Fairborn Adventures

AN: Hey guys!

Welcome to Chapter 93.

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Chapter 93

August 16th, 1978

The tips of her fingers dug into the soft duvet cover instead of scraping over the hot, firm skin she had grown used to waking up next to. Her lips curled into a small pout and her brows wrinkled when she shifted even closer to Harry's side of the bed, still unable to feel a single limb.

'Unacceptable.'

Giving up her pursuit, she drew the blanket aside and blinked her eyes open. The large bed was empty, as was the entire master bedroom, with no light shining from the attached bathroom either.

'Now where's that husband of mine?'

Marlene drew herself up and slipped off the edge of the bed, shivering slightly when her bare feet made contact with the rich, ebony parquet.

'There's got to be some way to enchant the floor and keep it warm.' She slipped into her slippers and threw over a light robe: 'If the muggles can do it then magic should be able too.'

After putting up her curls into a high ponytail, she stepped out into the hallway, listening intently for any noises.

'Perhaps he's downstairs for breakfast already?' Marlene mused and forced the world past her, apparating into the kitchen with a faint rustle of her robe: 'Morgana knows how he's still eating for two...'

But the kitchen was empty except for Dobby, who happily scrubbed away on some dishes before turning around.

"Good morning, Mistress Marly!" The elf greeted her enthusiastically and instantly dropped what he was doing, bowing low: "What may Dobby get you for breakfast, Mistress?"

"I'm feeling like something sweet." Marlene smiled while sipping on a glass of water she filled from tup: "How about some pancakes with syrup, or better yet, whipped cream?"

"Right away, Mistress!" Dobby nodded eagerly and waddled to the storage room as quickly as his small legs took him.

"Have you seen Harry, Dobby?" Marlene called after him, taking a seat at the informal table in the kitchen, where two thick envelopes caught her eye.

'Hogwarts' crest.' Marlene turned them over: 'One addressed to each of us. They must be our NEWT results.'

"Master Harry preferred having his breakfast in the library this morning, Mistress," Dobby answered, shaking his floppy ears while operating the gas stove: "Dobby tried Mistress. Dobby said to Master Harry that Master should sit down and enjoy his breakfast in peace, but Master wouldn't hear any of it."

"I see." Marlene sighed and drained her glass in two more gulps: "I'll take those pancakes to-go then, please. My dear husband is in for his very first telling-off by his lovely wife."

"Oh no, Master Harry is in big trouble now." Dobby chuckled nervously and flipped the second pancake: "Mistress will make Master sleep on the couch, yes she will..."

She chuckled: "That depends on how well he takes it.

'Though I'd rather have him in my bed.'

"Here you go, Mistress Marly." Dobby handed her a plate with three thick pancakes and a generous amount of whipped cream, including a cheery all the way at the top.

"Thank you, Dobby." She left the kitchen, heading back to the entrance and further down to the library.

Most of the space within the large shelves was still empty but their personal collection was starting to come together nicely.

'Thank Merlin that we asked our guests for copies of their tomes instead of gold we hardly have a need for.' She let her eyes roam over the priceless gifts from the Potter, McKinnon, and Black Library, a small smile curling her lips: 'Of course, the Room of Hidden Things contributed its fair share as well, smuggled out of the Castle right underneath the Headmaster's crooked nose.'

She spotted Harry all the way in the back, leaning over a collection of parchment and ancient, leather-bound tomes at the large table he had bought. He didn't seem to have noticed her yet, eyes locked on a section he was reading with his finger trailing over the letters.

Marlene quietly put the plate with pancakes down on a nearby stand and approached him on her tiptoes, picking up the closest handwritten note, a parchment full of multivariable functions and runic drawings

"You've been very diligent this morning, my husband..."

"Hey- what!" Harry's head snapped up, startled. He caught her looking at the note and raised his hand, summoning it back into his palm: "Sorry, I -uhm- I was looking for just that one..."

"I see..." Marlene hid her frown: "Good morning to you as well..."

"Yeah- yeah, sorry, good morning. Excuse the mess, love, let me clean up a bit." He shut a few of the tomes close and hurriedly placed the note along with a few others in the top drawer underneath his desk: "That's much better." He smiled and stood up, walking around the table to scoop her in his arms and capture her lips in a kiss: "How did you sleep?"

"Good, though waking up was a bit disappointing." Marlene wiggled out of his embrace and picked up her plate of pancakes, cutting off a piece with her fork.

"Why is that?" Harry watched her take a generous bite with an amused expression.

"The honeymoon phase seems to be over since you failed in your core duties as a loving husband." Marlene let her tongue dart over the corner of her lips, catching some whipped cream: "You're supposed to hold your wife tight when she wakes up, not be off sneaking into the library."

"I'm terribly sorry, how could I..." Harry grinned. "So where does that leave us?"

"Dobby suggested I should let you sleep on the couch." Marlene picked the pink cherry from the plate and balanced it between her teeth, shooting him a coy look: "But I'd rather you make it up to me..."

"Same here. I promise to do whatever you'd like." Harry laughed, bending down to kiss her lips and lick the last bits of cream she had missed away: "Our honeymoon phase doesn't just fade out, it will be eternal."

'Wishful thinking.'

"You're always sweet-talking your way out of trouble, Mister." Marlene pouted, allowing one more kiss before she gently leaned away and fished the two envelopes from within décolleté: "We've received mail this morning, love. Mail from Hogwarts."

"Let's see what they have to say then." Harry grinned and plugged the one addressed to him from between her fingers, opening it by running his thumb over the edge: "Not that it matters for either of us aside from the bragging rights, of course..."

"Show off." Marlene rolled her eyes, using the Elder Wand on the table to open her own and unfold the parchment within.

She skipped the customary greeting and explanations, letting her eyes roam to the bottom where her results were displayed.

'Not bad.' Marlene smirked in satisfaction. 'Not bad at all.'

"How did you do?" She turned to Harry.

The ghost of a smile hovered on his face: "'Outstanding +' in all exams with exception of Herbology, where I received an 'Outstanding -', but since I didn't plan on becoming a gardener anyway..."

"How unfortunate." Marlene felt her smirk widen while she handed over her own results: "I don't see a single minus on this one, there's only pluses..."

"Congrats, you've earned all of those marks." Harry nodded sincerely after scanning the parchment: "Depending on how Lily did, I will simply have to settle for second or third best of our year, even after performing more spectacular magic than even Albus Dumbledore himself."

"Talking about magic... What were these bits all about?" Marlene gestured at the remaining books, picking up the closest tome and translating the title from Latin.

'Secrets of the Soul.'

She stiffened her frown: "Developed a sudden interest in souls?"

"It's a project I started with Aurelius." Harry hesitated only for a second while he spun the Elder and between his fingers: "Soul magic covers such a broad spectrum, from the human-presence-charm all the way to Horcruxes. Aurelius' Tome was soul magic as well, as are the Hallows, especially the Resurrection Stone. I just know there's a lot more potential to be uncovered in this branch."

'Potential goes both ways.'

"I see." Marlene flipped through a different sheet of notes, not missing the way Harry shifted on the spot, fingers edging to take it from her: "Do you have a specific goal in mind already?"

"No- not really." Harry ran a hand through his hair: "I'm just trying to understand it better. Even at university and later with the Unspeakables, the study of the soul was always frowned upon, some of it outright forbidden by the ICW."

"For very good reasons." Marlene hummed, tearing her eyes away from the calculations: "History serves as a good reminder of the many dangers that those who mingled with soul magic expose themselves to. I hope you're being careful?"

"Of course." Harry nodded quickly, his lips curled into a perfect, soothing grin while he took her back into his arms: "But I've been at it for a few hours already and I could use a little break."

"A break." Marlene batted her eyelashes at him with a wide smirk: "What kind of break?"

"How about we go back to the room and I make my absence this morning up to you?" Harry's hands dipped to her waist, pulling her closer: "And of course, you deserve some extra special treatment for beating me in our NEWTs as well."

"You're out of luck on that front, love." Marlene sighed and kissed his cheek apologetically: "I'd love to, but right now is a very bad time."

"Oh, I see." Harry glanced down at her, a flicker of apprehension in his green eyes: "Are you feeling okay? Can I get you something? Anything for the cramps perhaps?"

"You're too sweet." Marlene pecked him again: "But it's not that time yet, not for a few more days probably." She chuckled at his confused expression: "We ran out of the potion last night and since these days are very risky, we probably shouldn't..."

"Ah, now I understand." Harry nodded, still eying her curiously: "Say... how risky are these days actually?"

'Depends on how serious you are, love.'

Feeling bold she smirked and pressed herself closer against him: "You can always carry me upstairs and we can find out together."

"Are you- " He swallowed, staring at her wide-eyed: "You mean..."

She giggled and he deflated a tad.

"I'm just joking, love." Marlene sighed, stiffing the tiny stab of disappointment: "I know you don't- "

"-it's not that I don't want to..." Harry cupped her face: "I'd just rather not raise a child in the middle of the war, within so much uncertainty, so much chaos, so much death. Nobody knows if- " His voice caught in his lungs and he shook his head, a dark shadow twisting in his eyes: "No, doesn't matter."

'Nobody knows if we'd both survive?' Her fingers curled into his robes as she understood some of his worries: 'He doesn't want any child of his to go through the same as he did, to grow up without loving parents.'

"But that doesn't mean I don't want this with you, Marlene. The day we finally start a family will be the best of my life." He kissed her softly: "Nothing will ever change that."

"I just know it will be perfect." Marlene melted into the kiss. 'And it means he's not opposed to the idea. He wouldn't even be that upset if it happened a bit earlier.'

His touches soon grew more demanding as he pressed her closer against him, pausing only to allow them to draw a few ragged breaths: "So... what do we do about the potion?"

"Someone sounds eager." She laughed, planting one more kiss on the corner of his lips: "I'll go to Saint Mungo's today to buy some more."

'Tell me not to buy too much. Tell me a few weeks are enough...'

"I didn't even know you had to buy that at Saint Mungo's." Harry mused brushing golden curls behind her ear: "Would you like me to come with you?"

"No, it's fine, I can manage running some errands by myself." She patted his chest and drew away from him: "You stay here and have some fun studying souls. Just be careful, okay?"

"You too." A shadow flickered in his eyes for a second: "Call me if you need anything."

"I will." Marlene apparated back into their bedroom and shrugged off the light robes, choosing a modest, blue summer dress in its stead.

Two consecutive flicks of her wand ensured that her hair was tamed in a long braid and a small purse summoned from the wardrobe, in which she placed the empty vials from her nightstand.

'I shall look presentable for my first public appearance as Lady Peverell.'

Marlene cast a final glance at her reflection in the mirror before strolling into the office opposite their bedroom, where the closest fireplace was located.

"Saint Mungo's."

Green flames roared and swallowed her vision before she was whisked away in a swirl of colors. She reappeared a second later, bright white tiles searing her eyes.

Marlene brushed some ash off her shoulder and tossed her long braid to the other side, striding past the few witches and wizards seated in the waiting area.

A brown-haired witch, perhaps a few years older than her, caught her attention, making her pause in her step and linger. The witch was sitting next to a young man, cradling a small bundle against her chest and swaying it gently from side to side. She whispered words Marlene was too far away to hear, all the while staring down lovingly.

'Soon.'

Marlene tore her eyes away from the bundle and strode further, her heels echoing over the white tiles. She was recognized immediately and hushed whispers broke out before she even reached the empty desk of the receptionist. Marlene paid them no heed and waited patiently to be received.

"One moment, please." The voice of a young woman sounded from behind the corner, there was a half-familiar tone to it.

"Now then, what can I get for you- "

The Healer's steps rang closer, yet she stopped dead in her tracks, mouth slightly open when she saw Marlene.

'Of course.'

Marlene let out a sigh as she was met with the surprised expression of Narcissa Black. Her long blonde hair was held in a tight ponytail and she was covered in plain white robes with a small name tag over her chest.

'What a lovely coincidence.'

"Ms. McKinnon- ?" Black's perfectly manicured eyebrows slowly lowered: "How may I help you today?"

"It's Peverell now, Trainee Healer Black." Marlene's eyes dipped to the name tag: "Surely your grandfather told you as much?"

She flashed the band of gold on her finger, unable to keep the ice out of her voice when her mind suddenly conjured an image of the blonde in front of her kissing her now husband.

'It doesn't matter.' She tore the image away. 'Harry still chose me, so I won in the end.'

"Of course, my apologies. Congratulations to you, Lady Peverell." Black shot her a half-sincere smile: "My grandfather shared that it was a lovely ceremony. Still, you had the entire wizarding society surprised by keeping it so secluded..."

'Did she really imply she would've liked an invitation? Her being the only other witch my husband had a history with?'

"Harry and I prefer our privacy." Marlene stiffened a flare of anger, forcing a bright smile on her face while she flourished her wand and erected a quick privacy ward: "Which is why I'd best address the reason for my visit quickly..."

"Of course, Lady Peverell." Black nodded, eying the piece of wood in her hand warily: "How may Saint Mungo's help you today?"

"I'd like to resupply my stock of the anti-fertility potion." Marlene took the empty small vials out of her purse and placed them on the counter.

"Let me check your prescription really quick," Black replied and accepted them, storing them on a shelf to her right. She took out a box of files, flicking through them until she found the right one: "This should be yours right here."

"Perhaps you want to store it with the other surnames starting with 'P', now that you're holding it," Marlene suggested innocently. "It will make it easier to find the next time."

"Yes, I shall do that. Thank you." Black barely managed to keep a smile on her face and skimmed through the file: "The last time you were here you've been given a supply for 12 months. How many months do you and your husband require this time?" Her blonde eyebrow curled: "Or are we perhaps talking years?"

'This bloody slag...'

"Oh, you misunderstood me." Marlene ignored the strong urge to pluck those perfect eyebrows like feathers from a chicken and merely smirked: "Harry and will merely require a few more weeks, say a month at best. After that, we will... well, I'll hardly have to explain the rest to a Healer, will I?"

"I see." Black's smug expression faltered in a scowl: "Fine..."

She thrust four small vials on the counter: "Take them on an empty stomach at the beginning of the week."

"I shall do so- " Marlene nodded, inspecting one of the vials: " -for the brief time remaining..."

"Is there anything else Saint Mungo's may help you with, Lady Peverell?"

"No, that will be all," Marlene said. "Thank you, Trainee Healer Black."

"Well, then I wish you best of luck and a pleasant day."

"Your wishes are well received." Marlene stored the vials in her purse and shot the blond a final smirk, allowing a girlish chuckle to roll from her lips: "With how... enthusiastic Harry and I are, a small streak of luck will probably be all we need."

'Serves her right.'

She ignored the indignant expression on Narcissa's face and tossed her hair over her shoulder, then turned her back to the other witch, striding across the waiting area back to the fireplace.

The vial's clinked in her purse: 'Time for some more errands before I can enjoy those.'

Marlene grabbed a handful of floo powder and vanished in roaring green flames, reappearing in the Leaky Cauldron a second later.

The usual lot either lingered at the counter or was scattered around the few tables. Hood-covered heads lifted from their drinks to glimpse at the latest arrival, many of them shifting closer to their neighbors to engage in hushed whispers as she was recognized.

"Lady Peverell." Tom's eyes widened and he gave her a small bow: "Welcome, can I get you anything today?"

Marlene shook her head: "I'm just passing through, Tom, perhaps next time." She proceeded to the back of the pub where she accessed Diagon Alley.

Wizarding Britain's shopping district seemed as lifeless as the last few times she had been here. Despite the good weather, barely any customers lingered underneath the bright red umbrellas of Fortescue's ice cream cafe.

She strode further up the cobblestone road, passing the apothecary on her way to Twillfit & Tattings when a sudden tingle ran down her spine at the height of Ollivander's shop.

'Definitely not my lucky day.'

Her wand slipped into her palm and drew a semicircle just before an explosion had her ears ringing and sent her across the rough, stony ground.

She winced as she felt the tiny cuts and scrapes across her back and elbows creep back together while she drew herself back up. A sharp thrill of excitement surged through her veins, making her grip her wand more tightly with a grim expression.

'But perhaps I can blow off some steam.'

Her skin tingled again. A faint bubble of magic flared from her wand, shielding her from the second explosion. The windows of Ollivander's shop burst, sending sharp splinters of glass over the road.

Marlene flicked her wrist, melting the incoming shards before she spun around searching for the attackers. She caught movement out of the corner of her eye and acted on instinct, punching a flash of bright purple through the chest of a man that attempted to leap behind the corner into cover.

A scream tore through the alley, bones shattered like twigs, and blood splashed over stones.

'One down. But surely they didn't come for me, did they?'

With a loud hiss, thick, black smoke spread like an ever-growing dark cloud, blocking her vision of the alley and the shop. Several audible snaps revealed a small group of wizards apparating, followed by loud shouts, brief spellfire, and a second explosion that burst against something wooden.

"Take him and get out of here!" A harsh voice barked orders from within the smoke: "I'll cover your retreat!"

'We'll see about that.'

Marlene drew magic into a tight orb at the tip of her wand, holding it in until the ache in her lungs became unbearable. With a bang she sent it surging forward through rippling air straight into the cloud, forcing the thick darkness apart until the view on the alley cleared.

A group of dark-robed, silver masked figures, one of them with the familiar, frail form of Britain's wandmaker slumped over his shoulder, lingered at the destroyed entrance to the shop.

'What could they possibly need with him?'

"Fuck!" The first one screamed as he noticed her, his wand came up for a shield a split second too late.

Her spell caught the shoulder square, coating it with a layer of shimmering green magic before the entire limb was ripped out at the socket, splattering crimson over the cobblestone.

Her second spell was about to connect with the man carrying the wandmaker when it was suddenly swallowed by an ebony mist of magic, fizzing away in angry hisses and whispers.

Marlene felt her heart pounding frantically as she spun on the spot. 'I only know of two people who can do this.' Fear clawed at her core, sending trembles down her wand arm. 'And I'd feel it if Harry was here, so it's not him.'

The faintest rustle made her head snap back to the entrance of the shop.

Lord Voldemort's form curled like smoke on the wind, fading into view in front of his followers, with burning red eyes that bored into Marlene.

"Leave us." His eyes never left her while he spoke the words, they traveled in a cold whisper, making her skin crawl.

Loud snaps echoed over the cobblestone as the Death Eaters grabbed their wounded and fallen comrades and apparated away.

Pale, thin lips curled in amusement: "Marlene... Peverell," He spread his arms, quenching the hissing flames that still clawed at the shop and keeping the smoke at bay: "What a pleasant surprise to meet you here. It lets me kill two birds with one stone."

'No!'

"Harry will destroy you soon enough, for everything you've done to us, to my family-" She bit her own tongue, stopping herself from spilling the next words. 'And to his family.'

"Will he?" Voldemort smiled coldly: "Then why are you so afraid of me? Why does he keep running?"

Rage burned through her veins at seeing his amused, cruel grin. Hot tears of anger made her vision swim.

"Our family and blood will flourish while your flesh withers within the ground." She shook herself out of her daze and blinked the tears away, preparing to force the world past her when he suddenly spoke up again.

"Don't leave just yet, girl." Voldemort's eyes flashed scarlet, cold, deadly magic spread from him like a carpet, lacing the air thickly: "Lord Voldemort wishes you to stay, for I have a message to your dear husband."

"You're nothing!" Marlene spat through clenched teeth: "And nothing you could say would interest him!"

"Are you certain, child?" His high, cold laughter rang over to her. He wandlessly levitated a single golden letter from Ollivander's sign, letting it hover in the air between them: "Not even my sudden interest in wandlore, which led my followers here today?"

'Why indeed?' Marlene felt her brows curl into a frown before she could stop herself.

"I see I've caught your attention, good." Voldemort inclined his head: "I came here not for a replacement of my wand, no-" He caressed the pale yew wand lovingly between long, bony fingers: "It works just as fine as the day I picked it up almost 40 years ago, so full of excitement to cast my first pieces of magic with it..."

Marlene remained tight-lipped and silent, trying to make sense of the words that reached her ears.

"But magic is what brought me back here so many years later." Voldemort continued: "I have studied magic for decades at the most foreign and hostile places. I have seen and performed pieces of magic many would struggle to even dream of, let alone comprehend, and yet in the span of just three, single years I have witnessed sorcery that has surprised me. I, who has gone further than anyone else on the path to unravel magic's deepest mysteries..."

"Perhaps you have been looking in the wrong places," Marlene suggested, allowing the ghost of a smile to play on her lips.

"Perhaps I have." Her choice of words had him flinch and his eyes flash scarlet again: "And still, no form of magic should enable you to hide from me the way you did in Ottery St. Catchpole that night. No magic has ever bested my wards. No magic should have allowed the two of you, both of age, to cross the lake on my ferry and steal my ancestor's heirloom."

'So he's seen it.'

"It is now fused with our blood, mine and Harry's," Marlene hissed in pride: "Forever taken from your grasp to be passed down our family instead."

"Hundreds of muggles, their bodies, blood, and souls, were sacrificed to ensure the magic on my ferry remains infallible for eternity," Voldemort whispered, his voice laced with rage, his fingers twitching around his wand: "So I asked myself, how could not one but two have crossed the lake together? And I understood that one of them must have concealed themselves, their magic, perhaps even their very soul…"

'He cannot know!' Marlene recoiled in fear, the dull pounding in her head grew stronger: 'How could he possibly know?!'

"And then I recalled an old anecdote I once heard in my youth, during a long, cold winter down in the Slytherin common room. A children's story I back then dismissed as an old wife's tale, just as inconsequential as so many others that are still spread through the magical world in faint whispers." Voldemort conjured whiffs of black smoke from the tip of his wand, his eyes following as they twisted around themselves: "But what if this tale was different from the others? What if it had some truth to it? What if the legendary artifacts, of which one perfectly captured the attributes I was looking for, actually existed?"

'No!' Marlene's breath caught in her chest. 'Don't let it be true!'

"And so I went on a journey through wizarding history, searching for the truth, my steady companion, an ancient crest I stumbled over time and time again..." The black mist formed into a triangle that was split by a thin vertical line with a circle wrapping itself around it.

'Our secret.' Marlene fingernails dug so deep into her palm she felt wetness trickle down. 'Our final weapon.'

Voldemort's eyes widened in triumph: "Young Harry has used this sign repeatedly, as had his name-giver, Ignotus Peverell, whose tombstone I found withering away in Godric's Hollow." He grimaced, his pale face spasming in barely controlled anger: "But even before that, I have seen it... scratched into the Ring I had taken from my uncle after learning it had been passed down within my family. A Ring your husband has stolen from me…"

"Because you tainted it in your ignorance, unable to comprehend the unique magic within-," Marlene snorted: "- further proving that you're unworthy of such a gift."

"I don't care for the dead, mourning them is a weakness!" Voldemort roared, gone was the false calmness, gone was the control. "I don't care about concealing my soul or magic, I am the greatest wizard alive!"

Cold magic flared from him in thick ripples, forcing air from her lungs, squeezing her tight.

"But what I do care for, Marlene Peverell, is the Wand." He stepped forward, letting go of the rage he had tamed for too long: "The Wand I saw in the Headmaster's fragile, old hands when he returned from his duel against Gellert Grindelwald. The Wand Dumbledore no longer wielded when he faced me at the Malfoy Wedding. The Wand that had been taken from him by your husband, the Death Stick, the Wand of Destiny, the Elder Wand!"

"It will never be yours!" Marlene hissed, breaking his hold over her and breathing freely: "You will never hold its allegiance. It is now bound to our blood!"

"Blood I share with the Peverells, as I have found out during my journey, you foolish girl! I shall rip the wand from your dead husband's grip after tearing him limb from limb." Voldemort roared, slashing his arm forward and tossing her into the scattering of chairs from Fortescue's Cafe: "Harry Peverell's Death shall reinstate my immortality, his Death shall conclude my invincibility!"

Marlene leaped back up, wand at the ready, when suddenly soft snaps of apparition sounded around them. She caught red-robed Aurors closing in from all sides, glimpsing at her brother's face at the very forefront.

"Go, Marlene Peverell, go and run back to your husband." Voldemort wrenched his cloak around in wisps of black smoke, letting crimson eyes burn into hers one last time: "And tell him I have learned of his secrets. Tell him I'm coming for him. Tell the Master of Death to defend his title..."