31. Rebuilding
Astoria wasn't skipping down the wide corridor, she truly wasn't, but it was a near thing. She could feel her smile stretch her face. Her plan had finally succeeded. Harry had been more stubborn than she had thought he would be, especially after Astoria had gotten Susan Bones in on the plan, but now he had succumbed to her wiles. Finally, after two weeks. Astoria grinned and knocked on the Dark Lord's study door.
"Enter," she heard from inside, and opened the door. It was just her Lord and Nagini in the room, and she closed the door behind her, went halfway through the room and bowed.
"Astoria?"
She straightened up and went to stand in front of his desk. It was filled with parchment and books, and he had his more serpentine looks, which told her exactly how irritated he was right now. She hoped her news would please him.
"My Lord, Harry asked to accompany me to Diagon Alley on Friday, to help with the rebuilding, and visit the new café with Head Bones."
"Ah, yes, your little plot. He really decided to go by himself?" Long, pale fingers tapped thoughtfully on his desk, the sharp nails glinting, and he waved the other hand at a chair in front of his desk.
Astoria sat down in the offered chair. "As far as I know, yes, my Lord. Not counting Head Bones asking him to meet with her a couple of times, and me mentioning my plans for some public relation work on Friday. I didn't even ask him if he wanted to join me, for fear he should feel compelled. But he asked me just now, and he admitted to learning quite a few spells to help with house building and repairs this past week. It was his choice, and his choice only."
"Then he will, of course, join you. Well done, Astoria." He smiled at her with thin lips and Astoria felt his magic stroke against her senses. She smiled back. Her Lord approved. "What guards will you bring? You are needed for the public relation work yourself and cannot be Harry's guard, even if you should work on the same house. And I would prefer that you yourself have at least one person to guard your back."
"Draco and Bandini can go with Harry, but neither Lucius nor Rabastan are good choices, I would suggest Severus, but … I have a feeling that might be less than optimal, too …"
"You would be right, but I do not see any other possibilities."
"There will be some Auror's there, of course, for crowd control, and Head Bones herself will arrive around lunch and stay as long as we do."
"I believe Head Bones can be safely trusted to protect Harry if necessary. Ask Narcissa to stay with Harry until Head Bones arrives. And have Severus guard your own back."
"Very well, my Lord. I will get right on with that," she said with yet another smile. She hesitated. "May I be of help with anything?" She let her eyes glide across the mountain of parchment.
He gave a twist of his lips. "No, that is not necessary. My frustration stems from a personal research project, not from work."
"The offer still stands, my Lord."
He picked up an open scroll of parchment, glared at it and let it fall from his fingers.
"I cannot find any sources that describe anything that fits with what I have experienced with Harry, when he twice clawed my back open and once almost ripped my throat out with teeth and claws he patently does not have." Frustration leaked through in his voice and the last few words he hissed out. "And neither has Harry given any indication that he knows what is going on, which should be impossible too. He cannot be that oblivious."
"In his younger years, I absolutely believe he could be, my Lord," Astoria said with a small smile, Harry himself had told her some stories, after all, "but not anymore, no. Is it possible he has been hit with a curse that only activates under certain conditions …?"
"I have already looked into that," the Dark Lord made a gesture towards several thick tomes on the desk, "I cannot find a curse that seems even remotely likely, given the result."
"Then, my Lord, Harry might know more than he lets on and doesn't want to admit to it because he is afraid of the consequences, or, he might possibly know something, but not enough to want to mention it, because he doesn't know enough to answer any and all questions. It seemed like that was at least part of the problem, regarding his questions around his magical core and the power he suddenly and inexplicably got at eighteen."
The Dark Lord closed his eyes for a moment, before looking at her again. "You are right, Astoria. I had planned to ask Harry about this soon, as I have found no answers myself, but if me asking makes Harry feel trapped into speaking of something that he does not want to … That will be less than helpful."
"But if he harms you, more or less unwittingly, my Lord …"
"I am quite certain that it is unwittingly. At the times it happened he was … not in his right mind, which makes it even harder to know if he understands what is happening and what he is doing. If it continues, I will have to ask him and find out if there is anything I can do to stop him from harming me, as I do not enjoy it, but … I will give it some more time."
Astoria nodded. It seemed the best solution, for now. She got up, bowed, and left. She had plans to make.
XXXXXX
Three days of preparation went past in a blur and suddenly she sat in the breakfast room with the Dark Lord and Draco and debated silently with herself about whether Harry would be sane when he arrived this early in the morning, or if he would throw around Fiendfyre again. That had only happened once, but such an experience does tend to make a lasting impression.
Harry seemed both awake and alert when he arrived a few minutes later, dressed in black Muggle jeans and the green T-shirt with the moving snake, and with his hair still damp from the shower. He used robes often now, but not all the time, and no one had to tell Astoria to not comment if he used Muggle clothes. Draco had mentioned it to her, wondering why he chose to wear robes some days and Muggle clothes other days. Astoria guessed Harry felt more at ease in the clothes he was more used to, but she didn't know.
Today he could possibly have chosen the clothes for ease of use while working. Personally, she would have preferred him in robes today, to send the message that he was assimilating into his new life and the new society he would, in time, help build. But that was neither here nor there. It was not up to her to tell Harry how to dress, after all. She could give suggestions, and had done so, but that was all.
And the T-shirt was really funny, she couldn't fault him for wanting to show it off.
Harry nodded at the Dark Lord while he settled himself in the chair next to him. He took the coffee cup the Dark Lord gave him without even looking at him or the cup. It was a small cup with thick, black as pitch coffee, that Dobby had prepared in a very small coffee pot. Astoria thought she heard the word espresso as a description of the brew. Harry swallowed the small cup down before refilling it himself from the little coffee pot. After the two cups of coffee and two nutrient potions, he started on the breakfast.
No one said a word, but the atmosphere wasn't necessarily strained, just … cautious.
At the end of the meal Harry got up with a growl. "You are being absolutely nonsensical! You think I survived years of war just to get killed while building houses! Give me a bloody break!" He stalked out of the room. "Oh, sod off!" He raised his hand in a rude gesture over his back.
Draco had started visibly beside her when Harry had gotten up so suddenly, but she was better able to hide her surprise. Her curiosity, too. One-sided conversations like that had happened a time or two before today, and it was wildly intriguing. Not only the fact that Harry, for it had been Harry every time thus far, could make it sound like he and the Dark Lord had had a longer conversation before the point where Harry suddenly began speaking. But also, the way Harry spoke to the Dark Lord. With no circumspection, no fear, and no respect either. And the Dark Lord had made no indication that he found it irritating or frustrating that Harry suddenly began to talk out loud, and berate him.
She had also noticed another change in the newly married couple. She wanted to say that it was a new familiarity between them, an ease in how they acted towards each other, especially how Harry acted. She was almost certain that Harry was more relaxed around the Dark Lord now, friendlier - when he didn't criticise him -, and somewhat less nervous. That might be just wishful thinking, but she didn't think so. It was obvious something had happened between them; she simply couldn't pinpoint what or how.
And wasn't it curious that the Dark Lord didn't bat an eye when Harry told him off. If anything, he seemed rather smug about it.
Had it been anyone but Harry, Astoria would have cursed them for speaking to her Lord like that, but it was Harry, the Dark Lord's own husband. How could she say anything when the Dark Lord very obviously didn't mind? How could she say anything when even she saw Harry's new attitude towards her Lord, and her Lord's obvious acceptance of it, as something encouraging?
"Well, that went better than last time, at least," the Dark Lord noted dryly and refilled his teacup. He had the appearance with a normal, and beautiful, face and shoulder long, black hair.
As far as Astoria knew, he seldom, if ever, let Harry see his more serpentine appearance, but could vary between the appearance with and without hair. She appreciated all three of his different looks. They were all special and appealing in their own way, but she could easily see why Harry would not like the more serpentine one and she respected the Dark Lord's decision to not make Harry uneasy with his appearance, and thus use glamour spells to hide the more snakelike one.
Yes, the Dark Lord was quite undeniably smug, she decided while watching as he sipped his tea. Maybe because Harry now had both the inclination and the wherewithal to not only talk casually to him, but actually tell the Dark Lord off? Astoria had speculated about what kind of relationship the Dark Lord wanted with Harry. Now she was again more inclined to think he wanted a fairly equal one, despite whatever magical bond that made Harry need the Dark Lord to survive.
"I might join you in Diagon Alley later today," the Dark Lord said and got up.
Astoria hastened to rise with Draco just behind her.
About three weeks ago, when Astoria began her plans to get Harry to Diagon Alley, she had been hesitant about the Dark Lord joining them. After all, the plan was supposed to give Harry some space and something else to think about. If Harry walked on eggshells around the Dark Lord, he would get neither with the Dark Lord in attendance, and he would probably not want to articulate his difficulty either.
Now, things had changed considerably between them. Now she was quite certain Harry would make everyone, including the Dark Lord, aware of it if he didn't appreciate the Dark Lord's presence. And he would do that without hesitation. A few weeks could apparently do much, and Astoria had no idea whatsoever about the source of the change. She could only hope that it was permanent and that it was something that had happened naturally for Harry, and not some kind of invasive magic that the Dark Lord had used to make Harry feel and act that way.
Harry deserved the respite, and to feel that he was safe and that he belonged in his own marriage and home.
Half an hour later they left the Manor. It was the second time since the marriage that Harry had done so, but if he was nervous, he didn't show it. When they arrived in Diagon Alley, he just walked beside her up to the architects and builders, some human and some goblin, and listened while they talked and distributed the work and told everyone what they could do. When one goblin asked what the newly arrived wand-users knew of building magic, Harry drew a long scroll from his open outer robe, and gave it to the goblin.
"Those are the spells and enchantments I know that could help with building houses," he said, "I am, of course, willing to learn more. I am also more than proficient at transfiguration and stasis charms, where it might be practical to use them."
The goblin took the scroll with a suspicious look and began to read. Then he went over to another goblin, handed over the scroll and pointed at Harry. The scroll made its rounds to three other people before a wizard brought it back to Harry.
"Mr. Potter, I'm Maxwell Cornus. I'm both an architect and a builder. Would you say that you can cast all these spells satisfactorily?" He held up the scroll.
"I would say that, yes," Harry answered.
"In that case, would you work with me down this way? Together we might get one of the apartment buildings up before the day is out."
"That is a high order," Draco commented drily. "How do you know that Mr. Potter has the magical power to do so, even if he knows the right spells?"
"Pardon me, Mr. Malfoy," the man gave a small bow, "but I have done some fighting by Mr. Potter's side. I was there one of the times he let down his shields and really let loose. I know what he has to work with."
Harry didn't look at anyone, but stared right ahead, stone-faced. Astoria could commiserate. Any situation where Harry had felt the need to lower his shields and not hold back at all, would have had to be truly perilous and traumatising. After all, he always had the use of all his magic, shielded or not, but with the shields down it would be a bit easier to use. And if that little bit mattered in a fight … Astoria didn't want to think about it. Today was about rebuilding; buildings, society, and connections. All needed for them to be able to move forward.
And they would, they would move forward. Even Harry.
Draco nodded to Mr. Cornus. There was nothing he could say to that.
Harry gave Astoria a short, strained smile and followed Mr. Cornus down the Alley, together with Draco, Bandini and Narcissa, while Astoria remained to do her public relations job, talk to the press, and then finally do some actual work.
She had learned some necessary spells in the past weeks too, just not as many as Harry, and she worked with a team to restore the Gringotts building. Most of the cave system underneath was still intact, but the wagon tracks had to be rebuilt. Not that any human was allowed to do that. It was a wonder that any wand-user were allowed to do any of the work at all. They hadn't been allowed up until a week ago when the Dark Lord had some rather harsh words with the goblin leaders. He wanted Diagon Alley restored and did not appreciate that the goblins refused the help they needed to reopen Gringotts. He felt that they were stalling without reason.
They weren't stalling anymore.
By lunchtime Astoria was getting close to magical exhaustion and she had to quit the active magical work, much to her dismay. Sure, she could see the differences they had wrought on the Gringotts building in just a few hours, but still, there was so much to do. She spent another hour mingling and talking with people. Encouraging the ones that worked, talking over plans with the architects, getting drinks for the workers, and of course, through it all, more press and photographs and bright smiles with hopeful phrases.
If she wanted to hex them all, she made sure that no one could guess as much. She was a pure-blood, after all, masks and manners were everything.
It wasn't that she wasn't hopeful, wasn't happy over finally being able to build instead of demolish, nurture instead of kill. She was ecstatic over the change in her duties, she truly was, but she still wasn't used to the mass of people or to being on display all the time for hours on end. And her near empty magical core made her edgy and snappish, so she had to keep a close watch on her tongue, too.
Finally, she let herself disengage, and went looking for Harry and his group. Narcissa had never come to tell her that she was relieved by Head Bones and would head home, even if Head Bones had stopped by when she arrived at the Alley, before she went to find Harry.
Astoria found Harry and his group in an apartment building four floors high, with space for shops on the first floor. Slowly she went through the great wrought iron gates and into the open, rectangle shaped courtyard with its floor tiles of white marble, great marble columns, and details, like lamps, benches, and tables, made of wrought iron. If she looked up, she could see the sky above, there was nothing blocking her view. The ward net she could see if she squinted didn't count.
She climbed the outside stairs in wonder, Severus at her side. She was absolutely certain there had been nothing but rubble and ruins here, last time she had passed the place, earlier the same day. Now, the building was whole and better than it had been, by far. It was bigger and had an open courtyard in the middle with an open hallway around the courtyard in the three floors above. This way, the apartments had windows with natural light from both sides. The building was done in white marble and with black wrought iron for details like the railing in the stairs and along the open hallways, but also in the lamps that hung in the stairs and outside each apartment. It was classical and beautiful. She couldn't help but admire it.
She reached her goal on the third floor where she heard people talking and laughing and followed the voices. Bandini stood guard outside an apartment and saw them the moment they stepped onto the open hallway on the floor. He gave her a shallow bow. She smiled as she passed him and entered the apartment. She was pleased to notice the two Auror's in the hall, as much on guard as Bandini.
"I thought we agreed that the three and four room apartments should be set aside for families with children?" she heard Harry say. "Why, then, can I not make something more out of the colours in the bedrooms? White is boring."
"It's easier to paint over white, in case they don't like the colour you choose, Mr. Potter." That was Narcissa with her 'I'm almost at my wits end' voice. It told Astoria why Narcissa hadn't left, the poor woman was trying to stop Harry from making a mess of the interior design.
"But that's the fun part! And it's not like they have to paint the walls, that's what magic is for!" Harry grew silent and even if Astoria couldn't yet see him, she felt his magic at work.
"Not everyone is as adept or has enough power to use on things like changing the walls, Mr. Potter, that is why paint exists," Narcissa said with a barely concealed sigh. "But the bay windows with the window seats are a great touch, I'm certain they will be appreciated, as will the cubbyholes underneath the seats."
"I would have loved both as a kid," Harry admitted, a bit wistfully, Astoria thought. "Hell, I would love to have it now."
Astoria walked into the bedroom in question, with dark hardwood floor, white walls, and a bay window that Harry right at that moment filled with pillows in green and blue. Draco stood by the door inside the room while Narcissa and Head Bones were closer to Harry. Astoria could hear someone walking around overhead, on the top floor, and assumed that would be Mr. Cornus.
"Alright, then." Harry turned around, saw Astoria, smiled, took a step and almost tripped over a big, black cat that literally twisted itself around his legs. Harry caught himself, scooped up the cat and held it out in front of him, looking into the furry face. "That's underhanded tactics, that is. I thought better of you, I really did. Don't know why, though." He tucked the cat into the crock of his arm and scratched its neck.
Head Bones laughed and beside her Draco rolled his eyes.
"The cat has been following Harry around the whole day, like a Niffler after gold. Every chance it gets, it tries to trip him, probably to get his attention, which he, naturally gives it, and happily at that. It's ridiculous."
"Now, who are you calling ridiculous?" Harry asked and stepped up to them, the cat now balanced on his shoulder, purring happily into his ear.
Astoria gave a very unladylike snort when Harry winced because the cat began to wash his cheek with a rough tongue. It was a big cat, completely black and with fluffy, well-tended fur. Its ears had tufts of hair at the tips and its tail was extremely fluffy towards the point too.
"It's most likely a Kneazle," Head Bones stated, "or at least part Kneazle, nothing else makes sense."
The cat meowed forcefully.
"Then we all agree," Harry said. "I have some kitchen cabinets left in this apartment, and then it's only the fourth floor left."
"Harry, are you telling me that you have made the entire building, with fully functioning apartments that are ready to be moved into, in just half a day?" Astoria asked, dumbfounded.
Narcissa and Head Bones were both nodding empathically behind Harry.
"Mr. Cornus did quite a bit with the structure itself, and he did all the pipes, the stairs, and all the load bearing walls, of course …" Harry began.
Narcissa narrowed her eyes at the back of his head.
"… and others have done some details here and there, but I guess I have done a lot, yes."
"And when, pray tell, did you take a break and eat?" Astoria asked, icily, she had a very bad feeling about this. She didn't mind in the least that Harry built an entire apartment building, if that was what he wanted to do, but she did mind the speed he had used to do so. She had really thought she could trust Harry to take care of himself.
"I did eat, and take the potions," Harry said and walked past her without looking at her. "The bloody cat conspired with Narcissa and Draco, I didn't have a choice," he muttered.
"And that's well and good," she began, and then decided against needling him about his past decisions, however faulty they may be, and to pick her battles wisely.
The two of them were friendly, and maybe they would be friends too, before the year came to an end, she certainly hoped so, but they weren't there yet. Harry was a grown man with some serious issues, and would only tolerate so much from anyone, even her. If Miss Granger had been here, she assumed the witch could nag Harry about his well-being and health to her heart's content and then some. Astoria would have to be satisfied with the fact that he listened and respected her explanations when it really mattered.
"But now it's time for a longer break where you sit down," she went on. "Let's use the courtyard and then some of us can go for a coffee-run to the new café Head Bones invited you to try with her. Or, we can all go there, of course."
"No, thank you, I noticed the queue there when we went past earlier, it's bound to be packed." Harry began to turn into the kitchen, obviously set in his course.
None of that! Astoria thought fiercely. She might not be allowed to openly scold him about his well-being, but she would be damned if she couldn't get him to take a break anyway.
She wasn't a Slytherin and the Dark Lord's second in command for nothing.
"Well, then." Astoria stretched up and took the cat from his shoulder. "I and this lovely creature are going to enjoy some peace, quiet and good coffee in the beautiful courtyard you have made, and you may join us."
The cat looked affronted up at her with big, completely black eyes, which she couldn't remember ever having seen in a cat before. It was actually a bit creepy, but if the cat had followed Harry the whole day, it was most likely safe. Of course, what was safe for Harry wasn't necessarily safe for everyone else, or anyone else, for that matter, but she refused to linger on that notion.
"Complain loudly, so he will follow us," she whispered conspiratorially to the cat, but loud enough for Harry to hear.
The cat blinked once at her and then meowed as if the world was ending. Astoria grinned. Definitely a Kneazle.
"Hey now, that's my cat!" Harry was after her and she walked faster, giggling at his outraged tone. She went out of the apartment, along the hallway and down the stairs and she heard Head Bones laugh and Draco chuckle that deep chuckle that made her stomach squirm in happiness.
"Are you really his cat, beautiful?" Astoria asked the cat that still was meowing alarmingly. The cat was very well taken care of, healthy, muscled, well-fed and with glossy, black fur. It had to be someone's cat, someone who loved it dearly. If that hadn't been so obvious, Astoria would have suggested reallocating it to the Manor. It was very apparent that Harry liked the great fluffball and anything that could get him in a good mood, was worth doing more of. Even if that included a stray Kneazle chasing after Draco's beloved peacocks over the immaculate lawns around the Manor.
The mental image made her snicker.
The cat stopped its noise, looked at her for a moment with those eerie black eyes, and then set to making noise again. She didn't know what kind of answer that was, if any.
"Alright, she isn't mine, I just borrowed her for today," Harry said right behind her.
The cat hissed at him.
"Alright, alright! She simply favours me with her precious company for the day," he said, and Astoria couldn't help but laugh at the put-upon expression he had when she let him take the cat from her. Being in the company of the smart cat and a happy Harry Potter was both entertaining and happiness inducing.
They stood in the courtyard now, where she had wanted them.
Harry scratched the cat underneath her chin. "Underhanded Slytherin tactics," he grumbled and threw a dark look Astoria's way, lips twitching with his fight to keep a stern expression. "You both use them to great effect. Surely you are both equally Slytherin at heart."
"What can you expect, Potter, it's a cat. They are all Slytherin, and better for it, I'm sure." Astoria tossed her head and sat primly down on a wrought iron bench.
Harry snorted and let the cat jump up on his shoulder, before making a gesture at Astoria to get her to stand again. Then he conjured thick, deep golden pillows for all the benches and moved all the benches and tables to the same spot so they all could sit together. Astoria noticed that he used neither wand nor words.
"I volunteer for the coffee-run," Head Bones said. "Anyone willing to sacrifice themselves and brave the masses with me?"
Apparently, it wasn't only Harry that was in a good mood. Or maybe Head Bones always spoke like that when she wasn't in a work setting. Astoria hadn't been around her enough to say for sure.
"I'm not exactly known for self-sacrifice, nor bravery," Draco drawled, "but I do know what will happen if my darling wife doesn't get her coffee to her exacting standards, so I will come with you."
Astoria smiled and hoped no one saw the blush that inched up her cheeks. She adored it so when Draco went out of his way to make her happy.
"Bravery comes in many shapes, Mr. Malfoy," Head Bones smiled, "I appreciate you volunteering. This way, I won't have to voluentell any of my underlings." She sent a sharp grin at the two Auror's.
The two got the orders from everyone and left.
"Oh, we forgot Mr. Cornus," Astoria suddenly realised. It was only polite to include him, after all.
Harry put two fingers to his lips and a sharp whistle filled the courtyard, it went slowly up and then down, then sharply up again before it ended. Not long after Mr. Cornus came out of the apartment on the fourth floor and found his way down to them.
"They went to get the coffee already? I will have to see if I can catch up with them," he said and went past the seated group and out the great gates, with just a small nod to Harry.
Astoria noticed the fact that Mr. Cornus knew without asking that there was a break, that it was a coffee break and that someone had already gone after the coffee. In addition, there was that small nod of deference to Harry.
The-Boy-Who-Lived and The-Man-Who-Kept-Alive had told her that he never had been considered a leader, but now Astoria wondered at the truth of that. She could believe that the leaders of the Light never had considered Harry Potter as a leader, even if it was hard to phantom their stupidity when making that choice, but what about everyone else? People like Mr. Cornus and Head Bones? People that for all intents and purposes had fought side by side with Harry, but had not been directly led by him. People that had survived the battlefield because of him. People that had seen their Saviour do near impossible magical feats and get out of hopeless situations alive and ready to keep on fighting for what he believed in, again and again.
Was that not its own kind of leadership? Leading by example.
She thought so, at least, but she wasn't certain whether or not Harry himself thought so. She wasn't certain if he really knew how much power he wielded, just by being himself and doing what he deemed right.
Mr. Cornus came back with a big tray of baked goods that he put down on one of the tables between them.
"It was a different queue, and it went a lot faster," he explained. "The others will have to wait longer for the drinks."
Harry stopped petting the cat, cleaned his hands with magic and grabbed a sandwich and a napkin.
"You did eat lunch, right?" Astoria asked suspiciously at his choice amongst cakes, buns, biscuits, pies, and chocolate.
"I did," he confirmed again. "I just worked and ate at the same time."
Astoria sighed, hesitated, and said with a neutral voice so as to not seem provoking, just concerned. Which she truly was.
"Please don't do that. You need to take proper care of yourself. No one will suffer if this building is completed in a week instead of a day, Harry." She decided against saying anything more, took a glazed bun and bit into it. The taste of cardamom and vanilla filled her mouth, and all thoughts of worry about Harry got kicked out of her head. "This is delicious! Narcissa, you simply have to try it!"
Harry chuckled and Narcissa smiled at her, holding a small chocolate confection in a napkin.
"I could say the same about my own choice, dear, I believe this café is going to do very well for itself."
There were several agreeing murmurs around the table. Even Severus deigned to comment one simple 'indeed' in agreement.
"I … concur … with your words, Astoria," Harry said with reluctance, and Astoria had to remind herself what they had been talking about. "No one will suffer if it takes a bit longer before this building is finished. The people who are going to live here live either in shared apartments, single rooms or in tents right now, but it's summer and the weather is nice enough, and the tents are good and enchanted. I don't have to worry."
"And still …?" Astoria prodded cautiously, because there was obviously something.
Harry waved a hand, a silencing bubble closed around them, and he turned completely towards her on the bench they shared, green eyes serious and weary.
"It's fun," he said after a long silence. "It's fun, being able to build, to help, to raise and not … not raze, for a change. It's fun to do something like this with my magic, to know that I, personally, right at that moment, do something good, something other people will value. It's … it's good to see that my magic can be used … That it can be used for something that is unequivocally good." He looked down at the cat that had placed herself between them on the bench, and stroked her head in silence.
Astoria eyed him for a moment. There was something he didn't say, and she couldn't guess what that was. And neither did she think it wise to pry anymore. Not right now.
"We are very different in a lot of ways, Harry," Astoria said in a low voice, "but I think … I believe it's safe to say that in this we agree absolutely. I had the very same thoughts when I worked on the Gringotts building. It's good to know that my magic, that I, can do more than just destroy and kill."
Harry nodded without looking up. "That's it, exactly."
Astoria looked at him and decided that it really wasn't the right moment to ask why that feeling translated into him pushing himself more than he should. That would have to wait.
"It seems like the drinks are here," she said instead when Draco and Head Bones arrived with a lot of cups floating in the air in front of them.
Harry removed the silencing bubble, and everyone got their brew of choice. Draco sat down next to her on the bench and Head Bones sat closest to Harry, the next bench over. They all drank, ate, and talked about the day, what they had done, the plans for the building and the rest of the London's Magical District, or LMD that someone now had begun to call it, to encompass all the different magical Alleys that belonged in the district. Several of the Alleys would just be cleaned up, and not rebuilt, not yet. There simply weren't enough people to justify all the work. And there was no reason to build buildings that would remain empty for years, decades even. Mr. Cornus mentioned that some people wanted parks or fields in place of buildings in those areas.
Astoria wholeheartedly agreed. That would be an excellent use of the space. She would mention it to the Dark Lord as soon as possible.
A/N:
Thank you for the comments, the favs and the follows! They are much appreciated! I love to hear what you think about the story and the characters! It makes writing this story even more fun! Each and every comment makes me smile!
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