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Chapter Seven
How the Mighty Fall
Harry, Sirius, and Remus Apparated to the steps of Gringotts. Looking out over Diagon Alley, they could see the vendors still selling their wares and plenty of shoppers about, but a businesslike, rushed tenor had descended on the Alley; as if those who came were anxious to be done and out of such a public area.
Sirius put his arm on Harry and turned him towards the burnished bronze doors leading into Gringotts. Walking into the large marble hall, they found a goblin sitting behind the counter seemingly unoccupied at the moment.
"We would like to go to our vaults." Sirius informed him.
"And who might you be, sir?" the goblin asked, looking at him over the top of his glasses.
"Sirius Black. I need access to both my personal vault and the family vault. I believe Harry wants access to his as well."
The goblin remained silent as he slowly reached down behind the counter—Muggle banks didn't impress goblins much, but their security measures were a different story.
Sirius saw the movement and chuckled to himself. "There's no need to call the Aurors." He pulled the previous days' paper from his robe and placed it in front of the goblin. "I'm no longer a wanted wizard."
The goblin snorted in disbelief before quickly pressing something below the counter. Two cracks of Apparition echoed off the marble walls and Harry found himself staring at the tip of a wand, held by a very large, very intimidating, black man; his partner was standing behind them.
"Is there a problem here?" The man questioned in a deep, rumbling voice.
Harry had always respected Dumbledore's ability to control of his surroundings, but this wizard took that concept to an entirely different level. The voice alone commanded respect, but coupled with his calm demeanor, physical stature, and . . . well, everything; this was a wizard to behold.
His younger partner however, exuded an erratic but entertaining air about her, especially as she morphed into a very ugly, older woman whose shrill voice rang out, "The problem is this worthless shame of my flesh staining the Black family name!"
Sirius spun around, blood draining from his face, and his eyes widening as he brandished his wand; but a large black hand reached around him from behind and pinned his wand and arm against his body.
"It is unwise to draw your wand," the older Auror informed Sirius.
Harry didn't care and drew his wand to come to his godfather's aid, but Remus put a hand on him. He looked up to see the older wizard shaking his head and desperately trying not to laugh.
The female Auror, currently sporting the body of Walburga Black, morphed into her original form—a cute, though slightly lantern-jawed witch just a few inches taller than Harry.
"Mummy make you jumpy, dear cousin?" She waved off the older Auror.
"Tonks!" Sirius laughed and enveloped her in a tight hug, impressed with the witch who was his favorite cousin. "How are you doing?"
"Splendid actually. I'm an Auror now. Became one to take on the likes of you—big, bad, Sirius Black, Muggle-murderer extraordinaire!"
Harry looked around and saw the large Auror standing behind Sirius wince at Tonks's lack of decorum. Behind him, a number of goblins were staring. Tonks noticed them as well. She stepped away from Sirius and turned to the goblin behind the counter. "Did you call us about Sirius Black?"
The goblin nodded.
"Is this about him being wanted for multiple murders?"
Another nod.
Tonks raised her wand to her throat and whispered, "Sonorous," then addressed the bank.
"Sirius Black is innocent of all charges according to the Ministry of Magic. He is to be given all rights and access as afforded any other wizard."
She cancelled the spell before turning to her older partner. "Sorry, Shacklebolt, that probably should have been your call."
"Since I am the senior officer, have twenty-something years on you, and can whip your arse on the training course; I would say you're correct." His broad, welcoming smile told Harry that Sirius's cousin was already forgiven.
Next to Sirius, Remus winked. "Hello Tonks."
"Er, um, hello—REMUS?"
He grinned and she threw her arms around him. "You've grown so old!"
"And you've finally grown out of your nappies," he shot back.
"Want to come home with me t'night and see what I wear now?"
Remus turned bright red and Tonks let out a whoop that made half the Goblins jump, knocking over scales and scattering gold and silver coins across the floor. The older Auror grumbled again about her lack of professionalism.
Harry decided to let them be and stepped around the group. "While they're catching up, I would like to go to my vault."
"What is your full name?"
"Harry Potter."
"Is that really him?" he heard Tonks ask behind his back. Harry didn't have chance to answer as he felt someone poke him in the ribs rather hard.
"Hey, what the…!" He spun around.
"Yep, it's really him," his godfather answered.
Harry looked at Tonks. "How much would it cost me for you to turn back into Hagrid and beat on Sirius for a while?"
The look on Tonks's face elicited a deep booming laugh from the senior Auror. "It's about time someone put her in her place. Hello, Mr. Potter. I am Kingsley Shacklebolt." He offered a mammoth hand that swallowed Harry's as she shook it. Even Sirius's and Remus's hands were lost in his.
"If my partner is finished with her family affairs, we should get back to the department and report to them that nothing is amiss."
Tonks agreed and hugged Sirius and Remus again. Harry was surprised when she next hugged him tightly, whispering into his ear, "I'll see you tonight at the meeting. We'll prank Sirius."
Harry smiled; he liked her already.
The two Aurors walked out the front doors and Apparated back to the ministry. Harry wondered why they could Apparate into the bank, but not out of it, and asked the goblin as much.
"Protective Charms are set against Apparation, but they recognize Aurors when they're called for in emergencies," the goblin answered.
"How?"
"That's not for you to know, young wizard."
"Well, that was interesting," Sirius quipped with a trace of humor, still looking at the doors his cousin had just exited. He faced the goblin. "May we go to our vaults now?"
"Keys?"
"You know the Black family vaults do not use keys," Sirius reminded the goblin in a clipped voice.
The goblin inclined his head to Sirius before asking Harry for his. He produced the key and handed it over for inspection.
Satisfied, the goblin looked over his shoulder. "Madgouger, Take these three to the vaults."
Madgouger led them through another door and down a passage to the railway carts. Harry and Sirius crawled into the first one, Remus and Madgouger into the second and they began their descent, whipping through the underground caverns and heading deeper and deeper until they stopped in front of Harry's vault.
Harry hopped out and went to the door, handing over his key to the goblin. Madgouger opened the vault and stepped aside so Harry and Sirius could entered the dark, sealed room.
"How much do you think I should take?" Harry asked.
"I don't know, what do you think you'll be spending your gold on? Or should I ask, whom?"
Harry rolled his eyes. "I guess it depends on how long everything lasts. If I have my trunk with me, I can carry enough to get by for a long time, but I don't think I'll need all that."
"What if you end up in France?"
"France?" the goblin asked from the entrance. "We have good working relations with our cousins at Sorciers Banque de France. We can transfer funds if you'd like. It would be safer than carrying bags of Galleons."
Harry and Sirius looked at each other. "What's the fee?" Sirius asked the goblin.
"Three percent."
"And the limit?"
"A hundred galleons a day and funds are made available the next day, but you would have no vault to use there. For seventy galleons, we can do a vault transfer," – he looked around Harry's vault – "up to half your vault's contents. It would go out in an hour, but you would not have access to it in France until a week from tomorrow."
"It's a good idea," Sirius said. "If the ministry falls to Voldemort, the new government will probably attempt to seize everything they can. The goblins will fight, but it got right nasty the last time and hundreds of families lost everything in their vault. I think you should transfer as much as you can to France so it's out of the reach of the Ministry whether you end up there or not.
"Are you going to do it too?"
The goblin and Sirius both laughed lightly. "The Black family has money stashed in vaults all over the continent. How else do you think I got your Firebolt for you?"
"You said you told them to take the gold from your vault in Gringotts?"
The goblin snorted. "Which one?"
"What?" Harry was confused.
"Goblins love naming their banks Gringotts. There are three others on the continent."
It was moments like these that reminded Harry he didn't grow up in the Wizarding world and what he didn't know because of it, could cost him dearly at some point in the future. Like this, for instance; what if he didn't have Sirius with him? Would he have known what to ask? It did seem like a good idea to get some of his gold out of England.
Harry put the questions out of his mind for the moment and asked Madgouger to do the vault transfer. Sirius confirmed that he was Harry's legal guardian and approved it. For the time being, Harry shoved a hundred Galleons and a stack of sickles into a bag.
Back in the cart, they descended deeper into the caves, stopping after three drops that left Harry feeling like his stomach was a few hundred feet back up on the track.
Sirius got out of the cart and, along with Madgouger, pressed his finger on the door. A Magical Signature Verification charm agreed that it was Sirius Black and a hiss escaped as the vault opened. Sirius's personal vault was just as full as Harry's, but it also held trinkets and treasures from his life that he'd stored over the years.
He pulled a box down from a shelf and blew the dust off. After removing the top, he reached in and palmed whatever was in the box.
"This was your father's," Sirius said to Harry quietly, almost reverently.
"What is it?"
"It's a symbol of one of our greatest times together. We were in Italy and stayed up all night trying to out-drink a couple groups of Marines—one British and one American, I think.
A ghost of a smile crossed his face, memories of a lost age and a damn good friend. "We noticed a number of them wearing what they called military rings. We thought it was a great idea and figured with everything we'd been through already, we should have one made for ourselves. It was just before we 'officially' joined the order.
"The night your parents were murdered," Sirius continued, his eyes focused on memories that Harry could only guess at, his voice filled with emotion. "I let Hagrid take you and I went back into the house to take care of James's and Lily's bodies. In those days, the Death Eaters were casting Inferi Spells on the dead to make them do things in public for the sake of entertainment and humiliation."
He stopped for a second. Harry watched him choke back a specific memory before continuing. "I noticed he was wearing his ring around his neck on a chain. I took it and after taking care of the bodies, brought it, and mine, back to my vault, gave the chain to Remus, and set off to kill Peter.
Sirius extended his arm. "I want you to have it now. It belongs to you."
Harry hesitated. "Did Wormtail have one?" He didn't want anything that linked his father with that traitor, the Marauder's Map notwithstanding.
"No," Remus answered. "Your father and the two of us took a two-week trip to the continent. Peter said he had family business he had to attend to."
Harry took the ring in his hand. There was nothing magical about it, but he found it to be far more meaningful than any possession he owned save his Invisibility cloak.
Harry surveyed the ring. The band was gold, the stone a large, flat, black sapphire ruby, on which a Gryffindor lion's face made of gold sat, its mane extending back to the band on either side. The eyes were diamonds and the mouth was a deep red ruby.
Sirius heaved a sigh, lifted his own ring out of the box and slid it on his finger. "We were young, full of money and foolishness, and full of ourselves. We thought once the Marauders were a part of the Order, we'd destroy Voldemort and his Death Eaters within a few months."
Remus, who had removed a chain from around his neck, put his ring on as well. "You and James were full of money and we were all full of ourselves, but that doesn't negate two of the best weeks I've ever had." He handed the chain to Harry. "It was the chain your father had. Put your ring on it and wear it around your neck for safekeeping. Whenever you feel it or see it, remember that you still have family that love you."
"Family?" Harry asked, thinking of the Dursleys and knowing they didn't love him at all.
"Yeah, family," Sirius answered. "We're your family."
Harry smothered his emotions and put the chain around his neck. The ring was heavy, but not overly so. He tucked it under his shirt and the three of them went to the next vault over. After the same procedure with the goblin, the door opened and Sirius stepped in. A few minutes later, he came back out with the Pensieve (much smaller than Dumbledore's, but ornate) and they all re-entered their carts to ascend out of the caves.
X ~ X ~ X ~ X
"Want some lunch?" Sirius asked as they left the bank.
"Sure," Harry answered. "Where are we going?"
"We should stay around here. The Leaky Cauldron? I haven't eaten there in ages."
A few minutes later, they found themselves seated at a table and their orders being taken.
"So, how are you doing with everything that's going on?" Sirius asked Harry when the waitress left.
"Fine, I guess. How are you doing?"
"I think what Sirius means," Remus clarified with a touch of humor, "is how are you coping with what happened the other day."
"Oh, okay I guess."
Sirius leaned into the table. "Just okay?"
"I guess so." Harry sat back in his chair. How did he feel about what he'd seen and done over the last few days? Did he even want talk about it? "I guess it still feels like a dream," he temporized. "I haven't really had time to think about everyone dying."
"It's a lot to take in," Sirius agreed. "Molly wanted me to apologize to you for not thinking about what room she put you in."
"It's okay—"
"No, it's not," Remus interrupted. "Harry, stop making so little of everything that happens to you and everything you feel. It makes it exceedingly difficult for the two of us and Molly to help you."
"Not to mention a certain French witch," Sirius reminded him. "And I'm not just hexing your wand either. You're going to have to learn how to let people help you."
Harry fumbled with his utensils and was thankful for the fast service when the food was placed on the table a few seconds later.
"So, how do you feel about Fleur?" Sirius asked once the waitress left again.
Nice subject change, A humorless smile creased Harry's face. Out of the burning potion and into the scalding cauldron, just wonderful!
"I . . . I like Quidditch. Do you think the Cannons will ever be any good?"
"That's not going to work," Sirius answered, "So, one more time, how do you feel about her?"
"Why is it important?" he asked, getting a bit annoyed. "I think I have a few more important things to worry about right now."
"So, you're not interested in her then?" Sirius pressed for clarification.
"I didn't say that."
"Then you are interested in her."
"I didn't say that either."
Sirius turned to Remus, "Does this conversation sound familiar?"
Remus smirked. "Power converters."*
"And how."
Sirius took another bite of his lunch before trying again with Harry. "I know I tease you a lot, but now I'm being serious, no pun intended. Fleur Delacour is a whole lot of witch. She's smart, beautiful, and it seems, knows how to handle her wand as well. Having Veela genes only promises one of the three. She has her faults like everyone else, but she is a dem fine witch, sir, a dem fine witch."
Harry could only grunt his agreement, not sure what else to say.
"Maybe I'm going about this the wrong way. Let's start over." Harry waited as Sirius took another bite of his food before continuing the interrogation.
"I've noticed you and Fleur spending a lot of time together and over the last few days, it looks like the two of you have grown quite close. Relationships can be confusing at the best of times and with what the two you have done together, you probably have a hundred different thoughts running through your mind. Is there anything you'd care to share, or want to ask about?"
Harry played with his food and thought back over the last couple of days. Forty-eight hours ago, he was at Hogwarts. Everyone was still alive and Fleur's biggest worry was her sister's coming of age.
Now, Harry was an integral part of a new war, the result of an active prophecy and for all intents and purposes, a sacrificial lamb. Two other Champions and almost all of his friends at Hogwarts were dead and Fleur had become… what? A friend? Ron was his friend and he never climbed into Harry's bed when Harry was having a bad dream. Hermione was his friend and while she often fretted over him, she never touched him like Fleur did when she was caring for him.
What does that make Fleur? How did Harry feel about her? Was it the same way he liked Cho?
It can't be, he argued with himself. I was completely gobsmacked around Cho this year. So if it's like Cho, why can I joke with Fleur without being tongue-tied, except when she– "I don't get it," Harry finally confessed. "She teases me, then blushes. Why do that? Why would she help me dream about her? She knows the types of dreams I'm having and why does she always end up in bed with me?"
"Maybe because you're very good there and quite gorgeous to boot," said the young waitress, who looked like she was a year or two out of school. She smiled and set three more bottles of butterbeer on the table before taking the empty ones and sauntering back to the bar.
Harry could feel himself turning bright red. It seemed to be an hourly occurrence anymore.
"Impressive," Sirius joked. "Even with the longer hair you're sporting now."
"Haven't had time to get a haircut," Harry mumbled.
"I'm sure Fleur loves running her hands through it." Sirius saw the look on Harry's face and quickly added on, "I'm only making an observation. If you find her doing it, leave it. Now, as to Fleur being in bed with you, maybe Remus can explain it."
"It's probably because she likes you," Remus said. "How much I don't know, she may not even know, but she does like you."
"Good, I like her too."
"I don't mean 'like you' in the way Hermione or Ron did," he reminded Harry.
Harry stopped, his fork halfway to his mouth. "There's no way she could like me like that."
"Why not? Remus asked, but Harry didn't answer. He remembered that he had a fork in his hand and put it back down on the plate.
"I heard what your two schoolmates said to you last night," Sirius began. "You do know that they see the same thing we do, right?"
Harry snorted. "I have no idea what they were talking about."
Sirius chuckled. "That's because a Ravenclaw was explaining it." Before Harry could ask, he continued, "Madame Bones told us her House last night."
"Oh."
"Basically," Remus jumped in, "The young Ravenclaw was saying that Fleur's crying on your shoulder like she did shows that she might like you."
"Not to mention," Sirius added, "that Fleur was watching her cry on your shoulder last night as well. Whether she admits it or not, it bothered her."
"But how could she – why would it bother her? I mean, she was going on all spring about how her sister likes me and before the last task, how Fleur's going to have to protect me."
Sirius was shaking his head. "I doubt even Dumbledore could begin to fathom the depths of a witch's mind. Maybe that was her way of flirting with you before she really knew if she liked you or not."
"So what am I supposed to do now?"
"Do you like her?" Sirius asked again.
"I don't know, I mean, at the beginning of the year I could really care less about her. She was stuck-up and arrogant, but she seemed to change over Spring term. We had a lot of fun talking about things."
"My guess, then," Sirius surmised, "is to do nothing specific. Just let things develop naturally and enjoy it. If she wants a relationship and you feel that you like her, then reciprocate; but there are two things you need to know. First, do not play with her heart. If you don't like her in that way, tell her so. It may hurt a bit in the beginning, but it's only fair. Second, you're only fourteen and you have a lifetime ahead of you so don't make any foolish commitments, but also remember that a witch like Fleur only comes around once in a lifetime."
"A lifetime, right," Harry scoffed. "How can I even think about a lifetime knowing about the prophecy? What about this?" He pointed to his scar. "I bet she doesn't even know about it, or what it means."
"She figured most of it out by herself this morning. Don't worry, we danced around the details." Sirius finished his stew and pushed the bowl away. "Let me ask you this, if you were back at Hogwarts and there was no prophecy and no strange magic in you, would you like to go on a date with her, maybe even give her a goodnight snog?"
Harry tried desperately to hide it, but a look that screamed "I already have" planted itself on his face.
"You didn't!" Sirius grinned. "When?"
"When what?"
"Harry, either you're going to start talking, or Fleur is going to hear every last embarrassing thing I know about you."
"At least that's not that much—"
Remus laughed in a way that made Harry want to feel for his wand. "Do I need to remind you that we were around when you were a baby? We've seen you do many things that you have no idea about. You were a very funny baby."
"Imagine Harry's embarrassment tonight," Sirius followed up, "when I remind Tonks in front of Fleur how thirteen month old Harry tried to suckle from the breast of a nine-year-old Tonks the one time she came with me to visit the Potters."
The two adults at the table laughed. Then Remus started in. "Sirius, do you remember the day Harry pulled off his diapers in public and—"
"All right, enough!" a red-faced Harry conceded. "This morning, we kissed after Remus left. It was just a peck on the lips."
"No it wasn't," Sirius corrected. "I can tell by the way you're looking at everything but at us."
"That's because I'm embarrassed."
"Liar."
"Either way, do you think I'm daft enough to tell you anything more?"
Remus broke out in laughter. "You're a smart wizard, Harry."
The check arrived and Sirius paid it before they went to the chocolate shop. Harry spent twenty minutes looking for something to bring back to Fleur as Sirius and Remus watched from the outside.
After finding what he wanted and paying for it, the owner covered it, shrunk it down, and put a number of charms on it. Harry slid the purchase into his robe along with instructions on how to remove the charms and stepped out of the store, when he heard someone yelling for his Godfather. He looked up to see Tonks and her partner running down the street, brandishing their wands.
"Tonks, what's wrong?" Sirius called out.
"The Ministry has fallen," the deep voice of Shacklebolt informed him. "There had to be over two-hundred Death Eaters that infiltrated the Ministry. The Auror's department was decimated and the Hitwizards were holding an office-wide meeting, they're all dead.
"Hogwarts all over again," Sirius muttered. "Madame Bones?"
"Don't know," Tonks answered. "She was with us making a report to the goblin liaison board, but she went back to her office – her niece and niece's friends were all there visiting. We never saw them again."
Harry's heart dropped through his stomach and a lump lodged itself in his throat.
"More importantly at this point," Shacklebolt interrupted, "it would be prudent to get Harry out of Diagon Alley."
They agreed and Remus, who was closest, reached over to grab Harry's arm, already hearing sounds of Apparation reverberating off facades, walls, and windows. As Remus turned on the spot, a strange squelching noise zipped up the street. Harry felt the beginnings of the squeeze of Apparition and then nothing else.
It was too late. Fifty or more Death Eaters, fresh from their part in the takeover of the Ministry, had Apparated into Diagon Alley.
Harry considered his first curse. The idea worked once, why not twice? He shouted "Serpensortia!" four times. That man snakes spouted out of Harry's wand, each larger than the one he'd summoned two days earlier.
"Sīh ȏth snā theth!" He commanded, and they slithered towards the enemy.
Screams were now erupting up and down Diagon Alley. Death Eaters randomly cast spells, killing or injuring some and humiliating others.
The four adults with Harry had seen enough. They brought their wands level and curses streaked out across the Alley. Harry followed up with his own series of jinxes and curses. The Death Eaters returned the favor and Harry suddenly found himself in his third battle in as many days. He cast a shield charm for the older wizards (and witch).
A killing curse spat out from a Death Eaters wand at Remus. Shacklebolt twitched his own wand and a picnic table in front of Fortescue's ice cream parlor next door leaped into the air, intercepting the curse and a dangerously close distance. They were sprayed with splinters and chunks of wood.
"Tonks!" Shacklebolt boomed out. "Madame Bones already declared an open state of war. Kill them."
Nymphadora Tonks regripped her wand and let loose a series of Killing Curses that ripped through Death Eaters, windows, and walls on the other side of the alley. Shacklebolt's wand spat out green death in a less impressive, but more controlled and effective manner. It was forgotten in the intervening years of peace, but the when war is declared, the Killing curse is legal for those fighting against the enemy.
Harry dropped his shield charm. Ignoring the burning sensations of the newly embedded slivers and thinking about Neville, Susan and Cho, he raged and threw a cutting curse he had read about in one of the books. The closest Death Eater moved for a wand-block, but the curse cut through the wand and took him mid-waist. Harry quickly followed up, casting his own Killing Curse and hitting the already wounded Death Eater in the face.
Then, just like two nights ago, the Horcrux inside Harry stirred, feeding him even more anger, rage, and power. He cast curses with vehemence, the tip of his wand dancing in the sun. Everything slowed down and he was able to watch spells exit from his wand, tracking them across the open space to their target.
Diagon Alley was ablaze in cursed colors. More windows exploded and signs were blown off walls from errant curses and attempted kill shots. The Dark Mark had appeared over shops as Death Eaters exited, leaving nothing moving behind them.
Wizards, hags, and dark creatures emptied out of Knockturn Alley, some fighting against the Death Eaters, most fighting with them, and a few happily cursing anything that moved, regardless of loyalty. Diagon alley turned into a kill zone.
The last snake Harry had conjured found another victim, pumping its poison into the bloodstream through the fangs sunk into the Death Eater's leg. A squelching noise ripped though Diagon Alley once more.
"It's time," Shacklebolt called out.
Harry felt Remus grab his arm and saw Sirius do the same to the two Aurors. His body pressed in on itself and went through the normal uncomfortable feelings of Apparition. He opened his eyes and found himself standing in the tranquil field behind the Burrow.
"We have to go back!" he yelled. "We have to save them!"
"No," Shacklebolt ordered, wand still in hand and blood spotting his robes. "If we want to save the wizarding world, we must retreat, regroup, plan, and then attack on our terms, out of our strengths, and on a battlefield of our choosing. The side that chooses the battlefield has already won the battle."
"Harry," Sirius whispered in his ear fervently, "Don't get yourself killed so easily. They'd come after you, he'd come after you. Are you ready to face Voldemort again?"
Harry didn't have a chance to respond as Mrs. Weasley raced out the back door and down through the yard. Fleur came out a few seconds later, running as fast as her legs would carry her.
"What 'appened?" Fleur yelled out, already reaching the fence and twenty yards behind Molly.
"The Ministry's fallen and Diagon Alley is a massacre," Shacklebolt answered.
Mrs. Weasley, who was close enough to be heard without shouting, was caught dead in her tracks. "Is it as bad as they say?"
"Probably worse," Sirius answered. "I saw dozens of Dark Marks going up all over the place."
Mrs. Weasley tensed. "Let's get back under the wards. The wireless says Dark Marks have started appearing above Hogsmeade as well."
Fleur ran right by her, tearing through the field until she reached Harry and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.
She stepped back but didn't release him. "'Arry, you 'ave blood all over you!" she cried out, frantically looking for wounds on his head, face, and neck.
"It's nothing."
"DON'T TELL ME IT'S NOZZING!" Fleur yelled, continuing the frenzied search and falling back into a deeper accent. "You don't bleed for nozzing!"
"Fleur," Remus interrupted. "I'd feel better under the Protective Charms and much better in the Burrow."
Fleur nodded and took Harry's hand as they walked back. The wireless was on and a frightened voice was frantically explaining that the Ministry had fallen. As Molly had said, Dark Marks were seen floating over Hogsmeade and now Diagon Alley and Godric's Hollow, the largest of wizard/Muggle mixed villages.
Fleur led Harry to the sitting room and settled him on the couch, conjuring towels and cleaning him up, again.
"Haven't we done this before?" Harry smirked, a little proud of his nonchalant delivery in light of his own anger and the frenetic energy that encapsulated the burrow at the moment.
"Eetz not funny," Fleur protested meekly.
"Sorry, just trying to make you laugh." Harry thought he saw the corner of her lip pull up.
"'Ow do you do that?" Fleur asked.
"What?"
"You 'ave been in another battle, but you worry about me laughing instead. 'Ow come you always care so much?"
"I don't know," he answered honestly, and was unable to stop himself before the next words spilled out of his mouth. "I guess it's just easier to care with some people."
He distinctly saw both corners of her lips pull up this time and a cute pinkish hue appeared on her cheeks.
She changed the subject. "'Ow did you get all these splinters? It's going to take forever to get them out, get comfortable."
Forever ended up being about an hour to find, remove, and clean the remaining wounds from dozens of splinters in Harry's face, neck, and hands. She carefully cast the Accio Spell on each splinter, stopping every couple of minutes to wipe off the blood that seeped from some of the deeper wounds left by them.
It took most of that hour as well for Harry to fully swallow the fury from being pulled out of the battle. Innocent people were dying and he could make their murders pay. Why run? Why not stay and kill every last one of them? How many of those Death Eaters had killed his friends, his housemates, his teachers? This was his chance to get back at them.
But what Sirius said in the clearing was also right. His was a bigger calling. Hopefully, he'd have the chance to visit the suffering on the one who started it all and he'd be damned well ready for it when that time came, regardless of what it took. After watching the massacre in the alley, there was no doubt about that. Shacklebolt was right. They were at war.
Fleur's ministrations gradually pulled his mind back to the Burrow – and the reality that he may have just lost four more classmates, and it seemed, three friends. That was until he heard Shacklebolt tell the adults in the kitchen that Madame Bones, Susan, and the others all made it out safely. Madame Bones's Patronus had just informed him when he was doing a sweep of the grounds with Tonks.
Harry relaxed as Fleur worked across his forehead. "Just one more and we're finished. I don't think they'll leave scars."
"Good, I'd hate to have one on my forehead."
Fleur snorted and her wand moved as she summoned the last splinter. It ripped straight through the skin and Harry winced.
"Serves you right! I might 'ave to start charging you for medical services pretty soon," she teased as she wiped his face clean and handed his glasses back to him.
He put them on and reached into his robes that were lying across the chair next to him. "Charge me? Would you accept something from the chocolate shop instead?"
"Oui," she said in a much softer voice.
He brought out the package and reversed the charms. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Fleur's slight grin and something different about her eyes. He chalked it up to anticipation and suddenly became nervous that he'd bought the wrong thing.
"I tried to think of what you would like. I remembered you talking about the food at Hogwarts so I figured you wouldn't want anything too heavy and since you've been away from home for so long I thought. . . ." Harry ran out of steam and lowered his head slightly in embarrassment. "It was probably a daft way to decide . . ."
"'Arry," Fleur said softly, putting her finger on his lips. "Whatever it is, it will be wonderful."
Harry breathed deeply and pulled out a Chocolate and Crème Torsade, topped with Pearl Sugar and dark chocolate drizzled across the top from the bag. He held his breath and the pasty out for her, noticing his hand shaking.
At least she'll think it's from the battle, Harry hoped.
She cupped her hands and he laid the Torsade in them, noticing for the first time how delicate her hands were.
Fleur studied the pastry for a second before taking a dainty bite. Her eyelids fluttered closed and a purr escaped the back of her throat. Some of the cream leaked out. She wiped it off with her finger and licked it clean, using the tip of her tongue.
Harry blushed.
Fleur bit her lip and giggled, having realized what she was doing. "It is very good. 'Ow did you know to get this one?"
Harry's blush went even deeper. He could lie to her, but something compelled him to tell the truth, even though he knew how bad it sounded. "Do you promise not to laugh?"
She was piqued with curiosity now.
"Oui. I promise," she answered, her eyes wide and a hint of sugar on her lips.
That sugar looked so good, Harry thought, envisioning himself leaning in to her, tilting his head slightly to the side before running the tip of his tongue across her sweet lips, only to kiss them and make sure he didn't miss anything.
Harry caught himself and focused on the present again, and a Fleur who was sitting expectantly for an answer, but she smiled even more and He had a feeling she knew what he was thinking.
"I'm waiting."
His eyes went wide.
She giggled. "For you to tell me how you knew which one to get."
"Oh, that. Yeah, well. It's sorta embarrassing."
"I promise I will not laugh, Ça va—Okay?"
Harry sighed and looked down at his hands. "I was trying to find something that kinda reminded me of you and I looked at a bunch of things but none of them were right. There were rich dark chocolate candies but they were too heavy and I knew you didn't like that; they had white chocolate and it kinda reminded me of your hair and being sweet but it was just candy and you're so much more; then I remembered you saying something about French pastries and your French and I found one that looked wonderful and alluring but had a bit hard, flaky surface like you to hide and protect all the good and warm and gooey and wonderful stuff on the inside. . . ."
Harry closed his eyes and grimaced.
"Please don't let that sound as bad as I think it did," he muttered.
When she didn't answer, he peered up to find Fleur just inches away, her eyes glistening, lips moist, and hands – devoid of pastries – reaching up to caress both cheeks. She pulled him in to her and Harry closed his eyes. He felt her breath on his lips, the warmth of her lips inviting him to lean in and taste her.
But instead of the kiss, all he noticed was a green light that flashed in the room.
*Since one of my beta's missed the connection, I decided to make sure to remind you of Sirius's and Remus's discussion of Harry being like his father and Sirius making the reference to Star Wars in chapter three.