Chapter 31
Discussions were held before the decision to return to Hogwarts was made. Ultimately it was decided that Justin and Dumbledore would return to the front of the maze to greet the crowd, while Harry and Gellert would be sent to the headmaster's office to await the arrival of the ICW contingent. Dumbledore assured the pair that he would speak to the investigator and prepare them for the meeting to the best of his ability. Dumbledore himself could no longer doubt that if he were to try and assist the ICW in capturing the two magical titans that the loss of life would be immense, and unavoidable. The odds of the ICW's victory were incredibly slim, and certainly not worth dying for. Particularly after what the Headmaster had witnessed that evening.
Fawkes had appeared before the group and had taken Gellert along with Harry straight to the Hogwarts Headmasters' office with little explanation necessary from Dumbledore. Upon arrival, the two glanced warily at each other. They were both battle weary and did not relish another fight like the one they had already experienced earlier in the evening. Undoubtedly the two were capable, but with the injury, Harry had sustained from the knife he needed a proper healer. Gellert had certainly done a beyond-admirable job of patching him up, but neither of the two were deluding themselves that the wound had been taken care of properly.
"They would be foolish to attack us. Albus will undoubtedly inform them of what took place in the graveyard giving the world its first glance at your true capabilities. I do not believe Albus would intervene either. He knows that together we are far beyond his capabilities." Gellert said comfortingly, but Harry was unworried and said nothing.
The young man's thoughts were mostly on a certain silver-haired French girl who had to be very worried about him. There was a small part of him that had always recognized the fact that if anyone was going to defeat him in combat it would be Voldemort. It was a small thing that kept him envisioning his future, but with the Dark Lord out of the way, no one could truly pose a threat to him. Not with the Elder Wand in his possession.
"What do you think we faced in the graveyard? How do you think Tom shared his power the way he did? Possessed Justin even after we defeated him?" Harry asked while looking at the headmaster's pensieve in the corner of his office.
"I am not certain." Gellert replied honestly, giving a deep sigh, "I have never witnessed magic like that, but I have heard of something similar."
Harry's eyes stayed on the pensieve as if he was replaying a memory of his own in his head, "It was a Horcrux, wasn't it? A piece of Voldemort's soul. A Horcrux was lodged in my little brother's scar, and we never knew it."
"I think it would have become obvious once Riddle returned. It was apparent his very presence caused your brother significant pain. Had we seen this we would have had time to
research a way to get rid of the Horcrux without killing the host." Gellert said comfortingly.
"Is the Horcrux truly gone?" Harry asked skeptically.
"I believe so. Your brother's story of going to the other side and meeting your grandmother lends credence to the theory. I think it tells us enough about his victory. You can, of course, run different tests to your heart's desire, but I believe it is unnecessary." Gellert said as he paced around the room, "Your brother is a magical marvel much like yourself. I believe his abilities in occlumency and the trauma he went through this evening gave him the strength to dissolve the Horcrux himself. It would be prudent to keep an eye on the lad to ensure he did not absorb the soul shard, but if that were the case, I think the changes would be minor. I believe had there been other pieces of Tom's soul out there, then the final piece might have had a better foundation to fight on, but with it being the final broken shard, it gave your brother an extraordinary advantage that I do not believe we could have replicated. A seventh part of a soul could never stand up to a full one no matter how magically powerful it may have been."
Gellert's words echoed through Harry's mind as he considered them. Was a large slice of their victory brought down to luck? It would seem so, but Harry also realized that it was the care he had for his brother that made the fight last longer than it should have.
Had he been a cruel wizard he could've struck down Justin as an enemy, but instead he had dropped his wand in surrender rather than hurt his brother. A small smile began to overtake his features at the thought. It had been a gamble, but his family hadn't lost anyone else today.
The silence carried on for several more minutes before the portrait of Phineas Nigellas warned them of an impending arrival. Harry at once moved back to stand beside Gellert and drew his wand casually in case the ICW Aurors came in, wands blazing. When the doors opened Dumbledore led the way, followed closely behind him came the Potters and the Delacours. Following behind were also many unrecognizable witches and wizards in purple ICW robes, and in their lead, with anger written across his countenance, was Perseus Chase. Harry had to refrain from winking at the man, or saying something sarcastic, but decided against provoking him.
Fleur had her arms wrapped around him in a flash, and with one hand he embraced her while carefully keeping an eye on the wands belonging to the witches and wizards of the ICW congregation. She was firing questions at him, asking if he was okay, and what happened, but Harry was hardly processing the questions as he prepared for curses to start flying.
Harry glanced at his parents and he wouldn't have believed what he saw if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes. The first thing Lily Potter did upon entering the room was go straight to Gellert and wrap her arms around the man. Harry heard her whispered words, but was uncertain if anyone else did, "Thank you for keeping my children safe."
When the two separated Gellert looked stunned. Harry doubted the man had been hugged much since he escaped prison all those years ago. The master and apprentice had shared a handful of hugs through their years together, but Harry
Was even more surprised when James Potter offered the man a strong handshake and thanked him as well.
Taking his eyes off his family for a moment they quickly shifted over to the Delacours. The look on Sebastian's face was severe, and he gave Harry the slightest nod while flickering his eyes to the ICW group. The message the man was communicating suddenly became quite clear. He would fight with Harry if necessary. Appoline also had a grave look on her face. The Veela had agreed to an alliance with him, and if necessary she would do her part. With a kiss on Fleur's cheek, he whispered into her ear, "We will talk soon I promise. I'm okay." Perseus stepped forward with his wand pointed at Harry, "Harry Potter and Gellert Grindelwald, you are both under arrest for attacking members of the ICW Hit Wizard and Auror force. You are both to surrender peacefully, and perhaps if there is any validity to all this nonsense the Supreme Mugwump is spouting, it can be taken into consideration during the sentencing process."
Harry took a single step forward, and he found over a dozen wands pointing at him. Before he could respond to this, however, the wands of Fleur's family, and Harry's own were quickly drawn in his defense. Dumbledore himself had drawn his wand as well, but did not point it at anyone in particular. Gellert for his part merely remained slightly behind his apprentice, ready to do battle, but his wand was not in sight.
The Elder wand thrummed in Harry's hand sending out sparks threateningly as he left it pointing at the floor trying to show no aggression. The shouts from the ICW contingent and the two families drowned each other into an argument that neither side could possibly hear clearly. Finally, Harry spoke in a magically amplified voice, "Enough!"
Bringing silence to the room in an instant, Harry took a step forward toward Investigator Chase, looking down at him with a calm expression, "In an open field of combat you were all unable to capture my master, or myself. In close quarters here we would have you all down in moments, and that is without the interference of my family."
The confidence in his voice made several wands begin to waver, their holders clearly considering his words carefully. Deciding to carry on, Harry cleared his throat, "Tonight, Gellert Grindelwald, Albus Dumbledore, and I prevented a Wizarding War that could've cost thousands of lives. When the Dark Lord formerly known as Voldemort appeared in the graveyard tonight, we risked it all to try and save my brother, and to stop the madman from gathering his followers and committing mass slaughter. We are prepared to submit memories, and I would even be willing to swear magical oaths to assure the world they are not fabricated. We nearly lost everything tonight, however, and I will not allow you to separate me from my family."
Stepping to be nearly nose to nose with Investigator Chase Harry spoke calmly, "And I would love to see you try. I know your secret, and I assure you, if it is the last thing I do, I will expose you and your little Death Eater pal. If I were you, I would run. Spend some time with your family, because if my suspicions are true then there is nowhere in the world you can hide from me." Turning his attention to the rest of the congregation that shifted nervously he spoke softly, "As for the rest of you, we have no quarrel. I implore you all to go home and be with your families. This is not a fight you can win. I do not say this out of arrogance, but a desire to avoid further bloodshed. I have seen enough to last a lifetime, and I am only seventeen."
He added this last part, and tried to offer the group a reassuring smile, but it seemed to only unnerve the team further. Clearly, some of them remembered their last encounter vividly and knew they did not really stand a chance. A woman from behind the lead investigator called his name, and the man twitched slightly, before finally nodding, "I will see you soon, Potter."
As the man turned to depart, the other ICW witches and wizards followed suit, and Harry couldn't help his final taunt, "Not if I see you first."
The man froze for a moment, and Harry braced himself wondering if the man would prove to be foolish or not, but clearly, he intended to live a little longer, and continued forward without any further hesitation.
When the door to the headmaster's office closed Harry took a deep breath before turning to his mum and dad, "Is Justin in the hospital wing?"
James Potter, nodded, taking a breath, "Yes. Being guarded carefully by Sirius and Remus. He is safe now."
"Thanks to you, Gellert, and the Headmaster." Lily added.
"The Potter family owes you two quite a debt for protecting members of its family." James said, looking from Grindelwald to Dumbledore.
The Headmaster merely bowed his head in acceptance of the thanks, while Grindelwald shook his head, "Your son is my apprentice. No debt can ever exist between us, and I will look after him as if he were my own. Nothing was going to stop Harry from going after his brother. In turn, nothing would have stopped me from following my student."
Everyone could hear the sincerity in the man's voice, and no one dared to question his conviction on the matter, but James voiced a different thought, "I need to see what my children endured tonight, Albus."
The Headmaster offered a bow of his head, "Of course. I myself would be curious to see the battle from your perspective, Harry. If you would not mind providing me with the memory?"
"It makes no difference to me." Harry said with a shrug, "I should warn anyone who intends to watch the memory though that these were extremely violent events. There was also a moment where-"
The young man's voice betrayed him for a moment as the magnitude of what had happened began to settle in. Harry had not allowed himself to come down from his adrenaline rush when he arrived in the office. He had to be prepared to continue fighting if the ICW dared to challenge him, but now that he was with his family, and Justin was getting medical attention the weight of what had almost befallen his family hit him. The reality that Justin could've struck him down or vice versa crushed him. What if he had panicked? What if years of training to defeat his enemies overtook him, and he struck his little brother down? The young man that looked up to him more than anyone in the world that trusted him could've been slain. The urge to vomit nearly overtook him, but a soft hand on his cheek brought him back to reality, "'Arry?"
There was no wand in his hand this time, and both arms slipped around the young woman before him, and he buried his face into her neck. No one in the room said a word. Harry on the other hand merely basked in the comfort the young woman provided him. One of her hands went around his neck, and the other went behind his head holding him showing no signs of letting go. The tears were falling before he could stop them. There were no choked sobs, nor was there as much as a sniffle. The tears were primarily of relief, and a part of it was joy. There was not a witch or wizard alive now that could stop him from doing what he wanted. Whether the world accepted him or not, the only opinions in the world that mattered to him were currently either in the Headmaster's office or in the Hospital Wing.
When Harry separated he kissed the girl on the cheek before staring into her eyes for a moment with a pleading look, and Fleur quickly wiped the tears from his face. No one else in the room had seen the young man's tears, and for the sake of her betrothed, she would not allow anyone else to see them. Fleur knew Harry was a prideful man, and would protect his dignity no matter how much he had earned those fallen tears. When Harry turned he took a deep breath, "I am going to sit beside my brother until he wakes up, and if it is okay with you, Headmaster, I would like to be the one to give him the Cup. He more than earned it tonight."
The Headmaster nodded after only a moment of thought, "That can be arranged."
Harry nodded gratefully before turning his eyes to Grindelwald. The man offered his apprentice a smile before saying, "Go be with your brother. Albus and I still have much to discuss, and I will be along to join you later. We may have turned our noses up to the ICW, but I will not be testing my luck anytime soon. I will also stay behind and answer any questions your family may have about the memory they will witness. Not to worry, I will speak with you before our next move is made."
Offering the man a short nod Harry turned, offering a final silent embrace to both his parents. When they separated he turned to the Delacours offering them both a smile. Appoline came forward slowly embracing the young man, while Sebastian put a hand on his shoulder patting him comfortingly with a confident smile on his face.
Finally, he turned to Fleur who shook her head, "If you think I am letting you out of my sight anytime soon you are mistaken, 'Arry Potter. Lead the way."
The young man's smile began to form, but never truly took control of his countenance as he took the girl by the hand and led her out of the office. After they descended the staircase he slowed to a more sedate pace, lacing her arm through his and taking a long moment to put thought into what he wanted to say next. Unsurprisingly, she spoke before him, "I think I would like to get married in France. If that is okay with you?"
The question stunned the young man, but only momentarily, "After what I have put you through these last few months I think I would marry you on the moon if you wished."
Fleur nodded approvingly, "There is a beautiful town out on the water, west of Bordeaux that would be perfect. I spent a Summer there when I was a little girl, and fell in love with it. Gabrielle will be my maid of honor of course, and Aimee one of my bridesmaids."
Taking a moment to think about her words he grinned, "It sounds beautiful. Justin will be my best man I suppose. As long as the kid doesn't get too smug about tonight's events. I would pick Gellert as one of my groomsmen, but I would hate to scare Aimee out of our wedding, so perhaps Cedric would be the safer pick."
A sly grin immediately overtook the face of the beautiful blonde, "I think she would appreciate being paired with someone as handsome as Cedric very much in comparison to an old man that is the most infamous criminal in our history."
Harry frowned at the words as they passed the courtyard, "Handsome? Right, Cedric is no longer invited to our wedding."
Laughing Fleur leaned in closer to the young man, "Where will we live after we are married?"
"Wherever you want." Harry said honestly, "I have patented several inventions that I have been working on since I started here at Hogwarts, and I am most interested in helping you further your enchanting abilities. Perhaps one day we will run a very successful business as enchanters, and we can travel the world seeing magic's greatest wonders."
"That sounds like a great life for some years." Fleur said quietly.
Puzzled, Harry slowed to a stop as he turned to face the girl, "Some years?"
"I would like to have a family one day, 'Arry." She admitted softly while looking into his eyes.
Freezing for a moment the thought of silver-haired children with green eyes running around his home warmed him, "I would like that as well. After we have our fair share of adventures together."
"Of course." She said softly, and the two began walking once again.
The hospital wing was now at the end of the corridor, and Harry took a deep breath, "We almost lost it all tonight."
"But you came out victorious in the end. That is all that matters, non?"
Her point stood in his mind, but he still hadn't quite told her a final important detail, and he was silent all the way to the door, "Fleur?"
Stopping just short of the Hospital Wing entrance Fleur turned her eyes towards him with a questioning look on her face, "When Voldemort fell, and Justin was safe…I just want you to know that my first thoughts were of you, and of our future together. I fought with everything I had to come back to you, but I was not going to be able to turn my wand against him. I could never do that, but I love you, and I was prepared to pay whatever price to ensure the world our families would live in would not include him in it."
Fleur smiled happily offering the young man the softest kiss as she closed the distance between the two. When they separated she said nothing in return. Her feelings were clearly felt in the kiss she passed to him, and with a soft tug of his hand they entered the Hospital Wing with thoughts of the future on both of their minds.