Early access to chapters and more content is available on pat reon dot com/Vedros.
You will find many other benefits including the power to vote in polls to decide on future chapters and stories, so check it out.
Now, on to the chapter.
It was a spontaneous event that brought Harry back here. The place where everything began.
The castle stood imposing underneath the vast canopy of the Scottish sky, the chilly weather of winter testing even the most resilient, and as his feet trod through the snow-covered path, he felt the nostalgia set in.
This place still held a special spot in his heart, one he couldn't even think to replace. It was here that he had felt at home for the first time in his life, a beacon of hope from the everlasting darkness that had surrounded his life before his introduction to this magnificent universe, his very own escape.
Harry was still reliving his memories from years past when he reached the iron gate. The once rusted structure was pristine and spotless, and as if sensing a family member returning, it slid open without prompt.
He stood there, taking in the spine-tingling sight of those tall towers that threaded through the clouds, before raking his eyes over the snowy expanse of the Hogwarts compound. Far away he could make out the dark shadows of the Forbidden Forest, and he wondered what the situation was like therein.
A harsh blow of wind, cold as ice, brought Harry out of his reverie, and he had to wave his hand over himself once again to keep warm. Hastening his steps, he made his way to the entrance hall, sighing in relief when he saw the huge door open, the gargoyles and warriors standing sentry.
As he walked through the entrance and took in the interior for the first time in years, he was once again left with his mouth agape. The infrastructure looked spotless, and it was impossible to imagine that a brutal battle had taken place right there, one that had torn the castle apart in ways unimaginable beforehand.
He walked ahead toward the main atrium – the one that connected the Entrance Hall to the Great Hall, and there stood the evidence of the brutal war they had fought so hard. The mural depicted every aspect of the war fought, from their struggles in the first war back when the Order was actively fighting against the forces of the dark, to their first victory over Voldemort when his mother had defied him, all the way to their final battle right there.
Harry stood there, simply taking in the brilliant piece of art, brought to life by the wonders of magic, his eyes wandering over the entire expanse of the wall and looking at every face, fallen or otherwise.
There was the reminder of all the hardships they had endured, the lives changed forever, and above all, the familiar faces of friends and family who were forever lost.
The sound of someone clearing one's throat shook Harry out of the trance he had inadvertently fallen into.
Startled, he turned around, before relaxing when his eyes found a familiar face standing behind him.
Those sapphire eyes were unique, and he was sure he had never seen such a shade before. The blonde locks framing that aristocratic face, locks he had tugged gently and harshly alike on numerous occasions, those rosy cheeks he had nipped and licked time and again, and those lips, bathed in red, a pair that never failed to send a shiver of excitement through him whenever he gazed at them, a pair that he had kissed and sucked far too many times to keep a count of.
He felt his gaze trail down to her neck and he forced himself to pause.
She cleared her throat and he realized he had been staring, yet again. He chided himself, however a small part of him was ready with an excuse.
'How could I not stare!? She's gorgeous! My...'
"Nice to see you, Harry," her voice sounded, and Harry felt he could listen to that silky melody all day long.
'Shit. Get a hold of yourself, Potter! She's just an old fling, nothing you haven't dealt with before.'
'You know she isn't just some old fling though... she's the only woman you've truly...'
Harry forcefully buried that thought before it could fully manifest itself in his psyche. Looking back at her expectant face, Harry Potter released a breath and smiled.
"It's good to see you too, Fleur,"
Fleur Delacour was walking toward her office when she saw him. Her feet came to a sudden halt as she looked at the side of his face slightly from behind. Thoughts of him were something that had excited her once, the fond memories of what they had done for so long, but after some time, she had been made to realize that she had done nothing but use them.
She had been married to Bill Weasley for just over a year when the news had come that her husband had been killed. However, the bigger news was that he had been found naked, in a bed in a shady part of Knockturn Alley, his face smeared with what Fleur had recognized as a woman's nectar. Her heart was not ready to face it, but the aura of sex in that room was unmistakable. That was the last time she had cursed her Veela nature – being a Veela made her hypersensitive to any pheromones that had any connection to the passion between the sexes, and her senses had been driven into overdrive when she had entered that room for the first time all those nights ago. She didn't recognize the other signature, only that it was some female who Bill had been fucking before he got himself killed. Manticore venom, they had been told.
The war had just ended, but her world had completely shattered in just one night. In her justified rage, she had cut off all relations from the Weasleys, unable to look at any one of them. The females of that family had never liked her, and honestly, she felt the same. The betrayal from the only one who had tethered her to that family had been the last straw.
It had been a very hard time for her, and she was ready to leave Britain for good and move back to France, having left her job at Gringotts due to the war, and losing her only connection to Wizarding Britain, or so she had thought.
He had come into her life as a beacon of light. After Harry came to know just what had happened, he had offered her to be a guest at his townhouse in London.
The #12 Grimmauld Place was completely unrecognizable – gone were the old remnants of the bigoted Black household, the furniture and upholstery had been replaced, walls had been painted, the floor revamped, the house-elf shrine had been discarded, and it looked like an actual home.
Harry's reason for offering her a place soon became apparent. She knew she was somewhat broken, and Harry had a child. His godson, Teddy, was a godsend to her life.
Spending time with them felt like therapy, and in no time, she felt her inner life returning to her. A few months into her stay at his home and they were kissing each other heatedly. He had her pressed against the door of his room, their lips battling ferociously, and his fingers hurriedly unbuttoning her cardigan.
Quickly discarding it aside, his hands found her tucked top while hers unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants. As she tugged them down his legs, she lifted her hands so that he could pull her top away from her body. His shirt followed suit and so did her skirt and they were left standing there in their undergarments. They had looked at each other for barely a second before their lips collided once more.
She recalled how she had wrapped her legs around his waist, his cock pressing against her core and making her moan, as he gripped her ass tightly and carried her over to his bed. She remembered how he had dropped her softly on his bed before looking at her with such a tender gaze, she had felt she would've melted away.
The way he had caressed her cheek, dragging his hands down her body slowly, caressing her delicate skin tenderly, was so endearing that she unhooked her bra and tossed it aside, baring her naked tits to his eternal gaze.
He had been mesmerized; Fleur could easily see it, and it had made her feel rejoiced. She remembered her moans when he had showered her twin mounds with all the love and affection he had. She had been so aroused that she had hurriedly cast her knickers aside as he did the same with his boxers.
Fleur could easily recall the sensation she had felt when she had first gazed at his manhood, and how glorious it had felt to be one with him for the first time, leading to her spending all the nights that had followed in his bed, both of them naked and keeping the other close. Their lovemaking was always passionate, sometimes tender, sometimes aggressive, but always full of passion.
It had been going smoothly, and she had transitioned seamlessly into her new life. But even after all that, Fleur didn't dare hope for anything fruitful to come out of it. She was still somewhat broken, she knew, and her fears were proven right when she had been confronted by Harry's ex-girlfriend for taking him away from her, cursing her for rotten luck, and wishing for her eternal misery. The thing which had hurt her the most was when she had pointed out how she had used Harry and his gentle nature, ensnaring him with her evil Veela powers, and that she was cursed, causing the death of anyone she got close to.
That had opened up the old wounds. Fleur had realized in hindsight that she should've ignored Ginny, that she was doing the wrong thing, but she didn't realize it all back then.
She recalled how broken Harry had looked when she had purposefully said things to hurt him, to push him away, and she knew he was hurting inside. It didn't matter that she was feeling as much broken as him, if not more, and with her mind in that stupid haze clouded with her unfounded fears, Fleur did it. That very night, she left Grimmauld Place, and it broke her heart to leave Harry and her boy Teddy behind, but in her stupidity, she didn't realize just what she was losing.
That happened over a year ago, and this was the first time they were seeing one another since that night. She had taken over the role of Assistant Charms professor, learning under Professor Flitwick to replace him once he decided to retire, and that's how she found herself living at Hogwarts. A small apartment in Devon took care of her during the summer holidays. She had heard how remarkably well Harry had done in the political arena, taking active steps to bring Britain out of the shell Voldemort had left it in, as well as casting down generations of malpractices. It always filled her with pride whenever she heard people talking of him in glowing words of appreciation and admiration.
Fleur shook herself out of her reminiscing and cleared her throat. Harry turned abruptly, and she rejoiced when she saw the same mesmerizing look in his eyes. She cleared her throat once again to bury the jolt of pleasure she felt when she saw his gaze dropping down her face.
"Nice to see you, Harry," she said, barely keeping the thrill out of her voice.
As Fleur looked into his eyes, she felt herself falling into a trance herself. But she was brought out of her stupor when she saw that look on his face.
That smirk.
She hated it.
She hated it for what it represented – his cocky demeanor, a mechanism he had developed after she had left him. She knew what he had been up to since then – bedding women left and right, enjoying the perks of being the savior of the Wizarding Britain, and she hated it.
She hated the fact that she was the reason why he had gone down that path, perhaps in an attempt to quell down the hurt he carried in his heart, and she hated that she was the reason for that.
'Oh, what I'd give to be able to go back to that damnable day... Slap my past self, scold her, do anything to not do it... I'm sorry, my love... I've hurt you so much I can't even forgive myself...'
Fleur steeled herself, her Occlumency working overtime to keep her true emotions out of her face, as she looked at him. It was not easy, and she was slowly dying inside as he continued to give her that smirk.
Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself down.
"How are you?" She thought that was as good an opening as any.
"Oh! I'm great, doing good actually." He was good, but she had learned his quirks intimately. Anyone else could've been fooled easily, not her though.
"And... Teddy?" Her voice had a nervous tint to it, and if Harry noticed it, he didn't give anything away.
Harry tensed slightly when she mentioned his boy's name. He remembered how Teddy had wailed and cried every time he couldn't find her back then, and how long it took him to calm the child down whenever he did so.
"He's doing good, too. Got him enrolled in a preschool in London some time ago."
"That's good..." Fleur said, both thrilled and saddened at the news. They had looked through the list of those schools together back then, like actual parents, and her heart ached once again.
The two stood there, silently, looking at nothing of note, and it was starting to get awkward.
"So..." Harry began.
"Yes?"
"I'll be going. I have a meeting scheduled with the headmistress. And she doesn't like tardiness, as you might know."
"Oh. Yeah. Okay."
Harry simply nodded and looked at her. Fleur could see the love he held for her still visible in those emerald pools before he blinked and it was gone as fast as it appeared.
"It was nice to meet you, Fleur." He stated before he turned around. Fleur kept her eyes locked on the back of his head until he reached the threshold of the exit and turned outside.
"It was nice to meet you too, mon amour..." Her eyes filled with unshed tears before she choked back a cry and walked away, brushing her tears aside and blinking rapidly.
Right outside the exit, Harry Potter released a deep breath and closed his eyes, resting the back of his head against the wall.
The gargoyle stepped aside as Harry uttered the password, and Harry stepped forward on the ascending staircase. He walked off the platform when it stopped escalating, and tapped the door with his knuckle thrice in quick succession.
"Come in, Mr. Potter," the Scottish tone of the headmistress was noticeable as Harry pushed the door open, walking inside after closing it behind him.
"Good evening, Minerva," Harry intoned as he sat down after she gestured him to. His voice was warm and welcoming as he gave her a small smile.
"And a good evening to you as well, Harry,"
Minerva McGonagall gave her favorite student a small smile in return. She looked at him with a proud expression on her face. After so many adversities in his life, he had turned out a remarkable young man, and the work he continued to do was further testament to the fact that Harry Potter was a true gem of Hogwarts.
'Oh, Lily, James... how I wish you could've seen how your son has grown...'
Pleasantries were exchanged between the pair as they discussed various matters about the school and the curriculum to be introduced.
"As you know Professor, we're surely fighting to ensure equality and fairness... but..."
Minerva nodded, gesturing for him to continue.
"That doesn't mean we have to cast down every tradition aside. Some practices are there for a reason, and we feel it prudent to make the first generation witches and wizards aware of everything."
"Mr. Potter, while I agree with your assertion, I feel it is more complicated than you think. While certain practices might make sense to you, those might not to others. The same holds for practices you might feel redundant. Anything the new law might introduce will call for backlash from the conservative faction, as you've seen in the Wizengamot meetings."
Harry had a pensive look on his face as he considered her words. They certainly held merit, and their coalition had anticipated such a response from quite many people who had been living in Wizarding Britain for a much longer period.
"So... what do you suggest then?"
"Well... the bill is already sound as far as enforcement is concerned, however, I find it would be better if the new witches and wizards are taught what it truly means to be a member of our society throughout their education, explaining the traditions and their roots, and encouraging healthy discussions on whether eradication of some of them was justified."
"Let them form their own opinions, you mean," Harry remarked, stroking his chin slightly.
"Indeed. A mandatory class can be constituted for all the students,"
"Wizarding Heritage. Sounds apt, right?" Harry asked with a grin, and Minerva chuckled.
"However, we would need extra funding, as well as two professors, both representing the two schools of thought, professionally. We cannot afford any bias to exist if a seamless transition is to be ensured. The previous generation is already out of hand, but we have to ensure change starts to begin with the new batches."
"That would be taken care of, Professor. Coincidentally, it brings us to my final agenda here."
"Yes?"
Harry grinned.
"We are planning to hold a gala. One where all the members of the coalition will meet with the neutrals and other like-minded people. We believe it will help in seamless transition post-ratification. We can put forward this proposal at the event as well. I'm sure we can find two people to conduct that class,"
"That... sounds good. I must say, Harry, the work you and your people have done in such a short time is nothing short of commendable. Lily and James will be proud. Sirius, Remus, and Tonks too."
Harry gave her a serene smile as he nodded.
"I hope so."
"I know they are. Believe me. I am."
"It means a lot, Professor," he emotionally stated.
"So, am I right to assume that you want something else from me?" Minerva asked, her eyebrow quirked and her mouth set in a slight smirk.
Harry smiled back.
"How about Hogwarts as the venue? Feels fitting, don't you think? Kinda like coming to a full circle."
Minerva smiled.
To be continued...
Early access to multiple chapters is available on pat reon dot com/Vedros
Thanks for reading, and I´ll see you in the next one.