Disclaimer: I own none of the things you already know of.
Harry Potter and the Smallest Change.
Chapter 18. Summer of 1994, Part 2.
The next morning, Harry stood in a room off from the basement of number twelve Grimmauld Place, Susan, and Holly on either side. He peered around the stone room; it was bare except a door that led out to the basement proper.
Across from the three students stood the three Marauders.
Sirius grinned at Susan, then to Harry and Holly.
'Welcome kids to my childhood tort- I mean training room. In this room, my worthless parents taught me all sorts of dark and horrible spells.' Sirius said, his haunted eyes belied the grin on face.
'In here, the Ministry cannot track magic, primarily for our purposes, underage magic.' Remus said, and James grinned.
'Now, as Head Auror, or Director in your Aunt's case, we could have applied for an exemption. But this doesn't involve any paperwork or corrupt bureaucrats getting information we don't want them to know.' James said and Remus sighed.
'Prongs, come on, we talked about this.' The werewolf sighed and James huffed.
'Fine, be boring Moony.' James grumbled before he turned back to the students.
'We all know that Voldemort is not dead, that he's trying to come back. Harry encountered his wraith in his first year. Then a memory of him in his second year.' Sirius trailed off and looked to the other Marauders to continue.
Remus ran a hand through his moustache.
'Over the next three weeks, the three of us, as well as a few others, will train you in here for four hours a day. This is entirely voluntary, you don't need to do the training, but we all thought it important enough to spend our free time to train you.' Remus explained.
Sirius clapped once to take the attention from the werewolf.
'Okay kids, today, you've got the three of us and we're going to put you through your paces. Let's find out what you can do.' Sirius smirked and drew his wand.
A moment later, the three Marauders all tossed silent spells at the three students and Harry growled, unprepared for the sudden attack.
Wandlessly, he created a shield to protect the three, but felt the drain on his magic straight away. With his other hand, he drew his wand and turned to Susan.
'Susan, I want you and Holly to attack Sirius, he's the weak link of the three.' Harry said, and Susan frowned before she gave a nod.
Harry created a powerful shield with his wand and dropped his wandless one.
He took a breath.
'I'll distract the three of them. Close your eyes when I start casting.' He said and dropped the shield.
A moment later, he ran forward, dodging the Tickling and Slug Vomiting spells tossed his way.
'Lumos Maxima.' He called and closed his eyes. A flick of his wand, followed by a second flick, sent out a blinding flash of light at the three men.
Harry ran forward with his eyes closed and figured he would be about three metres in front of the Marauders now. He dove to his left and heard the whoosh of spell fire rush past him.
He opened his eyes and found he was on his fathers' side who had put up a full body shield.
Without a sparing a glance toward the girls, Harry stabbed his wand at his father.
'Aqua Eructo' he commanded, and a thick jet of water shot out toward the three Marauders, hitting James' shield and the floor.
Harry kept the spell going and continued running behind the Marauders, then he noticed the girls on the other side of the room laying stunned on the floor.
He groaned and figured they must have been stunned the moment he dropped the shield.
With a growl, he poured more magic into the Water Making Charm. He switched targets to Sirius' shield as he stood in the middle of the three.
Water pooled around the three, and Harry grinned and cut the flow of magic to his water charm.
'Glacius.' He shouted and the water around the Marauders froze solid, right up until it hit the men's shields.
Harry gaped as the three Marauders turned around, each wore a wide smirk.
'You did well kiddo, well, after you abandoned your untrained teammates. Were they going to hold you back?' Sirius said with a smirk and Harry glared.
'No, I trusted that they-' Harry said, and James shook his head.
'No Harry, they haven't been training like you. Susan hasn't learned anything other than the spells they've taught at Hogwarts.' James cut Harry off and Remus sighed.
'Holly trusts that you will protect her, but the events of last year showed that you can't be around all the time. This is why we're doing this training.' Remus said and Sirius shook his head.
'Harry, this training isn't about you. This is about them. This match should make it obvious to you that while you are remarkably skilled, you are one person.' Sirius said, and Harry clenched his jaw.
Harry flicked out his wand, followed by another flick.
'Lumos Maxima.' And a blinding flash of light interrupted the Marauders mid speech.
Harry ran to his left, circling around Remus. He jabbed his wand toward where he assumed the werewolf stood, likely with a shield raised.
'Avis, Oppugno.'
A dozen canaries shot out of Harry's wand and flew toward the Marauders. Bird song echoed through the room as their war cry.
He rushed toward the fallen girls and tripped, he fell face first on the stone floor.
Harry groaned and held his throbbing face. He turned to see Remus dispel his canaries.
Sirius stepped toward Harry, breaking away from the other two men.
'So now you go back to stand with the girls after we called you out on abandoning them?' he shook his head.
Harry growled, his mind raced to find a way to win. They were toying with him, which gave him a chance.
'Harry, you can't beat three adult wizards. You couldn't beat Peter and he was the least of us.' James said, his voice low.
Harry's lip curled.
'Rosea Oculus.' He hissed, pointing his wand at Sirius, who batted the spell away into the wall.
'Everte Statum.' Harry shouted, and a pulse of magic rushed toward Sirius, who again batted it away with his wand.
'Ennervate, Ennervate.' Harry whispered, pointing his wand at each of the girls behind him before bringing his wand around in a wide arc.
'Expulso.' Harry shouted, aiming at the floor in front of Sirius, whose eyes grew wide and threw himself away from the spot, which exploded a moment later, sending out a wave of pressure that both James and Remus shielded.
Harry stood and brought up a wandless shield to block a return spell from Remus. He dropped the wandless shield a moment later and aimed at James.
'Ferula.'
Bandages shot out of his wand toward James, who quirked an eyebrow at Harry and sent a stunning spell that Harry recognised and shielded.
But he didn't notice the spell a fraction of a second after it that shattered his shield and then ropes bound him from Sirius and Harry fell to the stone floor beside the girls.
James and the other two Marauders towered over him, their wands at their sides.
'Harry. You've done well, but you can't beat us.' James said.
'I'm actually a little disappointed Prongslet, I bet with Moony here that you would have been a leader. Instead, he won the bet. He said you would try to do everything yourself.' Sirius said with a sigh.
'I know I was betting that you would behave as you did, but I was hoping you wouldn't Harry.' Remus added.
Harry growled, all trussed up, and glared at the three.
Then twin flashes of red light lit the room and James and Remus fell to the floor, stunned.
A moment later, Harry's ropes were cut, and he leapt off the ground, Holly, and Susan on either side.
'Thanks girls, let's finish this.' He said, and they nodded.
Before Sirius could wake the other two, Harry jabbed his wand at the stunned form of his father.
'Accio James Potter's wand.' And Harry caught his father's wand a moment later.
Sirius' eyes widened, and Harry pointed his wand at Remus.
'Accio Remus Lupin's wand.' Then caught Remus' wand as it sailed through the air.
Sirius stepped back and grinned.
'Okay kids, let's see you try to finish this.' The Lord Black said.
A moment later, spells left Sirius' wand with a speed Harry could not follow and he resorted to dodging after one tore through a hasty wandless shield.
The girls weren't doing much better and struggled to find an opening on Sirius to cast anything offensive at him.
Harry stepped forward but fell to his knees as something kicked the back of his legs.
He looked up to see a smirking Remus who karate chopped his neck and Harry blacked out.
Harry groaned and sat up, still in the training room of Grimmauld Place.
'What happened?' he asked, his head fuzzy.
'We got beaten. Uncle Sirius woke up Remus with one of his spells.' Holly said with a sigh.
'And you said dad was the weak link?' Susan asked, and Harry shrugged.
'He's not a Head Auror, or a werewolf. I figured he would be easier than the other two.' Harry admitted.
A laugh came from the other side of the room where the three Marauders stood, leaning against the wall.
'Well, you're not exactly wrong kiddo. But I was an Auror until I married Amy.' Sirius grinned.
'But then, you were also making assumptions and in battle that can cost lives.' James said.
'I did notice that you used some pretty powerful magic back there Harry, I'm impressed.' Remus said with a small smile.
Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
'It wasn't enough.' He admitted and James laughed.
'Of course, it wasn't enough. Sometimes, when you are outmatched, you just need to escape. It's as simple as that.' James said, and Harry frowned at him.
'What do you mean?' Harry asked and James rolled his eyes, then looked at Sirius.
Sirius stretched and cracked his neck before he sighed in relief.
'Ah, that's better. Anyway, what your dad is trying to say Harry, and you girls too, is when there's no way to win, escape the situation.' Sirius said, and Harry frowned.
'But there's always a chance to win.' Harry said, and the three Marauders frowned.
'No Harry, there's not. Not even Dumbledore could turn the tide of the last war. If he could, he would have.' Remus said, and Harry dropped his gaze to the floor.
James moved forward and knelt in front of Harry. He rested a hand on his shoulder.
'Harry, we meant it before when we said this training isn't to make you stronger. This is meant to get the two of them up to scratch.' He said, and Harry met his father's gaze.
'However, that's not to say you get an easy ride. We're going to teach you all to cast wordlessly.' Sirius said, and Remus nodded.
Remus stroked his moustache and gave the three a smile.
'I roughly know where the three of you are at education wise. Harry, I expect that you'll get this before the girls. I've noticed that you've been trying to teach yourself how to do it.' Remus said, and Harry nodded.
'I don't know what I've been doing wrong though.' Harry admitted, and Remus smiled.
'That is a common issue with self-trained wizards, which, in a lot of ways, you are. But over the next three weeks we will iron out the issues you've encountered with your training.' Remus said.
James clapped his hands together with a grin.
'Okay, you three, back to work. We've got a few more hours before you're free.' He said with a grin and the girls groaned while Harry nodded, his face resolute.
The next three weeks passed with physical training at Potter Manor in the early morning, then magical training until lunch. The three found themselves being trained by three revolving trainers each day. Amelia, James, Sirius, Remus, and Lily. A few times they were met by the grizzled and legendary Auror, Alastor Moody.
Moody shouting, CONSTANT VIGILANCE, every few minutes became a staple for their training sessions. This became even more true when Sirius and James started bursting into the room and doing the same during their training with other adults.
Harry woke up before dawn on the twenty fifth of August, keen to get some training in before going to the Quidditch World Cup being held that night.
He was interested in the international game, of course. What fourteen/sixteen-year-old would not be? But he was more excited and nervous to see Fleur, who would be there too.
Harry sighed as he completed another set of sit-ups on the damp grass, watching the sun rise over the mountains in the distance. He was far beyond what he would normally do in the morning as a warmup, he'd been going for over an hour now and still his mind raced.
What did he feel about Fleur? He had known her for years now. They talked often through letters until last Christmas, when she completed the mirrors before he could. Since then, they'd spoken every night.
He couldn't imagine not having her in his life. She was his best friend, after all. But his feelings toward her were not the same as what he felt for Susan or the other girls in his life. Fleur didn't feel like a sister, like Holly.
Harry swapped to push ups and quickly got lost in his thoughts again.
He'd always been mocked by the Marauders about how close he and Susan were. They all assumed the two would date. Even Amelia seemed to assume the same.
But it wasn't the same.
He didn't want to risk his friendship with Fleur. She was his best friend, the one he confided in, bounced ideas off, and she always was there to make him feel better. Like he was for her.
But did that mean they'd work as a couple?
He enjoyed dancing with her and being around her, even before her maturation into a gorgeous young woman. She was no longer a girl, the girl he'd known for years. She was a woman now and even if he decided he wanted more out of their friendship, why would she agree?
Harry shook his head. It could ruin their friendship; he was one of her only friends and he didn't want to endanger that just because he thought they might work as a couple.
Harry's mind returned to reality, and he felt his body burning. He blinked as he realised he was mid sit up, then frowned. He was doing push ups the last time he knew.
His body burned. How had he continued to exercise without thinking?
He let out a groan and fell back onto the dewy grass that soothed his protesting back. He let out a breath and closed his eyes, trying to relax his hyper-tense muscles.
Harry opened his eyes. He looked up to see the sun higher above the mountains now and wondered how long he'd been lost in thought.
'Harry.' Holly called, and Harry turned his head toward the house and watched her run toward him.
She stopped next to him and leaned down over his face.
'You've pushed yourself too hard.' She sighed.
Harry groaned as he tried to sit up, but his muscles refused to obey him, and he sighed.
'I got lost in thought.' He admitted.
Holly laughed.
'Did you keep working out, even with your mind elsewhere?' she smirked, but at his nod her face fell.
'How does that even happen?' she asked and sat down beside him.
'What am I going to do with my stupid brother?' she asked, and he groaned.
'Will you let me catch my breath before making me do anything?' Harry asked, and she grinned, poking his bare chest.
'You need to look after yourself, especially if you want to save any maidens this year.' She said, and he growled.
'That's not what I want to do, it just happens.' He huffed.
Holly grinned, and held up four fingers.
'First year was Hermione.' One finger down.
'Second year was Ginny.' Two fingers down.
'Third year and Susan and I, along with a bunch of other people.' Three fingers down.
'It's like you're setting up your fourth year to be the biggest yet.' She said, waggling her pointer finger.
Harry huffed.
'I'm just in the right place at the right time.' He said.
Holly laughed and tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear.
'Or wrong place at the right time.' She said.
Harry groaned and rolled over and struggled to sit up.
He let out a hiss as his muscles protested.
Holly gasped.
'Are your muscles actually dancing?' she asked, she reached out a finger to touch his back.
He let out another pained hiss and pulled away from her.
'Ouch.' He growled and closed his eyes as Holly watched his back in fascination.
'Harry, that doesn't look good. It's like there's something moving under there.' Holly said.
'My muscles are seizing up, cramping. I should probably go have a bath, so I don't do any lasting damage.' He said before he met her gaze.
'Maybe I pushed myself a bit too far.' He admitted with a sigh.
Holly huffed.
'Of course you did.' She stood and held out a hand to help him to his feet.
Holly ducked under one of his arms and wrapped it around her shoulder. Together, the two made their way back to Potter Manor.
Inside the house, Holly set Harry down beside the bath and turned the taps, so water rushed out.
Harry watched as she took a glass jar filled with violet liquid and poured about a third of it into the running bath. Instantly, the scent of lavender filled the room.
'Thanks Holly.' Harry said, and she grinned at him.
'What is family for? Now call out if you need help to get out, I'll send someone else.' she grinned and leaned forward to kiss his brow before leaving the bathroom.
She closed the door behind her.
He crawled into the bath after struggling out of his clothes, hissing in pain as he moved. As soon as he sunk his aching body under the water, he let out a sigh of content. The water and whatever Holly had put in the bath soothed his protesting muscles, and he relaxed.
Laying boneless in the bath until the water cooled was the most relaxing thing he'd ever experienced.
Once the water cooled to room temperature, he regretted not switching on the runes his mother had put on the outside of the bath to keep the water hot, but his mind was so foggy that all he could do was lose himself in thought once more.
He wondered at how, when he'd seen Fleur on her birthday, she had instantly been the centre of his world. She'd seemed so happy to see him that he'd lost himself in her presence. Was that what the Allure is? It wouldn't be so bad.
He caught himself. Disgust broke through the fog of his mind. He'd been caught in her Allure, the one thing he'd told himself he wouldn't do. Because he knew that all she wanted was someone who would be unaffected. All she wanted was for him to be her friend, not to follow her around like a puppy.
Harry clenched his jaw and his muscles tensed again, it sent shocks of pain through his body. But he appreciated the pain. It kept him lucid, kept him awake.
He dragged himself out of the bath, his muscles cried out in agony, he ignored the pain and towelled himself off.
Harry made his way to his room and changed into his clothes for the Cup later that day. Jeans, a green button-up shirt and a sleek dragonhide leather jacket.
As he looked himself over in the mirror, he was reminded about the Basilisk he'd killed. Harry wondered for a moment whether he could claim its corpse as its killer. He made a mental note to ask his parents about it later; Basilisk parts must fetch a nice price. He might even be able to get some combat robes made with the skin.
The green shirt looked good with his eyes, the same as his mother and sister. While he didn't follow Quidditch as avidly as many other students at Hogwarts, he did enjoy watching professional games and would be supporting Ireland in the final. As much out of a vague sense of kinship as anything else.
His mother had told him once that her mothers' family had come from Ireland, hence the red hair she had inherited.
'You look tired. You should rest. Bed hair won't be any different from normal, anyway.' The mirror said in French as Harry stared at himself on its surface.
Harry sighed in front of the mirror and moved on slow, hesitant feet out of his room.
He walked slowly downstairs to the lounge, where Holly sat on the couch reading a book with Charlus.
Holly smirked at him as he took a seat and let out a painted hiss.
Remus sat in a wing chair off to the side of the room, reading a book on advanced transfiguration. The werewolf wore a concerned expression as his amber eyes settled on Harry.
Harry waved off the werewolf's concern.
'Don't worry about it Remus, I just pushed myself a little too far this morning.' Harry said and Remus smiled, returning to his book.
'Sirius will be joining us soon with Susan. Neither Amy nor James can take the night off to watch the game with us. The Cup needs all the security it can get.' Remus said with his eyes still in the book.
Harry nodded and a moment later, a loud crack echoed through the room.
Sirius appeared, with Orion in his arms and Susan beside him. The three joined the group sitting on the couches.
Harry greeted them with a smile and flinched as Susan wrapped him in a hug.
She pulled back, worried.
'Sorry Susan, I just pushed myself too far this morning.' Harry said and Susan gave him a worried look before she sat down next to Holly with Charlus.
Sirius flopped down on a two-seater near the fireplace with Orion in his arms who giggled and reached out for Harry, whose eyes widened.
Sirius grinned before he sat Orion down on the couch beside him, he conjured a stuffed bear for the six-year-old to play with.
Harry sighed in relief; not sure his body would handle a squirming child sitting on him.
Sirius ruffled Orion's hair before turning to the rest of the group.
'Okay everyone, we'll be taking a portkey to the stadium in twenty minutes. I want to get there before all the crowds do.' He focussed on Harry next.
'I also wanted to check out the Potter tent. James told me that it was impressive, but we never really had the chance to take it out of storage.' Sirius said, and Harry grinned before he turned to Remus.
'So, Remus, will you be joining us in the festivities this time? Surely you're not being a babysitter again?' Harry asked and Remus put down his book, quirking an eyebrow.
'No, this time the others have to look after their own children themselves for once. I'm not missing this game.' The werewolf declared.
Sirius' eyes glinted with mischief.
'I'm willing to bet you Moony that Ireland wins it.' He said, and Remus rolled his eyes.
'Not a chance, Padfoot. Bulgaria is going to win for sure.' Remus said.
Harry smirked as his mother entered the room, dressed in her Irish team jersey.
'Ireland will win, but Krum will catch the snitch.' Lily proclaimed and the two Marauders glanced at each other, nodded, then turned back to Lily.
'Deal. What are the terms?' Sirius asked.
Lily smirked and turned to Remus.
'You won't complain about babysitting for a year.' She said, then turned to Sirius.
'If I win the bet, it will mean you did too. So, if I win, it supersedes your win. Additionally, you will keep James from doing anything too stupid for a month.' She said, and the two Marauders glanced at each other again. Harry was certain they were having a silent conversation somehow.
'Deal.' Remus said with a grin.
Lily turned to Harry, who was shaking his head at the two men.
'You, Harry, should behave. Or I'll be telling Fleur all sorts of embarrassing stories from your childhood. We are sharing one of the top boxes after all.' Lily grinned and Harry blanched.
Sirius huffed.
'Why do we have to share with whoever the Minister is bringing along with him?' he asked.
Lily sighed, and rubbed her temples with her fingers.
'Wait, that means I have to put up with Draco and Neville?' Harry asked.
Holly snickered alongside Susan.
'Well, if you are paying attention to them instead of Fleur, then there's something wrong with you.' Holly grinned.
Harry sighed, and admitted to himself that she had a point.
Lily smirked and walked into the kitchen, and returned a minute later with a bag of snacks that she shrunk and tucked in a backpack she dropped on the floor in front of her.
Sirius made to stand but yelped as a weak Stinging Hex hit his nose.
'Bad dog Sirius, these snacks are for later.' Lily said with a sweet smile and Sirius sat back down, grumbling.
A few moments later, Sirius stopped muttering under his breath when he realised no one was paying him any attention and checked his watch. He leapt from his spot on the couch with a wide grin.
Harry smirked at seeing Orion barely react to the man's presence. The kid was used to Sirius' antics.
'We're finally ready to go, right?' Sirius asked as he bounced in place.
Harry pushed down the pain that wracked his body as he dragged himself out of his chair and joined the group as they all moved to the centre of the room.
Sirius bounced on his toes and ran out of the house. He pulled a simple rope out of his pocket. Susan rolled her eyes and scooped Orion into her arms, then followed the hyperactive man.
The rest of the group followed, and soon only Harry was inside the house, hobbling behind the others. He joined them outside, where they all held the rope. Sirius waved at him.
'Hurry up Harry, you don't want to miss the chance to see your Veela, do you?' Sirius called.
Harry sped up and groaned as he took hold of the rope, whether from the pain of hurrying himself or from embarrassment, he didn't know.
A few seconds after he took the rope, he felt the familiar, yet still uncomfortable sensation of portkey travel, hooking him from his navel and tossing him halfway across the country.
The next thing Harry knew was pain. His body seized when the already highly uncomfortable experience of travelling by portkey turned excruciating when every muscle screamed at him to stop.
He'd learned how to land via portkey years before, after a few embarrassing trips with his father. But this time, he didn't have enough control of his body and ended up dragging the group into one large pile of limbs.
'Sirius, release me, otherwise you'll never have children again.' Lily screamed.
Harry pushed through the pain to find Susan's chest pressed against his face in a not unpleasant way.
Susan pulled away from him, her face red as Harry squirmed out from under her. Rather than pull himself to his feet, he let out a huff and lay back on the grass to catch his breath.
A minute later, the group had disentangled themselves and Sirius looked like a whipped dog while Susan's face was redder than her hair as she looked at the ground.
Remus held Orion's hand while Holly held Charlus' hand a little away from the rest of the group.
Remus and Holly were laughing at them while Lily muttered under her breath about dogs needing to be neutered.
Taking a deep breath, Harry forced himself to his feet and clenched his jaw against the pain.
'Who tripped you up?' James' voice came from behind them as he moved forward to capture Lily's lips in a soft kiss.
All faces turned to Harry, and he ducked his head. James grinned.
'That's what happens when you push yourself too hard. I'm surprised it took this long for it to happen, to be honest.' James said, and Harry rolled his eyes.
'Yes, everyone else has said the same thing. Now, where's the tent? I want to see Uncle Sirius' jaw hit the flaw.' Harry said, hastily changing the subject.
James' grin widened and with a jolly wave he led the group from the portkey zone toward a large tent. It was red and gold and at least a few square metres in size.
'How are we all going to fit in there?' Holly asked, frowning at the mid-sized tent.
Harry grinned and took her hand, leading her toward the crimson tent, and covered her eyes.
'Is this really necessary, Harry?' she asked, and Harry nodded her head up and down.
Harry turned to see James doing the same with Sirius, to eye rolls from Lily and Susan.
Lily shrugged and sighed before she half-heartedly covered Susan's eyes.
They entered the Potter family tent, and Harry uncovered Holly's eyes at the same time as James and Lily did the same.
Admittedly, Harry had only seen the tent once, but the others didn't need to know that.
Inside, everything was decorated in rich reds and golds, giving the abode a warm home feeling. It had three floors, and each connected to the central area where they stood. There was a staircase that started on the right-hand side of the room and hugged the wall as it went up. On each floor, there was a landing that stuck out from the stairs and at each landing there was a door that led further into the tent.
It was more like a secondary Potter Manor.
Harry forgot his pain as he watched Holly's eyes widen in wonder. He saw the same expressions on Sirius and Susan's faces. He shared a grin with his parents and smirked at Remus, who stood, mouth agape, his hand holding Charlus' and Orion's hands.
Harry moved in front of Holly.
'Welcome, to the Potter Tent.' He said and Susan stared up at the ceiling.
'Why bother with the pretence of a tent? This place is the size of Bones Manor.' Susan asked, to several nods.
Lily laughed and smiled at Susan.
'Apparently, Potters have always had strange ideas compared to most wizards. James told me once that the Potter that made this tent was one of the wizards who created even more advanced Expansion Charms than are used in other tents.' Lily explained while James moved beside her and put a hand on her waist.
'Yeah, this was just a toy to him. A toy he gifted to his son, who passed it on to his son when it was still functional, and so on.' James added.
Charlus, it seemed, had grown bored with gawking, unlike the others in the entrance hall.
'I'm hungry.' He said, breaking the spell that bound the rest of the group.
Harry grinned and walked to him, he ruffled his brother's red hair. He was nine years old now, and wanted to be seen as a grown up, so with a scowl, Charlus tried to push away Harry's hand with no success.
Harry chuckled and released Charlus before he turned to his parents.
'Hey guys, can I go explore the place?' he asked, and Lily smiled.
'Of course, honey, take the girls. I'll take Orion and Charlus with me, and I'll try to keep Sirius from doing anything too stupid.' She said.
'Hey, I'm not that bad.' Sirius objected, but sighed as he saw the raised eyebrows from the room.
'Fine, bullying redhead. Go ahead Harry, have fun with those two without me.' Sirius gave a dramatic sigh.
'Look after them Harry and be back in an hour.' James called out as Harry waved and led the two girls out of the tent.
Harry led Susan and Holly out of the tent and onto the grounds of the Quidditch World Cup. Sounds of wizards and witches preparing for a big night filled the area, making it hard to hear anything else.
There were families pitching tents, complete with brewing arguments on how to do it properly. People walked back and forth, and Harry had trouble keeping track of everything happening around him.
Holly gaped as a wizard walked past them wearing a muggle woman's strappy blue dress. The man was overweight and hairy, the look just didn't suit him. She whispered to Susan, who giggled, and Harry rolled his eyes. He figured he knew what they were whispering about.
He smirked and pointed out a witch wearing a figure-hugging outfit. It looked like the muggle superhero character, Superman, complete with red underwear and cape over the light blue spandex.
The girls spluttered.
'Your mum is brilliant; I could imagine making the same mistakes as that lady if she hadn't taught us all how to blend in with muggle fashion.' Susan muttered.
Harry grinned and chuckled as the witch happily chatted to a passing witch as a family gawked at her nearby. He assumed the family was muggleborn.
'So, Harry, do you find her attractive?' Holly asked, and Harry snorted and continued to walk.
'Sure, physically, she's pretty. But to show up wearing something like that? Most of the Wizarding World is weird.' He said.
Susan chuckled and grabbed hold of his hand, and dragged him toward a stall nearby that sold food.
Harry pushed down the pain that shot through his body as he was roughly dragged and embraced the festive atmosphere of the day. The girls picked out a selection of foods for the three of them, his treat.
They enjoyed the next hour as they explored the grounds under the ever-present looming presence of the stadium.
He was looking forward to getting up to the stadium later, but his eyes constantly roamed the crowd. Searching for faces and, much to his bemusement, found he was searching for threats.
Harry sighed; it was becoming clear to him that the last few years of Hogwarts was affecting him more than he'd thought. He was starting to become paranoid, looking for threats in such a festive atmosphere. He was not the Boy-Who-Lived. Why would anyone try to hurt him?
Which reminded him of the previous year at Hogwarts where Pettigrew targeted his family.
Surely that wouldn't happen again.
'What's wrong, Harry?' Holly asked, her hand in his and he sighed.
'I'm probably going mad, but I caught myself searching for threats in the crowd.' He admitted and blinked as both girls gave solemn nods.
Both girls took a hand of Harry's and led him back toward the tent. When they were within sight of the tent, they stopped and moved in front of him. Holly kissed his cheek, followed by Susan kissing his other cheek.
'We're doing the same thing.' Holly said.
'I feel safer with you around.' Susan shrugged, then looked down to the ground.
'I still have nightmares about what happened. But I'm okay because of you.' She whispered in his ear as she hugged him.
Then both girls turned and walked into the tent, leaving Harry outside, staring at the doorway of the tent. He shook himself out of his stupor as the smell of food wafted out of the tent.
A few hours later, Harry sat in the Minister's box along with Sirius, Lily, Remus, Susan, Holly, Charlus, and Orion. Also in the box was the Malfoy family who stood by their seats with the British Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge.
Beside Fudge stood a squat, toad-like woman in bright pink.
There were a handful of dignitaries from Bulgaria and other nations, but the one family he was looking forward to seeing was not there yet.
From his place in the room, he watched as whirlwind Weasley entered the Minister's box. Seven Weasley's, Hermione and the Boy-Who-Lived entered the room. They were led by Arthur and Molly, then Percy and the twins who Harry knew from school, though not well.
After the twins came Neville, who had Ginny on one side wearing a wide smile and Ron on the other side. Hermione walked at the end of the procession; her nose stuck in a book on Charms.
Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath, preparing himself for the inevitable confrontation. He liked the Weasley's, Ginny was one of his closest friends. But Ron's attitude grated on him as much as Draco's and Neville's. The twins were fine if they did not try to prank him or anyone close to him. Percy seemed a tad too stuffy and arrogant, but Harry did not really know him enough to judge.
Overall, he was fond of the Weasley's, but as soon as they entered, a tension filled the air between them and the three Malfoy's who, due to some quirk of fate, were forced to sit beside the Weasley contingent.
Harry was momentarily amused by the expressions worn by Draco's parents, Lucius, and Narcissa.
His amusement was short lived as he heard Apolline's musical voice speaking in French with her daughters. Fleur walked near her mother with Gabrielle between them while Dominique strode in front, a wide smile on his face as he noticed the Potters, and a warm grin grew as he met Harry's gaze.
Harry sprung from his spot, ignoring the pain that flared up in his back as Fleur released Gabrielle's hand and met Harry near the entrance in a tight hug.
Fleur wore the colours of the Irish team and Harry felt his breath leave him as he pulled away from their hug with a wide, beaming smile.
He idly wondered if it was the Allure, but ignored it, the same as he ignored the pain that wracked his arms and back. He greeted her with a wide smile before he turned to Dominique and Apolline.
'Welcome, Dominique and Apolline, it's great to see you again. Or should it be Ambassador and Mrs Delacour this evening?' he said, giving a short bow, causing a flash of pain to run through his back.
Gabrielle ran to him and hugged him around his middle and beamed up at him, sparking a fresh round of agony to rush through him, which he ignored.
'Greetings Harry, we are simply Dominique and Apolline to you, as always.' Apolline said, her eyes twinkling.
'Now, take a seat young man, I think my daughters want to spend some time with you.' Dominique said with a smile and Harry nodded before being dragged away to sit down by Gabrielle who took Harry's seat next to Holly.
With Gabrielle on his right and Fleur took the seat to his left, Harry felt sweat break out on his brow and clamped down on the pain in his body. Apolline took a seat next to Fleur as Dominique kissed her cheek and walked toward Fudge.
From the corner of his eye, Harry noticed the Weasley boys, and Draco, even Lucius and Arthur wore blank expressions as they stared at Fleur and Apolline. Neville was no better and received a slap on the back of his head from Ginny and Hermione, breaking him out of his stupor for a few moments, before he blanked out again.
Fleur took Harry's hand in hers as her face fell.
'I'm sorry Fleur.' He whispered, and she turned to him with a soft smile, before she blinked, shocked.
'You're not affected by the Allure?' she breathed.
'I think I am; I haven't been able to keep my eyes away from you, and you literally took my breath away when you entered the room.' He admitted, a lopsided smile on his face.
She beamed at him and opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by Ludo Bagman who stood on the other side of their box, a microphone in his hands and his voice being amplified across the stadium.
The game was about to begin.
A few minutes later, the Bulgarian mascots came out, the Veela cheerleaders wore what the Wizarding World would class as skimpy, almost scandalous, outfits.
Harry watched as every teen and adult wizard, apart from Dominique and himself left their seats and pressed themselves up against the glass of the viewing box. Both Fleur's and Apolline's jaws clenched at the sight and Harry watched as Sirius stopped himself halfway to his feet and quailed under the combined weight of Susan's and Lily's glares.
Harry squeezed Fleur's hand again to distract her.
She gave him an astonished expression, blinking like an owl before she squeezed his hand back and beamed at him, the scantily clad Veela cheerleaders in the distance forgotten.
'Disgrace to the nation.' Apolline muttered as she shook her head is disgust at the display down on the field.
'I have something to tell you later Harry.' Fleur whispered in his ear, her breath sent shivers down his spine.
But before he could reply, the game begun and the next hour passed in a blur of death-defying aerial acrobatics by all players.
Halfway through the match, the Veela cheerleaders got into a fight with the leprechauns. They turned into avian hybrid creatures, like the Harpies of Greek mythology. They threw fireballs across the field at the leprechauns as the little green clad people danced a jig.
'And that, boys, is why you should never go for looks alone.' Harry overheard Arthur Weasley tell his sons.
Beside him, Fleur and Apolline's eyes narrowed, and Dominique clenched his fists before he relaxed them a few moments later.
Fleur noticed his eyes and smiled at him, she squeezed his hand while her eyes held a deep hurt.
Harry watched the game continue until Viktor Krum caught the snitch, ending the match and the crowd of magicals exploded into cheers.
Nearby, Lily cheered, and Harry smirked as both Sirius and Remus groaned.
A few hours later, Harry sat on a two-seater couch in the lounge room of the Potter tent, off the main entrance way. Fleur sat beside him, and Gabrielle sat on his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck as she slept. Much to the amusement of Susan and Holly.
Outside, the crowd of Quidditch fans partied, either in celebration or commiseration, it didn't matter.
Fleur smiled at Harry before she turned to the two girls.
'So why is it that Harry has hit his growth spurt before you two? Aren't human girls supposed to mature before boys?' she asked.
Harry stilled while Holly and Susan smirked at him.
Fleur blinked in surprise at their reactions before she turned a perfect raised eyebrow at Harry, who sighed.
'On that note, we're going somewhere else.' Holly grinned, she took Susan's hand, and rushed out of the room, leaving Harry alone with the two Veela.
Harry sighed and ran a hand through his already messy hair.
'In my first year at Hogwarts, I came across a room called the Room of Requirement. I've told you that I train there on weekends.' He started and Fleur nodded, her angelic face marred by a slight frown.
'Yes, but how does this explain-' she started and paused as he sighed again.
'The room also has the ability to compress time, giving me four hours in there for every hour outside the room.' Harry explained and Fleur stared at him.
Harry froze as Fleur's gaze turned to a cold glare, the silence between them only broken by Gabrielle's soft breathing.
'Do you know what you have done?' she hissed, her glare cold enough to freeze fire.
Harry met her glare with his own flat stare.
'I know exactly what I have done. I've been preparing to protect my friends and family; which I have successfully done every year I've been at Hogwarts.' He declared.
Fleur's sky-blue eyes darkened as she stared into his.
'You have sacrificed years of your life.' She accused.
He nodded and reached out to rest a hand on hers. It twitched, but she didn't pull it away.
'It has already been worth it. I've had time to work on my projects, like the bracelets to protect against mind altering magics, my work on the mirrors and the protective jewellery.' As Harry spoke, Fleur's eyes softened.
'If I hadn't been using the room, multiple students would likely have died, and a shadow of Voldemort might have returned to the world.' He said, looking deep into her eyes.
'If I must be a few years older than my friends to keep even one of my loved one's safe, it would be worth it.' He declared and her eyes no longer blazed with anger.
Fleur's sapphire gaze bore into his.
'How old are you now?' she asked, her voice soft.
He shrugged.
'As best as I can tell, somewhere between sixteen and seventeen.' He replied.
She sighed and took his hand in hers.
'I'm sorry Harry, for reacting how I did.' She whispered, looking at his fingers intertwined with hers.
'I'm glad you care enough to, you are my best friend, I hope that you will continue to tell me if I do anything potentially stupid.' He said, and she gave a weak smile.
Harry squeezed her hand in his and smiled once she met his gaze.
'What is it that you wanted to tell me during the game?' he asked, and she blinked before smiling.
She opened her mouth to speak before a blood-curdling scream rent the night air, it pierced the air of frivolity that had moments ago been present.
A moment later, an explosion rocked the tent and more screams echoed in the night. It sounded like one of the muggle war movies he had watched with his father and Sirius a few weeks earlier.
He held Gabrielle as she shot awake, soothing her until Holly and Susan rushed into the room.
Harry handed Gabrielle to Fleur and flicked his wand hand, his wand appeared in an instant.
Fleur's eyes widened as another explosion rocked the tent.
Harry led the girls into the main entrance hall to stand by the door. They waited for the others to arrive.
He kept his wand aimed at the doorway.
Sirius rushed out of the room he shared with Amelia and the two rushed to the entrance hall with Harry's group.
Amelia took a place in front of the door, her wand out, looking fierce.
'Sirius lead the kids to the forest where the wards end. Then take them to Potter Manor.' She ordered and Sirius nodded.
Amelia turned to Fleur.
'Where are your parents Fleur?' she asked.
'At the Ministerial Party, they were going to get me afterward.' Fleur said and Amelia groaned.
'Please go along with Sirius, protecting the children is of the utmost priority. I will ensure your parents know where you are.' Amelia asked and Fleur nodded and met Harry's gaze.
Sirius turned to Harry.
'I'll need help to protect these guys.' He said and Harry nodded.
'I'll help to get everyone home safe.' Harry said and turned to Susan and Holly.
'Can you two look after Charlus and Orion?' he asked and the two girls nodded.
Harry turned to Sirius.
'We're good to go.'
Sirius nodded and turned to Lily.
'I'll make sure everyone gets home safe Lils.'
Harry felt his tracker in his pocket vibrate and checked it.
Ginny had activated her danger charm.
'Damn. Remus. Ginny, and the Weasley's are in trouble.' He said and handed the tracker to the werewolf who stood beside Lily.
'Don't worry Harry, we've got this. Now go.' Lily said.
Harry nodded and followed Sirius as he left the tent.
Sirius led their convoy through panicked crowds of magicals, many tents burned around them, flames lit the area in a hellish crimson glow. Smoke and screams filled the grounds. The cloying sweet smell of cooking meat hung in the air and Harry hoped it was from the food stalls.
Behind Sirius, Susan carried Orion, whispering to him to keep him calm. Then Holly held Charlus' hand, and behind them walked Harry and Fleur, each holding one of Gabrielle's hands.
Stray spells sped through the air, deflected by shields cast by Sirius, Harry, or Fleur.
The convoy moved with a calm efficiency thanks to Holly and Susan keeping their siblings calm, the two girls were used to dangerous situations thanks to their time in Hogwarts.
Gabrielle turned terrified eyes between Harry's cold emerald orbs and Fleur's worried sky-blue.
Harry glanced between Fleur beside him, to Holly and Susan in front of him. Fleur was pale and it occurred to him that she might be used to dangerous situations like he, Holly and Susan were.
Harry's eyes flashed with focus as he deflected a spell that would have hit Susan.
A stampede of fleeing witches and wizards rushed toward their convoy and Harry watched in awe as Sirius waved his wand and tore a barrier of earth up two metres high between the onrushing tide of panicked humanity and the convoy. The barrier redirected the fleeing wizards and witches away from the group, leaving them safe.
'Come on guys, lets get out of here.' Harry whispered and deflected another stray spell into the ground where a gout of dirt and grass exploded upward.
In the corner of his mind, Harry wondered why none of them turned and fought. He sighed and returned his focus to the safety of their convoy.
He could see the forest where the anti-apparition wards ended. But a rushing sound filled his ears from behind.
He spun and saw a jet of sickly green light that sped toward Fleur, with a flick of his wand, he sent a piece of rubble in its path.
The rubble exploded when struck and sent shards of stone everywhere that Harry shielded against wandlessly.
A trio of Killing Curses erupted from a line of smouldering tents and Sirius tore another earthen wall from the ground to soak the three sickly green curses. The barrier couldn't take it and exploded in a spray of dirt and dust.
Harry noticed Sirius' eyes droop and saw the sweat that poured off his brow, it made his long hair stick to his face. He knew the signs of magical exhaustion when he saw them.
Those barriers must have been exhausting.
With the Killing Curses blocked, Harry met Sirius' eyes.
'Go Sirius, get them out of here. You're done.' Harry said and Sirius looked like he would argue but nodded.
It was part of their training over the last few weeks, to follow orders and to not push yourself, otherwise you risk the lives that you are protecting.
'Susan, Holly, go with Sirius. He'll get you out of here.' Harry ordered, and they followed their training of the last few weeks.
Susan and Holly gave a last look at Harry before Susan nodded. The two girls took off at a run, their younger siblings in tow and Sirius ran behind them. The older man stumbled and tripped as he fought to keep up in his magically exhausted state.
Harry turned to Fleur.
'Please, follow them. I'll slow these guys down, then I'll be right behind you.' He said and Fleur shook her head.
'Non, 'Arry. I will fight them by your side.' She hissed.
Fleur moved Gabrielle behind her and turned to face where the spells had come from.
'Fleur, please, just take Gabrielle and go.' Harry pleaded.
Fleur frowned, she brought up a shield which flickered as an orange spell struck it head on.
'I am not some maiden 'Arry. I can protect myself.' Fleur hissed.
Harry growled and deflected a deep blue coloured spell. The spell crashed into the ground, the dirt bubbled and spat as it sunk into a shallow crater.
But behind it was a vibrant red Crucio curse, which Harry only saw at the last moment before it hit him.
Harry dropped to the damp ground and screamed as if he were stabbed by a million tiny knives while on fire.
''Arry.' Fleur screamed.
She turned toward him and reached out to him with her left hand. Before she could reach him, black ropes shot out of the darkness and wrapped around her and pinned her arms to her sides in an instant.
Fleur fell to the ground beside Harry, bound by the black ropes.
Gabrielle screamed and stepped toward Fleur but was wrapped up in the same black ropes before she could take another step.
Harry screamed louder as the Crucio tore through him, he tried to hide from the pain, to use his budding Occlumency to create a partition in his mind where he could evade it. Since he'd experienced Pettigrew's Crucio, Harry had tried to come up with a way to defeat the curse.
But it was too much, and he could only writhe in agony as the one who cast the spell approached the three teens.
An earthen wall tore itself out of the ground, much like Sirius had done earlier. But this wall blocked Harry and the two Veela from view of the forest.
Three figures walked out of the thick smoke that filled the area, each wearing black robes. The three all wore silver masks with intricate decorative markings that covered their faces, they glistened a coppery red in the light cast by the fire's ruddy glow.
The pain ended and Harry groaned as the aftereffects of the Cruciatus wracked his body, every twitch and convulsion sent new agony through his veins.
'Fleur.' He whispered.
Harry turned his gaze and saw Fleur bound in black ropes beside him.
''Arry. I'm sorry.' She said as she struggled.
Harry shook his head, then closed his eyes as the movement sent fresh pain throughout his body.
'Shh, it's going to be okay.' Harry said.
Cruel laughter echoed through the area as faint screams in the distance carried on the breeze.
Harry looked up and saw the three black robed figures. They towered over him as they chuckled and sneered at Fleur. The left figure looked to the central figure and pointed at Fleur.
'Avery, can I take the mature Veela, you two can have the baby Veela.' Said the left figure, his voice low and filled with contempt.
The central man, Avery, snorted.
'Not a chance. The mature bird is mine, you two will share the little chick.' Growled Avery.
Harry growled as his body spasmed again from the aftereffects of the curse. He glared at the three while his body trembled.
'Oh look, the boy is scared.' Said the figure on the right in a deep cruel bass.
Harry tried to coax his muscles into obeying as Avery leant down and took Fleur's silver hair in one hand. He flicked his wand and tore her robes to reveal her pristine, pale, creamy skin.
The three men leered at her.
'Yeah boss, take it off.' Cheered the left figure as Avery waved his wand like a crazed conductor, tearing Fleur's robes and revealed her lacy white bra.
The ropes tightened around the two Veela, squeezing Fleur's chest, making her breasts bulge upward from the pressure.
Harry snarled, rage overpowering his pain. The rage boiled in his blood, and he heard it singing in his mind, begging to be unleashed.
He didn't hesitate, he flung out his right hand, still holding his wand. The magic and rage in him smothered his pain and trembling nerves.
A wave of pure, white magic fuelled by fury erupted from Harry, channelled through his wand toward the three masked men.
The wave struck the three men before they could put up any sort of defence. All three shot away from Harry with terrified screams escaping their throats. The figure who had been standing on the right of the three crashed headfirst into the earthen wall beside the bound girls.
He stopped with a sudden dull crunch.
The middle figure, Avery, disappeared into the smoke. A moment later a collapsing tent sent up a wash of embers into the sky, signalling where he landed.
The third figure crashed into a tree twenty metres away with a sickening thud before he slid to the ground where he didn't move.
Harry's vision grew dark, and his mind filled with fog. He crawled beside Fleur and took his dragonhide jacket off, he wrapped it over her shoulders. Harry frowned as he waved his wand over the ropes to remove them, but they stayed in place.
Fleur's eyes were closed as she struggled in her bonds.
Harry drew the two girls into an embrace as Gabrielle cried between them.
He tried to dispel the ropes again and nothing happened, was he out of magic?
His vision wavered and dizziness overwhelmed him for a moment.
Harry saw Avery come back into view. The man's silver mask was half melted and charred flesh was visible through the tattered remains of his robes. Blood oozed down his mask from the right-side eye hole.
Harry shifted so that he knelt between the man and the two Veela.
Avery gave a dark chuckle, and Harry knew the man wore a vicious smirk beneath his ruined mask.
'I will have my way with your girlfriend, and neither will ever know the touch of kindness for the rest of their short lives.' Avery snarled; his voice no longer filled with the arrogance it held before.
Harry glared at the man, only sheer will kept the encroaching darkness of his vision away.
A bolt of red light erupted from the smoke behind Avery and struck him in the back. The masked man fell to his knees, then face first into the ground, boneless.
Harry squinted as the blackness of his vision would no longer be held at bay.
The last thing he saw was the face of his father.
Harry woke in his bed at Potter Manor, his eyes heavy, and his body sluggish. He turned his head to see half a dozen empty potions vials, and he wondered what happened.
His body felt, almost soft, like he was floating instead of lying in bed. Memories started to return; he remembered the pain of the Cruciatus Curse.
He frowned and wondered idly if it was possible to build a resistance to the curse if exposed to it enough.
Harry yawned and stretched, his limbs slow and ungainly, yet he revelled in the lack of pain.
He lay back in his bed and wondered what happened, then more memories returned. Memories of the World Cup.
Fleur.
Harry shot out of bed and promptly fell on his face, his legs collapsing under his weight. He let out a groan and tried to push himself off the floor in vain. While he could move his limbs, they had no strength.
Then it hit him, the empty vials beside his bed.
He had been dosed with pain potions and a strong numbing draught. That's why he had no pain or trembling and twitching. The potions worked to block the messages his muscles and brain sent to each other.
He groaned with his face pressed against the carpet and a little drool came out of his mouth, then he gave in to the feeling of floating among the clouds.
He woke up again sometime during the night, though he didn't know how long he'd slept for. But he was back in his bed and beside his bed sat more empty vials.
His thoughts turned to Fleur, and he tried to move his arms, they didn't work this time and he figured his potions were stronger this time to stop him.
With a supreme effort, he managed to open his hand. He drew on his wandless magic and called for the mirror Fleur gave him. His magic was sluggish, like trying to run through water, but he persisted and urged his magic to function.
The mirror shot off his desk on the other side of the room and it hit his leg.
He called it again, and it came to his waiting hand.
'Fleur Delacour.' He croaked and a moment later he heard her voice.
''Arry? Are you okay? Why can't I see you?' her worried voice asked.
'I'm okay, I just can't move. How are you and Gabrielle?' he asked, his voice weak.
She was silent for a moment.
'I'm okay, or rather, I will be.' She paused.
'Thank you for saving us.' She whispered.
'It's okay now Fleur. You are safe. I'm sorry I couldn't stop them sooner, before they'd done what they did.' He said, and he heard her growl.
'I will get better and stop anything like that from happening to you or Gabrielle again.' He vowed and silence grew between them for a few seconds.
'I will not let anything like that happen again. I was overconfident and proud, never again.' Her whisper echoed through Harry's room and the finality in her tone sent a chill down his spine.
A knock on the door interrupted them.
'I'll talk to you later Fleur, I'm glad you're okay.' He said.
'Me too Harry, we'll talk tomorrow.' She whispered before the mirror deactivated.
He looked toward the door.
'You can come in.' Harry croaked; his voice hoarse.
Lily walked into the room and smiled at him.
'How are you feeling Harry?' she asked as she replaced the empty vials on his bedside table with full ones.
He groaned and ran a hand through his hair, or he tried to. But his arm refused to move off the bed and his hand did little more than flop for his trouble.
Harry sighed and looked at his mother.
'My body doesn't want to follow instructions.' He complained, and she gave a small grin before she took a seat beside him on the bed.
She brushed a hand across his forehead and pushed his hair from his face.
'What you did was brave, amazing and foolish.' She sighed and continued to stroke his hair.
'What actually happened?' she asked, and Harry took a breath.
He told her what happened after leaving the tent and as his story continued, her eyes grew wide and filled with tears. When he got to the part where he released his wild magic through his wand, she stared at him in wonder before she urged him to continue.
She stroked his hair the entire time.
Harry finished the story, his voice grew raspy as he spoke.
'Then I think I saw dad stun Avery, and I blacked out.' He said.
Lily had tears in her eyes as she leant down to hug him.
'You did an amazing job protecting Fleur and Gabrielle. I'm so proud of you, but I don't want you fighting again. You're fourteen.' She said, her arms wrapped around him.
Harry's hand twitched in place as he tried to move it.
'Mum, since I started at Hogwarts, I've had to fight adult wizards or monsters each time. I need to learn how to do it without getting hurt, I'm sick of getting beaten by everyone and waking up in a bed after every fight. And besides, I'm more like sixteen or seventeen after the time shenanigans.' He said and Lilly pulled back from her embrace, her lips pursed.
She sighed and shook her head before she squeezed his hand.
'Harry, those three Death Eaters you fought...' Lily started.
Harry stared at her.
'Your father found two of them dead. He captured the one you said was Avery. Your father told me that Avery was being interrogated as we speak and will be going straight to Azkaban afterward.' Lily said, her voice only a whisper.
'I killed them?' Harry whispered.
Lily brushed her fingers over his forehead.
'From the story you told me, yes.' she said.
Harry looked up at her and saw pain in her eyes.
'Are you disappointed in me?' he asked.
Lily shook her head so hard her red hair whipped herself in the face.
'I could never be disappointed in you Harry. You're my son, and you killed them in self defence. They attacked you, Fleur and Gabrielle. You had no other choice. I know that, and so does your father.' Lily said and kissed his brow.
'Are you going to be okay with that?' Lily asked.
Harry sighed.
'I-I don't know. They attacked us and were going to do horrible things to Fleur and Gabrielle if I hadn't stopped them.' he whispered and closed his eyes.
A tear slid down his face and he took a deep breath.
'What do I do now? I killed two people mum, how do I live with that?' he asked.
Lily's face wore a smile, but she struggled to hold back tears.
'You ask yourself whether you could live with what would have happened if you hadn't killed them.' she said.
Harry gulped and he nodded.
'I couldn't. I couldn't live with myself if I had let them hurt Fleur or Gabrielle.' Harry declared.
Lily nodded and kissed his brow again.
'I've taken life Harry, back in the first war. It is horrible, and you feel like you lose a little of yourself each time. But you need to remember what it is you are fighting for, and who you are fighting against.' she said.
Harry nodded.
'Thanks mum.' he said.
Lily smiled and sat back on the bed.
'There are only a few days left before you go back to Hogwarts. I want you to rest and not push yourself.' She paused, her lips twisted into a smirk.
'I won't say to not do any exercise, but you are to take it easy. I've told Holly and Susan to keep an eye on you.' Lily said and Harry sighed.
He opened his mouth to ask if it was necessary before seeing her raised eyebrows.
'Fine.' He huffed, though his half smile negated any heat in his tone.
'When will I be able to get out of bed?' he asked, and she narrowed her eyes at him.
'You wouldn't spend so much time recovering if you looked after yourself better.' She said.
Harry sighed again and rolled his eyes.
He stopped himself from retorting and just nodded, which earned a wide smile from his mother.
'I'm about to make dinner, I'll have Holly bring it up to you.' She grinned.
'You won't be leaving bed until tomorrow, so she'll have to feed you.' Lily said and smiled at the look of dismay he wore.
'I love you.' She grinned impishly and left the room.
Harry looked up at the ceiling and let out a breath.
He reached out a hand toward the notebook on his desk, but his arm only flopped in place. Sighing, he called on his wandless magic and his notebook shot across the room, it missed his hand, and it slapped him in the face.
Harry let out a surprised shout as the notebook bounced off his face and fell to the floor, followed by laughter from the door.
He turned to see Holly covering her mouth with a hand, trying to smother her laughter, with limited success.
'I'm sorry for laughing at you brother. But that was pretty funny.' She grinned as she moved across the room to stand beside his bed.
She scooped up his notebook and placed it on his chest, she patted the book before she took a seat beside him on the bed.
'How are you feeling?' she smiled as he tried to move his hand toward the book and failed.
Harry gave up on trying to move his limbs and turned his gaze toward his sister.
'I've been better, I didn't think I'd be this bad after the World Cup.' He admitted and she facepalmed.
Holly shook her head and met his gaze.
'Are you being serious right now? You fought three adults, probably Death Eaters, beat them using wild magic according to mum. You did this after hurting yourself that morning by working out too hard.' She paused, glaring at him.
'Of course your body is refusing to work.' She growled.
Harry frowned and cocked his head to the side and Holly huffed.
'For someone so smart, sometimes you're worse than Ron Weasley.' She snapped.
'Hey.' He shot, then froze at the glare she sent him.
She put a finger over his lips, shushing him.
'You've been pushing yourself until you collapsed. Just think what you could have been doing today if you hadn't hurt yourself training? You could be continuing to train; you're wasting time recovering because you pushed too hard, and your body couldn't handle it.' She said, her eyes never left his.
'If you really want to get better and to protect us, you need to make sure you're in peak condition at all times. Right now, you're of no use to anyone.' She narrowed her eyes and Harry blinked in surprise.
He let out a breath and broke eye contact, he looked up at the ceiling and considered her words.
Harry let out a sigh a minute later and met her emerald gaze, he nodded.
'You're right.' He admitted, and she gave him a wide grin.
'Of course I'm right, I'm a girl.' She said, and patted his cheek.
Her eyes sparkled with mischief.
'So, how was your time with Fleur before everything went bad?' she asked, and he smiled.
'It was really great to see her again after so long.' He grinned.
Holly laughed and gave him a knowing look.
'That fact that she's as pretty as Apolline has nothing to do with it though, right?' she asked.
Harry clenched his jaw, a blush crept up his cheeks and his green eyes met hers.
'It had nothing to do with it. She's my best friend, she could have never changed, and it wouldn't matter to me.' He said.
Holly rolled her eyes and patted his cheek.
'Geez, boys are dumb.' She shook her head.
Harry frowned, he cocked his head and gave her a questioning look.
She shook her head.
'Fine, be oblivious then.' She said, standing up.
'I'm going to go get us some dinner. Stay put.' She said, before she laughed and she left the room.
Harry sighed and looked up at the ceiling again.
What did she mean about being oblivious? What was he missing?
The next morning, Harry was released from bed rest, and he returned to his morning workouts with Holly and Susan and whatever adults were able to join them. He returned to Grimmauld Place after breakfast that day and was forced to just watch as the two girls received training from Sirius and Remus.
That afternoon he spent a few hours with Charlus, then a few hours with his mother in her office.
He chatted with Fleur and Gabrielle before bed and was glad to see the two in high spirits as the time for school approached once more.
The night before he was set to return to Hogwarts, he lay in bed holding his mirror and smiled as he saw Fleur's face.
'Good evening, Fleur, excited to return to Beauxbatons tomorrow?' he said, and she frowned.
'Not really, but Papa told me this morning that something big is happening this year. Though he wouldn't tell me any more than that.' She said and Harry smiled.
'Well, it can't be a bad thing, right? Maybe it will shake things up there and the others will leave you alone?' he said, and she scoffed.
'Not likely.' She muttered before focussed on him.
'How about you? How do you feel about your upcoming classes?' she asked, and he smirked.
'I'm going to take my OWLs at the end of this year, and the NEWTs after my fifth year. It's the earliest I'm allowed to take them.' He said, and she stared at him.
'Are you truly ready to take the tests early?' she asked, and Harry grinned.
'I've had an extra two or so years than the others, that time was spent training and studying ahead. I could probably take my NEWTs right now and do well, but the law won't let me.' He sighed.
She blinked at him before a hungry expression crossed her face, it was gone a moment later, but Harry saw it. He'd been seeing it on her face during their chats increasingly often, but he'd never asked her about it.
Harry grinned at her.
'I only wish we could spend more time together so I can show you everything I've been doing.' He said and a haunted expression crossed her face.
'I've seen enough to believe you Harry.' She whispered.
Harry's grin faded, and he took a breath.
'I'm sorry for bringing up those memories.' He said, and she placed a faux smile on her face.
'It's okay.' She said.
Harry narrowed his eyes.
'Please don't lie to me Fleur. I know you are not okay, and that's okay. You don't need to lie to make me feel better.' He said, and she blinked before she nodded.
'I'm sorry.' She said, and he gave her a soft smile.
'It's okay. I will do whatever I can to help you. Nothing like that will happen again if I can do anything about it.' He said, and she blinked before letting out a breath.
'I won't let it happen again 'Arry. I never want to hear you scream like that again.' She whispered, and the two fell silent for a few moments.
Fleur smiled at him.
'We should probably get to sleep; we both have long journeys tomorrow.' She said, her voice soft.
'Yeah. I'm glad you got the mirrors working, because talking to you before bed is something I look forward to every day.' He said, and she smiled, a slight blush on her cheeks.
'Goodnight 'Arry.' She whispered and deactivated the mirror.
Harry lay back in bed and gave a long sigh before falling asleep.