AN: New chapter up. Enjoy!

Chapter 40 - Letters

"Ouch! You little bitch!" he cussed as a shock of electricity zapped his hand. "What's wrong with you?! Why do you keep doing this?!"

The one he was yelling at was not a person but an inanimate object. Harry Potter was once again having an argument with his wand.

From the side, Bellatrix giggled at the sight of him. She was still marvelling at the wand's show of intelligence. Unfortunately, wand-making and wand lore were not her areas of expertise. She would have had a field day studying the Elder Wand and the seemingly sentient fir wand had she been a wand-maker like Ollivander. As it was, she could not help him with anything.

"Look, I told you, it's not like that!"

After two years spent with the feisty wand, Harry had somehow started to understand to a certain extent the feelings/emotions it was projecting.

"You have no reason to be jealous, you know? If anything, you should be happy - you just got a sister."

The wand buzzed noisily on the table, quite vocal about its disagreement.

Harry rubbed his forehead while exhaling loudly through his nose. In the end, he could do nothing but wandlessly levitate his wand and put it back into its holster at his waist.

"She's still mad at you?" Bellatrix asked, her voice dripping with amusement.

He chuckled helplessly and said: "I've never thought there would come a day when my wand would accuse me of cheating. How is it so smart anyway, it makes no sense?! Wands aren't supposed to be sentient!"

They laughed together at the idea of Harry "cheating" on his wand.

When he grabbed the Elder Wand from the other holster at his waist, the fir and dragon heartstring wand vibrated annoyingly against the skin of his hips. The wand was clearly having none of it. Death's Stick or not, the fact that Harry was okay with the idea of having a second wand appeared to be the ultimate form of betrayal.

He paced back and forth across the living room, distracting Bellatrix who was reading a book on the sofa while sipping on a cup of coffee.

"You're being bothersome, go play outside or something. It's not raining today, go out and fly on your broom. Have some fun."

"I just don't know what to do, okay? It's not like I can use the Elder Wand openly. It would be like advertising that I'm the one who they suspect as their serial killer. But I don't wanna get another wand either. As annoying as she is sometimes, she's grown on me."

Bella sniffed in amusement at his dilemma. To Harry, however, it was not that funny. He had grown attached to his fir and dragon heartstring wand over the past two years. Temperamental as it was, the connection he felt with his wand was nothing like he had ever experienced with other wands. It was not just a tool like the Elder Wand or like the wands from his previous life. His connection with the fir wand was more intimate, almost like having a friend by his side at all times.

"You should give it a name. It might increase your intimacy with her and make her feel more special," Bellatrix said with a grin.

"I should give it a what now?" he asked with a snort of laughter.

"A name. She might like it, who knows?" she said with a shrug.

"Yeah, yeah. I should call her Wanda," he said sarcastically but an unexpected Stinging Hex to his thigh made him let out a yelp of pain. The fir and dragon heartstring wand was not amused.

"With a naming sense that bad you do deserve to be hexed. No wonder Asmodeus is always annoyed with you. Calling him Big Head... I'm rather surprised your owl got a decent name," she said with a snigger.

"Har-har," he mocked her laughter. "I'm sorry, I should have probably named him Big Turd like I wanted at first. Where is he, by the way? I rarely see him around these days."

"He went for a swim in the river."

Anaconda snakes loved swimming and Big Head was no different in that regard. With Water of Leith passing through the Dean Village district of Edinburgh (where the Blackthorn was located) and with his ability to shrink his size thanks to being Harry's familiar, Big Head often sneaked out and went for a swim. Now that it was the beginning of July, temperatures had increased even in Scotland. It was still not warm enough for a green Anaconda to swim leisurely for a long time but it was not cold enough to harm it either.

Harry shook his head at the snake's antics. Extending his hand, a wandless Summoning Charm made a book come flying to him from his bedroom. Then, he took a seat next to Bellatrix, on the sofa. (1)

"What are you reading?"

"The Hobbit by Tolkien," Harry said.

"Is it interesting?" she asked, not recognizing the name of the author.

"You mean you've never read it? You're missing out on such a great read!"

"What's it about?"

"It tells the story of a hobbit joining a band of dwarves and a wizard in their quest to reclaim their lost kingdom. Hobbits are similar to dwarves in stature but less muscular and more interested in farming, cooking and having an easy-going life. The way Tolkien describes the Shire, their community, makes me wish I could live there. It's like a dream world." (2)

"Boooring," she said.

"You take that back. If that is boring then show me what you're reading now!" he said and snatched the book from her hands, almost making her spill her cup of coffee in the process. "Hmpf, 'A treatise on Gamp's Laws of Elemental Transfiguration'...That's what you call interesting? This is probably even better at curing insomnia than a Sleeping Draught."

"To uneducated chimps, maybe it's boring," she said with a huff and snatched her book back from his hands.

Harry chuckled at her cranky reply but did not poke fun at her any longer. Instead, he opened his book and immersed himself in the magical world created by Tolkien. Many of the creatures and beings in Middle Earth existed in real life as well but that world was more fantastical. There was no Statue of Secrecy, there were Hobbits, there were elves - not House Elves - and there were orcs too and demons too.

'I wouldn't be surprised if Tolkien had been a wizard or a squib.' he thought absentmindedly.

Two hours later, around 4 o'clock in the afternoon, a snowy-white owl landed on the window sill and bonked with her beak on the glass. Unaware of it himself, Harry let out a smile so innocent that it brightened his face. Leaving the book down without even putting a bookmark first, he made a beeline towards the window.

"Hedwig! You're back so quickly!" he said and took the beautiful bird of prey into a bear hug.

The snowy owl barked happily and affectionately nipped at his fingers as he was petting her on the head.

"Is this a letter from Fleur?"

Hedwig hooted in acknowledgement and lifted her leg for him to untie the rolled piece of parchment.

Carrying the snowy-white owl on his shoulder, he returned to the sofa and sat down. When he unfurled the piece of parchment, Bellatrix also scooted closer to him and tried to read over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" he said and threw her a dirty look.

"Aww, is little baby Potter embarrassed?"

"Shoo, shoo. Go back to your boring magical theory books," he said, not letting her teasing get to him.

"Ah, to be a teenager and in love with someone! I'm so jealous," she said half-serious half-jokingly.

"I'm sure there are some men who'd give an arm and a leg for the chance to date you," he said, not buying her victim act.

"I'm getting old," she said with a wry smile. "And my standards for men are also quite unrealistic."

"At least you admit it," he said with a laugh.

"Well, isn't it normal to desire the best? Alas, there's also that thing... you know, the fact that I can't have children. Even if I found a decent man, nobody would stick around after hearing that. It's quite the deal-breaker for most wizards. As for purely-physical relationships with someone, well, I am not that kind of easy woman."

Saying that, Bellatrix's smile waned a bit.

"You could also try getting to know a Muggleborn. Or, who knows, maybe even a Muggle," Harry suggested with a shrug of his shoulder.

She literally rolled her eyes.

"Muggleborns? I don't mind. But Muggles? Thanks, but no thanks. Maybe Muggleborns have no issues with marrying Muggles since they grew up in that world. We're too different."

She stood up from the sofa and stretched to remove the stiffness in her back.

"Anyways! No more talk about my dating life~ I'm going to play the piano for a while," she said in a chipper voice and ruffled his already messy hair once (prompting him to slap her hand away) before leaving.

He looked down at the piece of parchment in his hands, not really registering the words written on it, his mind still at Bellatrix's words. Eventually, he let out a sigh. There was nothing he could do about it. The damage dealt by Dark Magic could seldom be fully healed. That's how his scar had never been healed in his past life and how George Weasley had lost his ear and could never grow it back. A curse that could render someone infertile was something that sounded obscure even to him who was no stranger to Dark Magic after having battled against it for decades. And if Bellatrix herself had not found a cure, it was likely that no-one else would - she was one of the most well-versed persons in the Dark Arts that he had ever met.

At the moment, he was going to give Bellatrix some space and let her pour out her emotions by playing the piano. That's how she dealt with her depression, it was how she had kept herself afloat despite her loneliness and lack of affection throughout the years. But he resolved himself to let Bella know more often how much he cared about her. That was especially because she had already started her work as an Unspeakable again, she would not be returning to teach at Hogwarts the next year so they would not be spending as much time together as before.

⁂

It was the summer holiday. In his childhood, unlike most boys his age, Harry used to hate holidays more than any other time of the year. Summer holidays, in particular, were the worst for him because he could not stay at Hogwarts like during Christmas or Easter. When summer came, he had to return to the Dursleys.

In this life, however, Harry absolutely loved holidays. The novelty of reliving his childhood at Hogwarts passed after the first few weeks in the previous year and the nostalgia glasses no longer had any effect in alleviating the excruciating boredom he felt during the classes. Done with his second year of school, Harry was joyous at the thought of getting away from his noisy and nosy classmates. He felt bliss at the fact that in the following months, he would finally get some peace and quiet, with only Bellatrix and Hedwig for company.

'I guess Big Head too, he ain't half bad,' he mused while looking at the small, three-foot-long snake sleeping coiled up like a turd on his desk, right next to his papers.

Although the summer holiday had just started, Harry Potter was in the middle of doing his History of Magic assignment. Mentally, he was not a child so he had no intention of procrastinating his homework for the last week of the holiday. Moreover, unlike the first time around, there were no Dursleys to lock up his belongings and forbid him from studying. He decided to finish everything as soon as possible and spend the rest of the holiday without thinking about it.

Witch Burning in the Fourteenth Century Was Completely Pointless - discuss.

Nearly 3 decades had passed since Harry had been in his third year at Hogwarts but he could swear that this History of Magic assignment was identical to the one from his past life. That's because the amusing story of Wendelin the Weird was rather hard to forget - the witch in question had let herself get caught and burnt at the stake by Muggles no less than 47 times, even going as far as brewing a difficult potion like the Polyjuice Potion just to disguise herself as someone else in order to get captured without the Muggles suspecting a thing.

'But I doubt wizards and witches would have it as easy these days. If Muggles were to start another 'witch hunt' in this day and age, most people would be hard-pressed to survive.'

Unlike most wizards and witches, Harry was no stranger to the killing capabilities of the Muggles and he did not underestimate their potential for destruction either. While he held no doubt that ultimately the elite among wizards and witches would get control of the Muggle world's leaders and governments through the use of Imperius Curse, Polyjuice and Legilimency, the regular wizards and witches out there would end up massacred. As someone who had come from a future 30 years away from the current time, he had seen with his own eyes the incredible leap in technology that the Muggles experienced in the 21st century.

'Two decades from now, the wizarding world will have to hide even deeper. Deeper and more carefully than ever before.'

It was not a bright future for the magical kind. Traffic cameras were going to become mainstream in all the large cities of Europe, the internet would make information spread around the world instantly, and the invention of smartphones and their capability to record films would lead to the Statue of Secrecy being compromised.

'It was bad, especially in the past few years before I stepped into the Veil. At first, most people thought that films of wizards being caught casting spells on camera were just fake videos or special effects like in movies.'

However, as Voldemort's rampage intensified and his army grew, as the war encompassed the entire continent and even went beyond Europe, the Obliviators across the Globe were beginning to understand that keeping the Wizarding World secret was soon going to become impossible.

'I didn't care about it all that much back then...'

The Weasleys had been murdered around the time when the Wizarding World was barely starting to become aware of the danger that Muggle's surveillance technology posed to the Statute of Secrecy and the few remaining people that he still cared about - such as Kingsley, McGonagall, and Flitwick - were also killed during the war started by Voldemort in 2005. He had had nobody that he still cared about enough to at least exchange letters with so the struggles of the Wizarding World to stay hidden from Muggles had been of no concern for him. Back then, his entire being had been consumed by two things: hatred and vengeance. His obsession with destroying Voldemort and killing Dark Wizards had made him ignore most of the social unrest going on at that time. (2)

"But it's not like that anymore," he muttered.

There were two special people in his life that he loved more than anything - Fleur and Bella - and he also had a family in the Tonks family and Sirius. Although Sirius was often busy with Wizengamot meetings or drinking his days away, and despite the fact that Harry did not interact very often with Tonks and her parents - they were adults with their own jobs and personal lives - everyone still made time to gather at Grimmauld Place once a month and dine together, as a family. As someone who had always wanted to belong to a family, Harry treasured their monthly get-togethers more than anyone (except Bellatrix) knew. He had even started to interact with Narcissa Malfoy to a certain extent.

With that being the case, Harry could no longer remain indifferent about the future. Not when the people that he cared for would end up suffering because of it.

But his pensive expression faded away after some time.

'No use in worrying about such a far future right now. It's still about 20 years away. First things first. I'll kill Voldemort first. I'll worry about other things later.'

Pushing that thought into a remote corner of his mind, he turned his attention back to the essay that he was supposed to write.

Completing the assignment for the History of Magic did not take him too long. About 45 minutes later, Harry put his quill down and cast a Drying Charm to dry the ink on the parchment. Finishing that, he took a different piece of parchment and unfurled it.

Dear Harry,

At the expense of you getting a big head, I'll start by saying that I miss you.

That first sentence alone was enough to make him break into a smile.

It's good to be back in France and finally see the sun. Merlin, how I hate that Scotland weather. Did you know we had less than 30 sunny days the entire last year?! Only 23 days more exactly, I counted them! It is ridiculous!

He actually sniffed with audible laughter. Fleur had always been rather vocal about her deep dislike of the Scottish weather during their morning runs on Hogwarts' grounds and around the Black Lake. He could vividly imagine her pretty face, all scrunched up in a frown by exasperation.

I also missed my family. I'm glad I took your advice and mended my relationship with them. My parents are dotting on me in a manner that makes me think I'm of the same age as Gabrielle...but I don't dislike it.

He did not doubt her words. With how touchy-feely she acted with him sometimes, it was not difficult for Harry to realize that Fleur was starved for affection.

But I do have to admit, my little sister is kind of suffocating sometimes. She wants my undivided attention 24/7. Still, it's great being back in France, home. I just wish you were here too. I want to show you the place where I grew up, our vast vineyards, the sea, the beach...

Harry sighed wistfully at her words. He had never dated someone like that. He had never had that kind of idyllic romance in his past life. Just imagining the scene of going with Fleur on a simple walk, by the beach, at the sunset, holding her hand, filled him with peace and high expectations.

Although it's still a few weeks away, I can't wait for you to come here. You are coming, right? I will be VERY displeased if you changed your mind. Mum and dad have already started to make plans. And yes, before you ask, you can bring that crazy woman along with you too, I understand that it's a necessary evil.

Oh, he was definitely going to keep his promise and visit Fleur in France! He missed her just as much as she missed him. In addition, it would also be good to keep Bellatrix away from burying herself in her work and make her relax.

Last, but not least, the thought of seeing his gorgeous girlfriend in nothing but a swimsuit and with her long silvery hair wet from swimming made him get hot under the collar. The fact that his teenage hormones were influencing his mind was not the sole reason for his less than pure thoughts. But he felt no shame whatsoever in regards to his burning desire for Fleur. She was his girlfriend, she was a Veela, and he was in love with her. If he was not going to perv on his own girlfriend, who was he supposed to do it on?

'I should stock up on Ageing Potions brewed for the age of 20 before the trip~' he thought with a mental chuckle.

Shaking himself out of his R-18 thoughts, Harry returned his attention to Fleur's letter.

By the way, I have recently received the results of Professor Flitwick's apprenticeship exams. I have passed them all with flying colours! Now, I just have to wait for the OWLs. But, as far as I know, they are still a week or two away. Speaking of my Charms Apprenticeship, I will need your help with a project. Brush up your knowledge in Ancient Runes, I will be making full use of it when you arrive.

Well, enough about me. Tell me what have you been up to? Are you still going on runs in the morning? Have you given any thought to picking Quidditch again next year? Give me a longer letter than the previous one. Your last letter is inexcusable! And you better reply to this letter on the same day you receive it. Remember, Hedwig is on my side. She will tell me everything. I also know that there are about 1000 miles from Scotland to Southern France and that Hedwig takes about 2 days and a half, a maximum of three days if the weather is bad to cover that distance so-

'Bruh.' Harry thought while reading that paragraph.

He was a little unsettled at how obsessive her calculations made her sound.

I just miss you so much, Harry. I need you. I miss our chats. I want you to embrace me. I want to kiss you... I want to make love to you, to fall asleep with my face buried in the crook of your neck and with your hands around my waist. I want to hear you tell me that you love me.

Although it was just writing, he felt his chest jolt when reading those words.

Do you miss me too? Do you think of me that often too? I hope I'm not the only one. Write to me as soon as possible.

Love,
Fleur.

Although deeply amused and smiling at first, Harry was left with a pondering expression on his face by the time he finished reading the letter. It was the second letter he had received from her since the summer holiday started and Fleur sounded even needier than in the first one.

'Almost desperate.'

But then, he started smiling again. With the virus called love tainting his thought process, Harry did not dwell on that thought for long. Head over heels with her as he was, Fleur's slightly out of character clinginess did not raise any alarm bells in his mind. If anything, he found it endearing.

AN:

(1) Reading is one of Harry's hobbies in this fic, one of the things he likes to do in his free time. It was mentioned once in chapter 12: "Then, he opened a book and started to read. It was not that he was truly a nerd but reading had been his only form of enjoyment for nearly 16 years after Voldemort killed the Weasleys."

(2) Dwarves do exist in the canon. They make a brief appearance in the Chamber of Secrets when they delivered to Harry that embarrassing poem from Ginny. But Rowling does not expand on their lore. As for the Hobbits, they are not canon in Harry Potter.

(3) Just reminding you all the timeline of the events in Harry's past life.
1998: Battle of Hogwarts. Voldemort dies by his own Killing Curse. (mostly canon up until this moment - except for Harry not receiving Snape's memories)
2002: Harry wins the Quidditch World Cup for England. (chapter 1)
2004: Voldemort resurrects again. On the 31st of December, the entire Weasley family is killed. The 1st of January, 2005, marks the start of the second war. (chapter 4)
2009: Harry, Kingsley, McGonagall, and Flitwick fight against Voldemort in a 4 vs 1 battle. They barely manage to kill him. Everyone dies except for Harry who also loses his right arm in the battle. End of the second war. (chapter 8)
2020: Harry defeats Voldemort one final time and finds out his secret through torture. The 3rd war ends. Soon after, he steps into the Veil of Death.