-

Harry gathered her in a hug. "Hermione, stop. Fleur knows what she's doing, and I have Nym and Bella with me. We'll be fine."

"So, Fleur, everything's ready?" he asked the French woman, who had just entered the room.

"Oui, Harry. Mr. LeChuck will be waiting for us in his office. There's a direct link from the Director's office to the Head office of all the other Gringotts branches around the world."

"Well, that's neat."

Harry grabbed his Bag and put it on his shoulder, and went into the hall. As soon as he did, Hedwig came racing from her perch, and landed on his other shoulder. Harry eyed her from the corner of his eye, and the owl leaned forward, stared right at him, and dug her talons into his shoulder.

Hedwig knew her Harry was smart, but sometimes, he was such a foolish human. Did he honestly think she would not go with them? Who was going to keep him safe? Those three females were certainly capable and the younger two looked like they would produce strong, healthy young, but she had better be there, to maintain control of the situation.

And, of course, he always gave her a piece of his bacon. The others, especially the bushy haired one might get it into their heads that bacon was unhealthy for her, and not give her any. What an utterly unthinkable ridiculousness! No, she would simply have to go with them and make certain they returned safely.

"Well, I guess she's coming with us," Harry said with a grin.

Bella grinned at Hedwig, who puffed her chest, as she was wont to do, whenever someone praised her, or she had her way.

"Did you expect anything else, Harry?" Bella asked and rubbed the owl's head affectionately.

"No, not really."

"Face it, Harry," Nym said, as she joined them in the foyer. "You're completely whipped."

"She's the boss, non?" Fleur stated unnecessarily, and winked at the bird.

If Hedwig could've snorted, she would have. Why did these foolish humans feel the need to state the obvious?


Harry and his party met Guybrush and Threepwood at the side entrance of Gringotts, and the pair of them took them up two stories, or so, where they met a woman, dressed in a very professional looking pants suit. The two tiny goblins bid them farewell, and left them with the woman. She had long, red hair, and a healthy tan, and her somewhat heavy lidded eyes projected intelligence.

"Good evening, everyone. My name's Elaine Marley, and I am Mr. LeChuck's assistant. I also handle most business with the Muggle banking in the UK."

She turned her gaze onto Harry, who had a slight grin on his face. "Muggle raised?"

"Yeah?"

She then marched right up to him and glared a hole into his eyes. "Make one joke about a certain Jamaican musician, and I'll castrate you."

"Right," Harry said, scared to death. "No jokes about reggae." Elaine turned on her heal, and strode along the deserted hallway, without further comment.

"Someone's got her knickers in a twist," Tonks said with a grin. "That joke would have been daft, Harry."

They rushed to follow her, and rounded a corner, and at the end were a pair of gold lined doors, and at each side, stood a goblin, armed with a spear. As they got near, Elaine addressed the pair.

"Evening, Wally, Murray."

Murray opened the door, and the group entered a very large, lavish office. The doors closed slowly, with a thump. As soon as they had, Tonks elbowed Harry in the ribs and leaned to his ear.

"That goblin, Wally. Was his beard glued to his ear hair?"

Harry couldn't hold back a laugh. "You noticed that, did you?"

Tonks' hair cycled through a few pleasant colours as she held back a bark of laughter. "Yeah! And the other one was so skinny, I thought his head was a nothing but the skull!"

"I know! Somehow, the goblins I've been meeting lately are all really weird," Harry agreed. "Look at Guybrush and Threepwood. They're tiny!"

Fleur was becoming increasingly annoyed with her two friends. They were about to meet LeChuck, the most powerful individual of the goblin nation in Britain, and they kept acting like a pair of unruly children.

"Tais-toi, vous deux, shut up!" she hissed at them, as the door to a side chamber opened, and out walked the largest goblin Harry had seen. He had to be at least five four! He approached the group and stood in front of Harry, and eyed him up and down. Eventually, his face split in a grin, and he reached out his hand, which Harry clasped without hesitation.

"We finally meet, boy! My friend Griphook has told me much of you, and mentioned you were a bit impressive. I am pleased to see he's not wrong."

Harry wasn't sure how to respond to that, so he simply smiled. "Yeah, well... Thanks?."

Director LeChuck let out a roar of laughter and let go of Harry's hand. "Well, onto business. I understand you need to travel to Hamunaptra."

"Yes, we do. It is extremely urgent, Director," Fleur said.

LeChuck's demeanour had turned very serious. "Yes, of course. The Horcruxes. Now, under normal conditions, we would never allow anyone, except highly trained curse breakers, or our best warriors entry to such a dangerous ruin, but as it is, I think we must make an exception."

Harry inclined his head. "Thank you, Mr. LeChuck."

The large goblin waved his hand in dismissal. "It's as much in my people's interest as yours, to be rid of that thing that calls itself Voldemort." He turned to Fleur. "You have everything?"

"Oui, I have brought everything I think we'll need."

"Very well. There's no time to waste, and the Floo is open on the other side." LeChuck motioned them to the fireplace, and threw in a large handful of powder, and a large fire erupted in the firebox.

"I look forward to speaking with you on your notes, Mr. Potter, when you return. I've looked them over carefully, and I must say I very much approve."

Harry smiled at the goblin. "Thank you. I have no idea how long we'll be gone, so if you have anything you'd like to talk about, please contact Narcissa. She has my complete trust, and will act in my stead."

"A wise choice, Mr. Potter. Now, off you go," he finished, and the group, as one, stepped through.


The five of them exited the Floo in Egypt, with varying degrees of success. Fleur, as usual, quit the flames, looking perfect, while Bellatrix stumbled almost imperceptibly. The other two, however, made a mess of it, as you would expect.

It began brilliantly and Harry almost had a major victory in his war against Magitravellicus Terribilus. You see, he'd managed to quit the Floo on his feet, for the first time in his life. Until the level four hurricane known as Nymphadora came thundering in behind him.

She crashed into Harry, who stumbled, and sent Hedwig scrambling. Harry managed to turn as he fell, and grab Nym, then pull her to him before landing on the hard marble floor. She landed with her head in the crook of Harry's neck, and she felt his intoxicating scent fill her nostrils. Then she felt his body shaking, as he began to laugh, and she joined him. It was all just so silly.

When they'd stopped laughing, she raised herself on her arms, and stared into his emerald eyes, that were shining brightly with mirth. She was completely mesmerised by the feeling they projected. Protective, easygoing, slightly mischievous. And the loving, caring nature she knew was there, and they called to her. Her heart was hammering in her chest, and she hoped he couldn't feel it, but how couldn't he? She felt as if it was trying to break free from her chest. She wanted to kiss him, she realized. Badly.

At the same time, Harry was having similar problems. Nym was lying atop of him, and by all the gods of Egypt, it felt wonderful. It felt right. Then again, he'd always had a huge crush on her, and had sometimes felt it wasn't one-sided, actually.

Her eyes changed colour, until they mirrored his own. He had to admit, it was a good colour for her, and fit her blue and silver hair, which was done in a punkish style bob, which again, fit the face shape she'd chosen that day. Harry realized they had to get up quickly, because otherwise, he felt there was real chance they might do something inappropriate, right there on the floor.

"Hey, you two!" Bella said, and nudged them with her foot. "Get up. People are staring."

That broke the pair out of their reverie, and they scrambled to their feet, awfully embarrassed. Harry looked around, and found the room they were in was almost exactly the same as the one before, except the decorations, which were a collection of all kinds of Egyptian artefacts and artworks.

The Director had not even bothered to rise from his chair, and his guards were glaring at the wizards with almost open hostility. They opened the doors, and grunted at the guests, clearly telling them to shove off. Harry looked at the Director again, who was no longer paying them any heed, and was reading some parchment.

"I thank you for your hospitality, goblin. I'll be sure to mention it to LeChuck when we return," Bellatrix said with a sneer, and did her best impression of a pureblood princess.

Fleur felt quite miffed at the reception, even if she knew goblins were usually like that. In fact, she felt certain the goblins of Gringotts had only been so nice because of Harry's presence, since they obviously held a deep respect for him. But was it too much to ask for a little professional courtesy? They worked for the same damn company!

They made their way through the empty bank, only noting a guard or two. Then they quit the building, and were met with very warm air, despite it being night. Harry looked about, thankful for the view the steps of Gringotts afforded him. He instantly realized they were in the Egyptian equivalent of Diagon Alley, but unlike the Alley, with it's tall buildings and narrow streets, this place was much more open, and the buildings were much smaller.

Fleur led them down the stairs, and into the street, and Harry let a bit of his senses loose, to fully experience this place. Soon, though, he reined them in again, so that he could focus on what his Veela friend was saying.

"Welcome to Mukhfi district. There's a small hotel at the outskirts of the district that I like a lot. Salma and Karim, the couple who run it are quite nice, and many of Gringotts employees use it, whenever they are in Egypt. I suggest we stay the night there, and head out in the morning."

"Well," Harry began with a flourish. "Our destiny is in your hands, Fleur. Lead on!"

Bella and Fleur rolled their eyes, but Nym snickered and fist bumped her friend behind their backs. The group walked along the streets at a moderate pace, which allowed them to fully take in everything. It was an interesting place, Harry thought, and he hoped they could explore it, at least a little, before they left in the morning.

After about half an hour, they reached the hotel, and Harry discovered, the owners were indeed very nice. They invited them to a small backyard and Salma brought them a drink, something called Qasab, a beverage made from sugar canes. Harry found it delicious and refreshing.

Then, since it was early, he felt like going out to explore. None of his companions were up for it, however, so he went alone. Except for Hedwig, who obviously went with him. There might be bacon.

Harry thought it was a nice place. In fact he might even prefer Mukhfi district to Diagon Alley. It was much more open, there was more space, and the whole place was a lot less crowded. There were stalls all over the place, and tents, where people peddled their wares. It was a proper market.

He felt an itch on his forehead, and rubbed his cap up and down a couple of times, and realized the cap would be much too warm, as would his shirt and cargo pants. And he needed new boots, too. Cursing himself for not thinking of it before he left Britain, he decided to look around for a clothes store, and as luck would have it, he found one, almost immediately.

He entered the store, and found it was empty, and he wasn't surprised, as it had to be nearing closing. There was a bell on the counter, and at the tone, a man came rushing from the back. As soon he saw Harry, he smiled a massive fake smile, and Harry had to wonder if he was related to the owner of Quality Quidditch Products.

"Ah! A customer! What can I do for you, sir?"

"Well, I need a few things..."

Harry was making his way along a rather busy street, gnawing on an apple he'd bought earlier, when he saw someone call out and wave to him. A young man, a boy, really came jogging towards him, and grabbed his hand, and dragged him towards a tent by a wall in an alleyway.

Harry, who didn't feel any kind of malice from the boy, allowed himself to be pulled along, and when the boy pulled the flap aside, Harry entered after a moment's hesitation. The air was hot inside the tent, and the smell of burning incense was strong, and heady. A sickly old man was sitting on a cushion opposite the opening. He had on a turban, and his eyes were white. He was clearly blind.

"Sorry, I," Harry began. "A boy dragged me in here, sir. Are you alright? Is there something I can help you with? If you're hungry, I have plenty of gold to give you..."

The man lifted a hand, and motioned for Harry to sit down on a cushion. "Please, sit," the man said in a lightly accented English, but it sounded... Harry had spoken with many people from both India and Pakistan, in shops and such, and the man was likely Indian, but he didn't sound like them.

He sounded upper class, posh almost, as if he'd spent most of his life around people like Malfoy. Or maybe, he'd just listened to a lot of old BBC news broadcasts, from back when they spoke like the Queen. At any rate, it was rather strange. Harry did indeed sit down, as he was interested to learn where this was going.

"What do you want with me?" Harry asked when the man had been silently "staring" at him for a while, with those white, unseeing eyes.

"You have a destiny about you, young man," the old man said. "A destiny larger than you can imagine."

"You don't say," Harry said sarcastically.

"Your destiny is tied to that of many others, and for them to survive, you must succeed in your battle against the Darkness."

"Mmhm. Right. Good of you to tell me that. Thanks," Harry said and got to his feet. "If that's all..."

"I can see the red strings of fate, tied between you and the Dark women, as well as the Educator, and the Changing One, and the Alluring One. The Bookish One is uncertain, and there is little hope of it ever coming to fruition. The Owl remains hidden, still. You must find her, else all is lost."

Harry stared at the old man. What was he on about? Well, those women the old man had mentioned were probably Bella and her sisters, Minerva, Nym, and Fleur. The Bookish One had to be Hermione but who was that Owl?"

Shaking his head, Harry left the tent. Crazy old man. He'd gone a few steps when he turned around, to look back at the tent, only to find it was gone, without a trace. Now, that was just creepy. Hedwig gave a tired hoot, and Harry turned around again, and decided to return to the hotel to get some sleep.


Fleur was sitting out on the balcony of her room, when she noticed Harry come walking down the street, in new clothes. A good idea. The outfit he had been wearing would have been much too hot for the desert. Especially that wool cap, which he had replaced with a hat. As he came up to the house, she rose from her chair.

"Harry! Could you come join me in my room, please? There are some things I'd like to talk about!"

Harry smiled at her, and it made her heart flutter. "Yes, of course. Let me put this away, and I'll be right there."

A few minutes later, there was a knock on her door, and Harry came in, wearing a long sleeve khaki shirt and a pair of slightly darker pants. The shirt was rather tight fitting, and he'd rolled up the sleeves, and left the top three buttons loose, which revealed part of his slightly hairy chest. A shudder of desire went through Fleur as She took in his appearance, and Fleur had to wonder if he was doing this on purpose.

Harry had to fight himself not to stare at Fleur, who was wearing a variant of the Kaftan he'd seen women wear in town. Hers was white and open on her shoulders, and the golden embroidery curved down from her shoulders and did some very interesting things to her cleavage, which Harry most certainly did not steal a glance at, when Fleur wasn't looking. No, he most definitely did not do that. Well, maybe a little bit. Or a lot.

"Are you cold, Fleur? You're not getting sick, are you?" Harry barely managed to say, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Ah. Non, Harry. I'm fine," Fleur replied, and managed to control Her but just barely. By the goddess, his touch was intoxicating. The merest touch from him lit her on fire!

Harry was relieved. "That's good. You can get sick when we return. We can't do without our curse breaker, now can we?" Harry said with a teasing glint in his eye.

Fleur slapped him on the chest, and laughed. "Behave, you ruffian," she said and turned to gaze into the sky.

She liked this new Harry. And not a little bit, either. He was funny, and witty, and simply a joy to be around. The old Harry had been much too serious, bogged down by his life, she supposed. She suspected the Black sisters had something to do with this change in him. He finally had someone to share his burdens with.

As much as she liked and respected Hermione, Fleur felt her bushy haired friend would likely not have been able to take his mind of things, or raise his spirits, the way Bellatrix seemed to be able to. Not to mention Nymphadora, who was simply put fun. And, if that display at the bank earlier was any indication, she was very rapidly falling under his spell.

No, that wasn't it. Rather, Tonks was merely allowing the feelings that had already been there to break free, and Harry was extremely receptive. It was clear to Fleur there had already been something between them, hidden away. Harry was indeed close to grasping the Chameleon, and she hoped it would happen soon. His heart would help Tonks heal, as it helped the Black sisters.

Thinking on what Narcissa had said, Fleur had to wonder if Harry had, in fact found the Owl. She wasn't sure it had been right the right thing to do when Narcissa had practically thrown Hermione into confronting her feelings for Harry. Fleur knew Harry and Hermione loved one another, but she just couldn't see Hermione in a relationship such as the one Harry was in. No, it was highly unlikely.

And that left herself. And Her, of course. Aside from Bill not being able to withstand her Allure, the greatest obstacle she had faced in their relationship, was the fact that, after a little while She lost interest in him.

"Fleur, are you certain you're alright? You seem troubled," Harry remarked as he came up beside her to gaze into the sky.

Fleur took a deep breath. "Venus and Chamaeleon shine brightly tonight."

Harry nodded. "They do."

Fleur eyed Harry from the corner of her eye, before she continued. "Maman was the one who got me interested in charms and curses when I was little. She's an expert, and she's often called on to help by the French wizarding government when things are very delicate or tricky."

"Yeah, I remember. You told me once."

"Well, anyway, when I told her I'd been granted an internship with Gringotts Britain, she was so proud. That Gringotts branch has the greatest program available to any prospective curse breaker. But that wasn't the only thing I was excited about. I could come to England and improve my English, which was rather bad, as you may recall."

Harry shook his head. "No, it wasn't that bad. It was perfectly fine, just heavily accented."

Fleur smiled at him. "You're being kind, Harry. You know it was horrible. Anyway I also told Maman there was a man there I thought was interesting, and I knew he was resistant my Allure. Maman was so glad for me. You see Harry, many Veela never find a life long mate. Many of them end up simply sleeping around for a while, due to of a sense of duty. Which is where this idea of us being promiscuous comes from."

"A sense of duty?" Harry asked incredulously. Then a look of understanding dawned on him. "They feel they must try and do their bit to maintain your race."

Fleur looked at him with a sad smile. "Yes. We, as a race have done so for many centuries. It's one of the reasons why men who are resistant to the Allure are so coveted. And then there's the fertility problem."

"Right."

"Well, I didn't tell Maman who the man was before I left for Britain, but I know now that we had a different man in mind. I remember the first time I brought William to Maison Delacour. I was happy, and my parents saw that, and welcomed him with open arms. We had a great evening, the four of us. William had to go back, but I had decided I was going to take a few days off and stay with my parents, but later that evening, Maman and I had a monstrous row, after William left."

"That can't have been easy. I know you're close with your parents, Fleur," Harry said and grabbed her hand.

The Veela squeezed Harry's hand, grateful for his presence. "It was horrible. Maman felt I was making a mistake, that this relationship would never last. I, in turn was so blinded with my own happiness, that I couldn't see she was just trying to protect me. I accused her of being jealous, because I had found my mate so young, when she'd been older than me when she met Papa."

"That can't have sat well with your mother."

"I didn't give her a chance to reply. I stormed through the Floo and didn't go home for a long time, and it hurt me so. But her words stuck with me. Then, after a while, I thought I had noticed Williams' eyes cloud over occasionally when we were together. That's when our problems began, I think. Subconsciously, I began reining in my Allure more and more, until She lost interest in him."

"She?" Harry asked, in confusion.

"The Veela in me, Harry. While that part of me isn't exactly separate from me, I can still clearly tell where the feelings are coming from. For example, when I lose control, when I am about to morph, I sense a different sort of feeling in my chest."

"Right. I can relate to that, to an extent. After I took the potion, I sometimes feel things no human should feel. I have no trouble ignoring it, but when I see something that might be called prey, I get a little itch in my body. A need to chase it down."

Fleur nodded. "I was becoming miserable, and it's exhausting to constantly rein Her in, Harry. I would lash out at William for the smallest things, things any normal person would simply ignore. And then you returned, and She began reacting to you with such intensity."

"Me?" Harry asked.

"Yes, you, Harry. The night after the confrontation with Riddle, I went home, and I had a conversation with Maman and told her about the reaction to you, and that I was planning on ending the relationship with William."

"I'm so-"

Fleur shot him a fierce look, and placed her fingertips on his mouth. "Non! Arretez! Do not say you're sorry. Not everything that goes wrong in the universe is your fault, Harry. If anyone is at fault it's me, for not listening to Maman. I realized when I was talking with her that night, after Hogsmeade, that she had always hoped when I left for Britain, that I had set my sights on you. And now I have."

"Fleur-"

"She is not the only one who's reacting to you, Harry. Yes, She recognizes you as everything a Veela should look for; strong, powerful, able to produce strong and healthy children. But what I see, is a good, kind and honest man, who's courageous and will go to the ends of the earth for those he loves."

By then Fleur had turned fully toward Harry, and placed her hands on his chest. "He saved my sister's life, and became my friend when I needed one. And best of all, the Allure doesn't even bother him even a little. I've been fully throwing it at him this whole time, and there's no sign he can even feel it. And now, I want more. I need more!"

And with that, she snaked her arms around Harry's neck, and kissed him. Lightly at first, then it became more desperate, when She began egging her on. Fleur was fighting against her Veela instincts with all she had. She was not planning on doing anything more than kiss him, but it was hard!

And it became harder still when Harry began reciprocating, and fiercely so. He grabbed her hips and pulled her tight up against his body, and she moaned at the strength she could feel in him. The hard muscles. A series of very naughty images flashed through her mind, and she honestly couldn't wait to try some of them out, to finally let Her come out to play. Few Veela ever had the chance, as most men would break like a twig, wouldn't last, but Harry was strong and durable. He could take her passion.

After a few minutes of passionate kissing, she broke free from him, took his hand, and led him to the bed. He laid down on it, and she beside him, and rested her head on his chest. Harry put his arm around her, and she relaxed against him, promptly falling asleep.


Harry looked himself in the mirror critically, wondering just how he hadn't seen it when he'd been buying the clothes the night before. Khaki pants and shirt, brown leather belt and boots... And a fedora. Letting out a snort, he put on the dark brown leather jacket, very thankful for the cooling runes that had been carved into the leather of the inside pocket of the jacket, on the soles of the shoes, and on the ribbon on the fedora. Perhaps Nym hadn't even seen those films.

He quit the room, and when he was closing the door, Bellatrix came out of the room opposite, looking gorgeous in her armour. She eyed him up and down and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. Harry shrugged and leaned over and kissed her.

"So, I hear you and Fleur had a conversation last night."

"We did. It was wonderful."

"Of course it was wonderful. She's a Veela. No chance of it being anything less," Bella said with a lascivious grin.

"What? No! That didn't happen!" Harry protested. "We had a kiss, and then we went to sleep."

"Of course," Bella said with a wink. "Let's go down. The others are waiting for us."

The pair made their way to the foyer, where Fleur and Tonks were waiting for them, and Harry had to stop and admire the pair of them. They were wearing the same outfit as Bella, and it looked like Narcissa had indeed outdone herself. They looked amazing. And, naturally, as soon as the Metamorph saw Harry, she stared at him wide eyed, before she threw a shit-eating grin his way.

"Oi! Indy! What took you so long? We've been waiting for half an hour!" Tonks exclaimed and laughed uproariously at Harry's embarrassment.

"I didn't notice until this morning."

Tonks came over and slapped him on the shoulder, as you would your mate. "Don't worry, Harry. You're no Harrison Ford, but it suits you. But, when we go into the ruin, I would very much like it, if you'd change into the armour aunt Cissy got you in Knockturn Alley."

Harry stared at Nym incredulously. "But it makes me look like such a tool! Why do you think it took me such a long time to get down here? I tried it on, but I just had to take it off again."

Bella glared at him. "Don't argue, Harry Potter," she said. "I promised my sisters I'd keep you safe, and making you wear that thing's a part of that promise."

Knowing it was useless to argue, Harry told them he would wear it, but only once they'd reached Hamunaptra. They foursome left the building, and as soon as Harry was outside, Hedwig came swooping in, and landed on his shoulder with a bark.

"Good morning, girl. Did you have a fruitful hunt this morning?"

Hedwig hooted affirmatively, but did not nip his earlobe like she would have, usually. She was in a foul mood. Why, you may ask? Well, she wouldn't have had to go hunt for some foolish little mice if the people in this place ate proper food. (Read: Bacon). Barbarians.

The group then marched towards Gringotts, where they would Floo to Thebes. They arrived at the bank, just slightly late, and the goblins were less than impressed. At least, that's what Harry thought, but he simply could not be certain, because they didn't say anything. They opened the Floo, and Hedwig, the traitor that she was, moved from Harry's shoulder to Fleur's. The goblins then shooed the group through with little regard.

Harry and the others arrived on the other side of the Floo, in a tiny building that had nothing inside of it, except the Floo. Once Harry and Nym had picked themselves up of the floor, the group quit the building, and had the chance to look around.

Harry was in awe. They were standing in front of a large building, made of stone. Sandstone, most likely, given the shade of it. It had a ground level, and two upper levels, and two ramps leading up to them. He turned around, and there were just so many impressive buildings, or ruins around there.

"The Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, built in 1450 B.C. As you can see, it's being reconstructed," Fleur informed them. "And across the river, you can see Luxor and Karnak," she continued, and pointed to the east.

Harry followed her finger, and saw even more ruins over there, massive stone pillars, and other, equally impressive things. He then promised himself he'd go back there sometime. Oh, and Giza. He had to go to Giza.

"Fleur, will you take me sometime to see the great Pyramids?" he asked, and kept looking around.

Fleur laughed happily at his sense of wonder, which she found absolutely adorable. "Of course, mon amour. Once this is over, we'll come back to Egypt, and explore as we like."

"Me too!" Tonks exclaimed, and sent Harry her best puppy dog eyes, and Harry could only laugh and nod. "Yay!" she yelled and ran to Harry, and jumped onto his back, which caused Hedwig to dart off her master's shoulder, barking angrily at the Metamorph. Harry grabbed Nym's thighs and carried her around for a bit, before Bella stopped them.

"Alright, that's enough, you two! We have things to do."

Harry carefully dropped Nym and turned suitably serious. "Right. So, where is this ruin, then?"

"It's far to the west, in the desert," Fleur said. "Very secluded."

"How are we getting there?" Bella asked.

"Camels, obviously," Nym said, her face completely serious. Bella sent her niece a horrified look, while Fleur hid her amusement by turning away.

Harry burst out laughing. "You should see the look on your face! It's hilarious!"

"Can we focus, people? This is serious!" Bella was becoming increasingly annoyed. What had gotten into her companions?

"Relax, Bella," Harry said, and walked over to her, and interlaced his fingers with hers, brought up her hand, and kissed it. "We're just having a bit of a laugh."

"I'll side along you three there," Fleur told the rest of the group. She grabbed Harry's arm, and just like that, they were whisked away. They appeared right next to a large... hole. There was an intricate network of scaffolding that lined the sides, and it led to the bottom. The small entrance was lit by a pair of torches

"That's it?" Harry asked. This felt a little underwhelming to be honest.

"Not all ruins have elaborate arches, or pillars around the entrance, Harry," Fleur said. "Some of them are quite easy to miss, actually. Though, I'm fairly certain there's a larger entrance somewhere close by. Now go down there, and change into your armour. I'll wait for a few minutes." she finished, and her tone of voice brooked no argument. Then she disappeared.

Harry sighed. Well, he'd best get to it, then. He quickly descended the ramps, and once he was all the way down, he proceeded with removing some of the armour pieces from his Bag, before he stripped. First, he put on a shirt and pants, in the same dark green colour his girls wore. This followed with laced up, knee high boots, made of soft, brown leather.

Then he clasped on the hard leather shin guards, the top of which reached up to cover his kneecaps. He noted the markings on them were identical to the ones on his arm braces. Once that was done, he put on a long, sleeveless chain mail shirt, that was made from some kind of extremely lightweight metal. The rings were so finely woven, it almost felt like the finest fabric.

Again, he reached into the Bag, and out came a brown, leather cuirass, that would have been right at home in ancient Greece. On the front, a golden phoenix had been worked into the leather. Harry put on the cuirass, and moved his arms about, and found it did not constrict his movements at all. But, he wasn't done.

Harry reached into the Bag one final time, and out came four items. His arm braces, which he put on, a belt that reminded him a little bit of the kind boxing champions would wear, but it was a bit smaller, and it had metal tipped leather strips hanging from it in the front and back. The metal disc in the front of the belt was engraved with the image of an owl, and Harry recognised her as Hedwig. Narcissa had obviously procured this armour after they'd gone to Hogwarts.

And lastly, there was a hooded cape, done in the same dark green as the shirt and pants. He thought about leaving it off, but decided that he would put the whole damn thing on. Harry put it on, and fastened the clasps on the front of his shoulders and lastly, he put on his sword. This time, however, he wore it at the hip, instead of on his back, since the cape was in the way.

"Oi! Hero! You done!?" Nym called down to him.

"Yeah! I'm done!" He said and put away his other clothes, closed the Bag, and put it to the side, and waited for the laughs and jokes. The three women made their way down into the hole, and when they reached the bottom, they stopped in their tracks, and stared.

Harry, misunderstanding their reactions, became embarrassed. "See, I look like an idiot."

Nothing could be further from the truth. Now, Harry looked fine in his usual outfit, the shirt and cargo pants. There was a kind of rugged, everyman quality to it. Now, however, dressed in his armour, and bathed in the bronze light of the torches, he looked like a Greek god. If Achilles had indeed ever walked the earth, this is what he would have looked like.

"Harry, you look magnificent," Bella said and smiled at him.

"You think so?"

"Magnifique."

"Ya look fit, boyo," Tonks said and grinned at him.

Harry turned toward the entrance, eyes intent. "Wands out, you reckon? Or staffs, if you prefer."

"Oui," Fleur agreed, and stepped up beside Harry. "The top level has mostly been made safe, after that, it becomes interesting, so I suggest we set up camp up here each night. We can always Apparate back."

"Alright." Harry squared his shoulders, and unsheathed his wand from the arm brace and in they went.


The group walked on in silence, the only sound that could be heard was the echo of their footfalls. Fleur led the group. She was holding a device, not dissimilar to the one Bill had used to open the wards around the Snatcher's HQ. This one was supposed to detect any magical energies focused on small areas, to help spot any traps. It wasn't perfect, though.

"Stop," Fleur said, and stared at the device, which was making a strange noise. "There's something on the floor, a couple of yards ahead of us."

She handed Harry the device, and began moving her wand in very complex motions, muttering words in what Harry assumed was ancient Egyptian. Then there was a tiny flash, and a grating noise from below the floor.

"Acid bomb," Fleur said. "Well, it's not exactly a bomb, it's more of a spray that ejects from between the tiles on the floor."

"Let me guess," Nym said. "It melts the flesh off our bones?"

"Something like that."

And on they went, for a couple of hours, by which time, they found a room with wall full of hieroglyphs. After making certain the room was safe, Fleur led the others into the room, and began deciphering the images on the wall, which turned out to be an index of sorts.

Of course, Hamunaptra wasn't exactly a city. It was a massive complex of tombs, where various people of import had been laid to rest. The wall told Fleur how the place came to be, and they learned it was entirely 'inhabited' by magicals.

Then came the moment they'd been waiting for. "Here!" Fleur exclaimed. "There was a sage, Ma'nakhtuf, who had been ordered to find the key to eternal life, by the pharaoh of the time, Akhenaten."

"Alright. Does it say why?" Harry asked.

Fleur kept reading. "Let's see here. He apparently was trying to turn Egypt away from polytheism, and the people hated him for it, despite his dynasty being one of the most prosperous in Egyptian history. He knew he would never succeed in one lifetime, so he needed more time."

"Poly-what?" Bella asked, and Harry and Nym nodded. They had no idea what the word meant.

"Worshipping more than one god," Fleur informed them, and studied the wall some more.

"Oh, here we are. It seems the sage may have been successful, but when the high priests learned what the horrific ritual entailed, they killed the sage and hid the body on the seventh and lowest level of Hamunaptra."

"Of course they did," Harry groaned, and Hedwig gave a low hoot that seemed to say 'I have a bad feeling about this'. Harry couldn't help but agree.

"And there's a warning; a death worse than any mortal can possibly imagine awaits all who venture into that part of the complex," Fleur finished, and stepped away from the wall, her face etched in worry.

"Well, I think we all expected that," Bellatrix, said and tugged on her ponytail.

"Alright, let's go, then," Harry said, and led them out of the room and further into the ruin.


It was the third day since they had entered the City of the Dead. It was slow going, despite the fact that they did not deviate from the main hallway. The deeper they went, the traps became more and more elaborate. The device was barely working any more, which forced Fleur to rely more and more on her instincts and experience, to tell her where the traps would be.

Then they finally came upon the stairs that would lead them to the lowest level. Harry was relieved. They were almost done. One more level, and they'd find out if he could be cured. Bella took his hand, and squeezed it tightly.

"Should we go back and tackle this tomorrow, or do we go?" Harry asked. He wasn't tired, but Fleur was the one doing most of the work.

"Non, Harry. I want this over with." She shuddered. "I hate this place."

The others couldn't help but feel the same. The place felt sick. Evil. As they went further, the worse it felt, and it had become oppressive.

"Are you sure? You've been working pretty hard today, Fleur."

The Veela smiled at him, and kissed him on the cheek. "Oui, mon amour. I want to go home, to my bed, and you're coming with me." And, as usual, Harry blushed, but he nodded at Fleur.

"Well, well. Aren't you lucky!" Bella quipped, and gave her niece a wink.

Nym's hair changed colours a few times, before settling on black. Oddly fitting, given their present location. "Stuff it, Bellatrix."

Fleur examined the area around the entrance to the seventh level carefully, and stepped through, followed by the others. They had gone down perhaps ten steps, when Nym stepped on something, and a grating noise followed. Faster than he'd ever moved, Harry dashed to the side, and pulled her to him, but nothing happened at first. Then a massive stone slab fell onto the first step with a bang, and closed the doorway.

That wasn't the worst of it, however. As soon as the slab hit the stair, Harry could hear a series of noises echo through the complex, as well as grating noises, as if a series of doors had opened. It only lasted for a few seconds, but when the echo of the last one faded, their wands died, leaving them in complete darkness.

"Shit," Nym said.

"Indeed. Shit," Bella followed up.

"Can any of you feel your magic?" Harry asked, and let go of Nym. "Lumos!" Nothing. He tried igniting a fireball in his palms. Still nothing.

"I think we're trapped in a magic negation field," Fleur said, annoyed. "The device should have picked up on it. Morceau de poubelle! Fucking trash!" she snarled and threw the thing away. Fleur almost never cursed, but Harry felt it was more than fitting for the occasion.

"Ok. No need to panic, we've brought a pair of torches, after all," Harry said in a calm voice.

"And how are you going to light them, then?" Bella asked, frustrated.

"Damn it..." Harry mumbled.

"Well, that's just brilliant, isn't it!" Nym growled, and was clearly about to panic.

"Well, there's nothing for it. We have to go on down. How likely do you think we'll find more traps here, Fleur?"

"Hard to say, Harry. At least, they won't be magical. We might be able to navigate around them, some we might have to activate, to get past them."

Harry nodded, but realized none of them would see it. He took of his cape, put it in the Bag, and handed it to Fleur. "Look, I can see perfectly fine in the dark, so you'll have to follow me. Fleur, you're behind me, keep your hand on my back. Bella, you're next and Nym, you bring up the rear. Remember, keep a hand on the back of the person in front of you!"

And so, the party crept onwards in the darkness. Harry's heart felt heavy. The lives of those women, all of whom he cared for more than he did his own life, were in his hands. There was no room for error. He had expanded his senses as much as he could, but there was nothing living in there. Not even Scarabs, and they'd been everywhere up until now. He could not help but feel there was something waiting for them, however.

Harry led them ever onwards. At one point, they came upon a part of the hallway, where the walls on each side were littered with holes.

"Wait here," Harry said, and without any warning, he raced along the hallway. Tiny arrows came shooting out of the holes in the wall, but he managed to get to the other side unharmed. He heard a click, and when he came running back, nothing happened.

The group went on for a while, but then, Harry stopped suddenly, when her heard something in the darkness ahead. He couldn't feel anything, but there was something there, around the next corner, fifty yards, or so ahead of them. Fleur's hand was trembling ever so slightly. Then the thing appeared. And some of its friends.

"Oh, you've got to be joking!"

"What is it, Harry?" Bella asked, her voice tight.

"Walking mummies. Lots of them."

He heard Nym suck in a breath. "I hate this place!"

Harry unsheathed his sword. And leaned over, meaning for Hedwig to leap onto Fleur's shoulder, but the owl simply dug her talons into the leather. So, she was staying. "Wait here, please. I think this spot is alright. At least, there's nothing behind us. I'm going to clear the way."

"Harry, no!" Bella hissed.

"There's no time to argue!"

Without further ado, the young man charged the horde in front of him, his sword at the ready. He hacked and he slashed. Stabbed and thrust, and quickly learned the only way to stop the mummies was to deal with them as you would a zombie; by cutting of their heads. Hedwig gave it her all, of course, and attacked the enemy with everything she had. No Harry, no bacon.

Harry could swear he had to have destroyed at least two dozen of the things, but somehow, when one went down, it seemed as if two more took its place. Harry let out a pained grunt, as one of the mummies got a clean hit to his back, and another his face. His armour absorbed some of the blow, but these things were quite strong.

Meanwhile, the three women were standing where Harry had left them, feeling useless. Fear had given way to anger in the three women, as they heard the occasional sound of pain escaping from Harry, somewhere in the darkness ahead.

Nym grit her teeth, and put a hand on the wall, and started inching her way forward. There was simply no way she was going to stay there, and not do anything. Then Bella let out a curse.

"They're coming up behind us!" she shouted.

"Merde! Harry! We're being boxed in!" Fleur screamed.

Nym was getting angrier by the second. This was not how it was supposed to go.

She pressed her palm harder on the wall, and moved faster. If they were going to die, she was going to die fighting at Harry's side, not cowering behind him like some cunt. Her hand landed on a stone of some kind, and she stumbled as it gave way. There was a grating noise, as a doorway appeared right next to it. At least that's what she hoped it was.

"Harry!" she called.

"Coming!" came the reply.

Hedwig came flying, and landed on Nym's shoulder. The three women stumbled through the door, but did not go further. They moved to the side, so that Harry wouldn't knock them over when he came through.

Harry turned back, and ran towards the girls, his pace frantic and slightly panicky. He was almost upon the doorway that had appeared, but so too where the mummies. Harry rammed two of the monsters, that were getting close to the doorway, and put them down. Luckily, there were a few yards before any more would arrive, so Harry ducked through.

He looked around frantically, trying to find something to close the door. Surely, there was something on this side that closed it. Then just as the mummies were about to reach them, he saw a metal handle, almost hidden on the wall. He jumped forward, and pulled it. The door closed slowly, and crushed a mummy that had been halfway through, but because of the body, the door didn't close properly.

Harry sagged against the wall, to catch his breath. Bellatrix inched her way to him, and put a hand on his chest. "Are you alright, Harry?"

"I'm fine," he replied, and pushed himself off the wall, not quite managing to suppress a pained grunt. "Alright, I may have a cracked rib or two, but we can't worry about that now. That door won't stay like that. They'll get through eventually, and I'd like to be gone when they do."

Harry looked around, and saw they were not in the ruin any longer, but some kind of natural corridor. There were narrow, winding steps hewn into the rock, but they seemed older than Hamunaptra. He took up his position at the front of the group, and led them down the stairs.

As they descended, Harry kept one ear on the door, and could hear it was slowly giving way. He wanted to move faster, but that would only lead to someone falling and breaking their neck. Then, suddenly, they noticed a blueish glow beginning to form, slowly becoming brighter, as they travelled further down.

The group started to move faster, now that the others could see where they were going, and they eventually found themselves in a massive cave, illuminated by some kind of plant, Harry thought it was. He slowly let his senses loose, and found there were quite a lot of beings down there.

He heard growling and other unpleasant noises. And there was an even greater sense of malice down there, than in the ruin itself. They needed to find another way into the complex. Perhaps they could even find something down there to light the torches.

"It's some kind of fungi, I think," Fleur said and knelt down to have a closer look. "I'd advice against touching them with your bare hands. Some fungi are very poisonous," she finished and turned to look at Harry, and sucked in a hissing breath. "Harry!"

Bella and Nym turned to look at him, and they reacted in a similar way to the Veela. Harry did not look good. His hands were all scraped, and while the armour had held up, it looked like it had taken a real beating. The shirt was torn in places, and there was blood seeping through on his upper arms, but it was his face that gave them pause.

His hair was matted with blood, and his forehead had a bad gash by the hairline. Then, there was his left eye, which was a bloody mess. It was horribly swollen, and it looked damaged. Hedwig gave a sad hoot, and took off. Nym rushed to him, but when she was almost by his side, Harry suddenly dashed forward, and pushed her out of the way, as a massive, bat like creature came swooping down from the ceiling. He swiped away with his sword, and a pained shriek came from the creature as it retreated into the darkness. For now. It would be back, Harry knew. It was a predator, and it was starving.

"What the hell was that thing?" Nym shouted, as she stood up.

"You think this may be the death sentence they were referring to on the wall, Fleur?" Harry said as he scrambled to his feet, his good eye scanning the ceiling.

"Oui. We were probably meant to find this place, Harry."

"Yeah," Harry said. "It was too convenient, and we were basically herded to it."

Then he heard the door give way upstairs, and knew they would be overrun soon, if they did not find a way out. He looked about frantically, hoping to find some way out of this, but nothing stood out to him. He was starting to panic. It did not help that the large creature was back. Now, Harry knew he could have taken it down fairly easily if he'd been alone, but he wasn't.

Hedwig barked somewhere further in the cave, and Harry felt her urge them on, to come join her, where ever she was. Harry ran on, the others following him, and eventually, they came upon a ledge, overlooking a lake. There was a kind of bridge leading to a small island in the middle of the lake. The whole place reminded Harry entirely too much of the cave he and Dumbledore had gone to, to try and locate the locket.

Then Harry noticed the structure Hedwig was perching on, and froze dead in his tracks. Bellatrix and Nym were also still as stone. It was an arch like structure, and a dark veil was flowing in it's opening. Harry could hear the voices whispering, same as he had that night in the Department of Mysteries. Fleur regarded her companions, not really understanding what was going on.

Hedwig gave an alarmed shriek, which roused Harry, and he turned, to find a large group of mummies heading their way, and he knew that bat thing was crawling on the ceiling, just waiting for an opening.

"Harry," Fleur said, her voice tight with fear. "We have to go through that thing.

"No!" Harry growled. "That's how I lost Sirius!"

"Harry, sweetheart," Bella said, and took his face in her hands. "You are the only one of us who can fight without magic against things such as these, and you're in no shape to be doing any fighting."

"But," Harry tried to protest.

"Harry, we're going through that bloody thing, alright!" Nym shouted at him. "It's either that, or be eaten by that flying freak. And I really don't want to be torn to pieces by those fucking mummies! I'm taking my chances with that bloody Veil!" she finished and dropped from the ledge.

Bella went next, then Fleur. After agonizing over it for a moment Harry followed his group over the bridge and onto the island. The mummies were dropping of the ledge, slowly encroaching upon the group's position. Discreetly, Hedwig deliberately scratched a special blasting rune atop the arch, causing it to start glowing, then swooped down from her perch. She hooted at Harry, and dug her talons into his shoulder, urging him on, but Harry turned away from the Veil, gripped his sword tighter, and was about to march on his enemy when a hand gripping his own stopped him.

"Come on, Harry," Bella said, and led him to the arch. "We'll all go in hand in hand, so that we won't lose one another, alright."

Nym took his sword and sheathed it, then took hold of his other hand, and Fleur grabbed the Metamorph's free hand. With a weary nod, Harry accepted their plea, and marched toward the Veil with conviction, and as one, they stepped through.

As soon as they did, the rune atop the arch glowed with a shining light, and a massive explosion thundered through the cave, as well as the lower levels of Hamunaptra. Then, the whole thing collapsed in on itself...


Here you go, chapter fifteen.

Here's a picture of our delicate French flower. What do you think? It's a picture by JuneJenssen, taken from Deviantart. Be sure to check out her portfolio. It's fantastic.

deviantart junejenssen/art/Anastashia-790121922 a blonde, blue eyed flower girl :)