Chapter 26

Harry didn't feel any better when he woke the next morning. He kept his eyes closed as consciousness filled his mind. He let his thoughts wander toward the magical protections on his home. All of them were exactly as they should have been. There wasn't a single trace of anything out of the ordinary. He let himself relax into the warmth of his bed and his wife.

She'd thrown an arm and a leg over him in the night. It took some getting used to. He'd never been much of a hugger. He blamed the Dursley's for it. He assumed that growing up without much in the way of physical affection soured most of it for him.

Sure, his time with the Weasley's helped to an extent. But he still felt more uncomfortable than anything else when Mrs. Weasley would scoop him into a hug. Mostly, he didn't want to be constrained and wanted it to be over.

He could tell it was a dissenting opinion. No one else had any issue with the affectionate nature of the Weasley family. So he said nothing. He knew he was merely being dour about the whole thing. And it wasn't their fault he was so damaged that things like hugs were unwanted and unnecessary.

Because of it all, he'd always avoided touching others. And he wasn't a huge fan of being touched spontaneously. He'd never really longed for it. Until he'd taken Priya's hand on a cab ride back home one evening. She'd stared at him in the back seat of the car but hadn't said anything. She'd squeezed his hand reassuringly.

She'd noticed, she'd explained later. He avoided the more common friendly touches she'd grown accustomed to. At first she thought he wasn't attracted to her. Which he'd snorted out laughter as she's said. But eventually she realized he just didn't show love that way.

It was fine, she'd said. Once she'd figured it out. Sure it was different from her preferences, but nothing deal-breaking. She understood him more by knowing that.

He assumed it helped that he slowly came out of that shell around her. But he didn't need to hug or cuddle or caress or constantly physically touch someone. In a way, she'd said, she liked it. It meant that when those touches happened, they meant more. Harry wasn't quite sure he agreed with her logic, but he saw no reason to argue with her.

At least, until they started sleeping together.

It had nothing to do with the sex. That part was great. It had everything to do with the sleeping. Or, more specifically, the waking up.

He had no idea how she did it. Part of him wanted to take an energy potion and stay up all night while she slept just to see how it happened.

She liked when he held her in bed. But only to the point where she was close to falling asleep. Then she'd slip a bit away from him, into her own space, and drift off. Harry was fine with this as she preferred to sleep on her side and he usually preferred his back. So the slight separation for comfort felt normal.

Invariably, however, he'd wake up in a hellish furnace with a new weighted blanket. There were times when he legitimately wondered how she managed to cast such a powerful warming charm on herself in her sleep. Because there was no way a person could run as hot as Priya seemed to. They would literally explode.

Every night she would roll over onto him. But it was far more than that. She'd entangle herself into him in ways he didn't understand. Her arms, her legs, sometimes even her hair would wind up so wrapped around him it was a wonder he could even move.

Once she'd even managed to get her leg into his boxers and through the corresponding leg. He couldn't figure out how she'd done it, much less how she'd done it without waking him. She was convinced he'd somehow done it and not her. But he knew the truth.

Still, the added heat of her was suffocating in their early days. He'd wake up drenched in sweat and wondering just how to get rid of her. Part of him felt like the best solution was to magically cool her and regulate it that way. But he knew better than to cast strange spells on a sleeping healer. She'd murder him when she found it. That was such a violation of trust that it couldn't be allowed.

In the end it bothered him until it didn't. He couldn't place an exact time when it happened. It just did. At some point rather than dreading the furnace he'd grown accustomed to he ended up loving it.

Something about being so close to and so affected by her warmth made the relationship feel that much more intimate. Even if he didn't have a clue how she could constantly complain that she was cold.

He'd grown quite effective at worming his way out of these situations in the time since. He figured it was a good enough time to cease cowardice and look upon what he would have to deal with.

He slid his hands around as his eyes opened, taking stock of his situation. It wasn't nearly as bad as some other times. She'd slid upward during the night and was cradling his head to her chest. One of her legs looped under his while the other held it in place. He resisted the urge to laugh and started to untangle himself.

By now he was an expert at it. So within a couple of minutes he'd managed to dislodge himself from her without rousing her. He shifted away from the bed slowly, letting her fall back into the warmth from where he'd left.

He moved into the bathroom, activating a muffling charm as he turned on the shower. He stood in the warm water with his eyes closed, reflecting on the night before. There wasn't much use of it, but he still thought back over everything. He couldn't pick out anything he'd done wrong. Or anything he'd have done differently. So he let the worries of Cornelius Fudge slip from his mind.

It wasn't that hard to do. Afterall, there were many better things to think of than Cornelius Fudge. There were so many things he could focus on. From how they were going to renovate the library annex, to the changes he wanted to make to the back patio, to the possibility of building their own private onsen just out the back.

And all of that was before he even got to the chores and general daily work he still had to do in the greenhouse. He spent a few minutes rehashing what he knew needed to be accomplished that day. It wasn't a long list. But he'd memorized Emily's instructions anyway. It gave him something to do during the day.

After that was done there was no reason to not merely focus on the shower. But that was boring, so instead he let his mind wander back to Priya. Part of him wondered if he should have woken her up and dragged her into the shower with him. She wouldn't have minded, he knew. Even if she protested a bit he could fix that easily enough.

That would have been a pleasant enough way to kill the first part of the morning. But he knew she needed her sleep. It was rare enough that he woke up before her. And given she almost never woke him when she was up, it seemed rude to not return the favor when she slept.

He stepped out of the shower and dried off. It only took him a few minutes to dry off, brush his teeth and attempt to tame his hair. He put far and away the least amount of effort into the final one. But both Priya and Emily had drunkenly admitted to liking his tousled look. And that seemed like a good enough reason to never try to make his hair seem neat.

He left the bathroom and walked across the bedroom to his closet. He pulled on a pair of black socks, followed by black jeans, and then a plain black shirt. He felt a bit too monochromatic for his own tastes as his hand slid over his shirts hanging in the closet. He settled on an emerald button-up with thin black stripes and finished dressing.

Once that was finished he emerged back into the bedroom and peered at the bed. Priya, in the twenty minutes he'd been absent, had managed to cocoon herself into the blankets in a fairly good impression of a tamale. She'd managed to gather every inch of every blanket on the bed fully around her. He had to admit he was impressed.

He hadn't been the only one impressed either, he thought as he gave her one last look before heading out of the bedroom and downstairs. He grabbed an apple from the refrigerator and made his way toward the greenhouse.

The memory of that first night the three of them slept together flashed back to the front of his mind as trekked down the path toward the greenhouse. Slept together at least in the literal since.

She'd kicked them out of her bedroom after their first threesome. Harry wanted to argue with her. But Priya had dragged him from the bed and back down to their room in the hotel. It had been awkward after, as they'd cuddled in bed. She'd broken the ice by teasing him about it. And providing pointers for next time.

Harry had taken it all in stride. Thinking that there was a zero chance of there being a next time. And he was fine with that. It was an entertaining one off. And she'd been right, with her musings months previous, that he would rather enjoy taking command of her in those moments. Even if it had been Priya whispering into his ear, touching him, touching her.

The second time, a week later, hadn't been in a bed and there hadn't been any sleeping after it. Priya started it on the couch and, well, one thing led to another. Shortly after the girls told him they wanted dinner so he obliged. Two bottles of wine later they'd gone to their bedrooms and slept it off.

It wasn't until the third time that they conned her into their bed. After she tried to get away, to sneak back to her room, but Priya pulled her back and rolled onto her. She muttered something that sounded like 'cuddles' and only squeezed harder as Emily squirmed to try to get away.

There were elbows thrown, bad language was used, and the threat of various curses came from her but when Harry wrapped an arm around both of them the fight drained out from her. She tensed as he held her but after a few moments they were all asleep.

He remembered the terror in her eyes when she woke. They darted left and right as she struggled against her bindings. She wasn't versed enough with Priya Potter to know that she wasn't too dissimilar from Devil's Snare and struggling only made it worse.

Harry couldn't help it. He'd smiled at her. It was all there was to do. He stifled a chuckle and shook his head at her. It took her a moment to take a hint but eventually she relaxed against Priya.

It took him a few minutes of non-verbal signaling done mostly with his eyebrows to get her untangled. They didn't say anything about it as they worked in the greenhouse that day. It wasn't until dinner that she'd made a comment to Priya about her clinginess. Priya took offense to it. And said she'd prove she wasn't clingy by sleeping in Emily's bed that night. Emily objected. Harry objected. Priya won.

Except that she failed at proving her point. She begrudgingly admitted that come morning. Emily's only gloating was the knowing smile as Priya admitted her failings. It turned into a frown when Priya insisted she would have to work on it, then, and was glad to have such willing helpers.

In the end, she joined them on occasion but without any regularity. Not always for sex. Sometimes just to be in their presence. It took a little bit to get used to. And if he was honest, he still wasn't exactly sure how to act. He preferred to be affectionate with his wife. But sometimes she pushed him toward Emily.

The other woman needed it more, Priya confided in him one evening. Her coming to them was part of her coming out of her shell. She was starting to accept that she had needs, no matter how primal. And the fact that she was starting to act on them was a positive thing. And they should just love her, because that was what she needed.

Harry wasn't quite sure he agreed with his wife, given that Emily acting on any of her urges was likely to result in her attempting to hex him. But he agreed with her even if he wondered just what to make of their relationship.

Although, and he couldn't lie, it was rather pleasant to wake up underneath both of them. That did things to him that he wasn't entirely sure he should be admitting to anyone. He certainly didn't say anything about it to Emily, out of fear that her own sense of spite would make it so it never happened again.

It only took him another twenty minutes to finish the greenhouse chores for the day. A quick look at his watch made him feel rather productive that morning. So he decided to look around the grounds to double check that his defensive charms were all in place.

It was unnecessary work as he could do all of it mentally. But it gave him something to do and reassured him more than doing it in his head would. And when it was said and done, doing so at a brisk jog made the entire process take little more than a half hour.

He should have known better than to jog in his nicer clothing. But a quick cleaning spell took care of that as he walked up the path to the back of his house. It was a familiar walk but he still enjoyed the changing scenery as the forest started to come alive in the late stages of spring.

He entered the back door and poked his head into the kitchen. Priya was up and sitting at the counter. She sipped a coffee as she peered through the magical paper from Tokyo. Harry poured himself a cup of coffee and sat next to her at the dining bar.

"Anything good?" he asked.

"Avocado toast," she answered. Harry sipped his coffee but took the hint. He moved over to the refrigerator and found some avocados and some hard boiled eggs. It didn't take him very long to create the avocado mash with various seasonings. He peeled and sliced the eggs and smeared it all over four pieces of toast.

He placed the plate down on the counter and slid back into his stool. He waited until she took the first piece of toast to take one for himself. He nibbled at it, finding himself not particularly hungry in the morning hours, as she continued to read the paper.

"So, anything good?" he asked again.

"The Japanese eat so much sushi they may run out of tuna in twenty years," Priya said.

"They also may not," Harry countered. He'd long since learned to detest words like that in headlines. Priya's lips curled upward into the slightest of smirks.

"Yes, they also may not," she answered.

"Anything else?" he asked.

"There's Muggles rioting in Paris," Priya answered. Harry raised his brows.

"What did Avery do?"

"No idea. The article isn't quite sure either. It does not seem like anything that could be related to Grindelwald. Something about immigration I think," Priya said.

"Could he be involved?"

"Maybe but I doubt it," she said.

"Why?"

"It just doesn't feel right?" she answered. She folded the paper back over toward the article in question. Harry saw the photos of a mass of people in a familiar cityscape as she slid it over to him.

He picked it up as she started on the second piece of toast. It took him a few minutes to get through the article. While his spoken Japanese was getting better by the day, he still struggled to read the language. He could have cheated and used magic to aid him. But he figured he may as well practice, especially considering they weren't in any type of hurry.

So he sipped his coffee and made his way through the article. As far as he could tell she was right. There seemed to be nothing amiss about the protests or riots or whatever they were. As far as he could tell it started because of some sort of policing issue among the youth of the area.

In his mind it didn't seem like something worth burning down your own towns for. But he also had to assume that there was more to it than he assumed. But, again, it seemed like Muggles with Muggle problems and not something with any outside influence.

He had to agree with her. Nothing felt out of place. He doubted he'd be able to sense anything from merely reading an article about it. But something in his head told him that it wasn't worth investigating further than they already had. Still….

"Fumiko or Avery send anything?" he asked.

"No. But I suspect they'll keep an eye on it. Even more so if they're currently in Paris," Priya answered as she finished up the second piece of toast. She eyed the final piece on the plate and then looked at Harry's half eaten piece. He just nodded at her and she plucked it up.

"I thought you said they were," Harry said, peering back down at the article before him. He doubted he'd find anything else on a second read through of it, but he had little better to do and it was practice.

"They were," Priya said. "The last time they sent anything. They haven't told me anything to the contrary but that was about a month ago."

"I thought you were in contact more than that," Harry answered. Priya shook her head.

"No. There isn't much of a reason to be unless something changes. Fumiko sends a note every now and then to check in but even magical communications are trackable and it seemed like our emergency drop system should only be used in case of, you know, emergency," Priya said. Harry nodded. He knew all of that and it was his own fault for not asking after Avery or Fumiko more often than he did.

"Fair enough," Harry answered. He took a moment to finish his piece of toast while finishing the article for a second time. He washed the toast down with some coffee and turned his gaze to his wife.

Priya was staring out the large picture window into the back yard. Her eyes weren't focused and he could tell she wasn't looking at anything but was rather deep in thought. He turned his gaze to the clock. It was still early enough in the morning but if they were going to scout Seiyo there wasn't much of a reason to delay it. She shook her head slightly and seemed to refocus.

"I'm going to go to Nagasaki," she said.

"What?" Harry asked.

"I want to check in on Doctor Kusuru," she said. Harry frowned and stared at her. He knew Doctor Kusuru was the man who she'd rented their old home to. He knew why she wanted to check on him, but it seemed silly to him for her to go alone.

"I'll go with," he said. She shook her head.

"No. I think I should go alone," she answered.

"Why?" he asked, his brows raised.

"Well they don't know we're back together. It makes some sense for the landlord to come by and make sure everything is alright," Priya said. "I don't want to spook them or make them think we're trying to take the place back or anything."

"Me being there doesn't straight up indicate we want to move back in," Harry said. Priya blushed and looked away from him.

"I may have had some very choice words about you abandoning me the last time I spoke with Dr. Kusuru," Priya admitted. "And he's the type that might bring it up without realizing it's uncomfortable."

"I see," Harry said. He raised his brows wondering exactly how that conversation had gone. But he couldn't blame her for it. He'd brought it on himself given that he had abandoned her. And he knew anger was to be expected in that situation. Still, it sent a pang through his chest to think about not only her dealing with that betrayal, but his own inability to comfort her through something that so clearly hurt her.

"So I think maybe it's best if I go alone," Priya repeated. Harry shook his head.

"I'm not so sure," he said. "It could be dangerous."

"Any more dangerous than walking down the road to our shop?"

"Yes," Harry said. "If I were them I'd stake out the old house. They don't know where the shop is. So while they can guess it's not like they can really ambush us."

"I guess that's true," Priya frowned. She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment then sighed. "You think you can apparate us both there. I was going to Floo but."

"You really don't want him to know I'm around," Harry said.

"I told him I'd never speak to you again," Priya said.

"You were angry," Harry countered.

"Very," she said.

"Is there something you're not telling me?" Harry asked. Priya shook her head.

"No. I'm just not ready to eat that crow yet," she answered.

"And you think he's not going to notice the rings?" Harry asked with a vague gesture toward her left hand.

"Men never notice the rings," Priya said.

"There's a difference between not noticing and not caring," Harry said.

"Pig."

"I've only slept with one married woman."

"Haha. Clever. You forgot about the widow."

"In terms of our current argument, how would widowhood matter? Are we going to Nagasaki then?" he asked as he zapped the dishes clean and returned them to their proper places.

"Alright fine," she sighed. "Probably better to have you there in case they ambush me. Although I kind of wish they would."

"You want to be ambushed?" He laughed.

"Well if you're there sure. Makes it a lot easier to see who's the villain that way. And if you're there it'll be very wham, bam, thank you ma'am," Priya said. Harry just raised his brows at her wondering where on earth she'd garnered that expression from.

"I suppose that would make things cleaner," he laughed.

"And then we could get on with living our lives," Priya answered.

"We're sort of doing that anyway, aren't we?" Harry asked, his brows raising as he spoke. A small part of him felt bad about the whole situation. He knew he probably should have been more proactive. Should have been trying to make a difference. Should have been doing something.

But what?

The rest of the world didn't seem to care. Or perhaps worse, even realize how screwed they were. If that was the case, then why should he? What was the point of running himself ragged, of fighting for it all, of worrying about it all. When no one else cared?

All while he had a loving wife and a home he enjoyed? With each passing day he found himself less and less interested in doing anything for anyone. He wondered if that was by design. But he doubted his enemies would rely on his complacency.

"So, Nagasaki?" Priya asked, offering her hand out to him. Harry raised his brows at her.

"You're going out in that?" he teased. She wore artfully damaged jeans and a Weird Sisters shirt.

"Fuck off you posh prick," Priya laughed. She took his hand and he took the hint, apparating them across the country.

When they popped back into existence they were at the pathway leading up to their old home. Harry fought back the sudden sense of deja vu as he walked up the pathway one more time. A small part of him hadn't thought he'd ever make that walk again.

It was a nostalgic few minutes until he saw the facade of their previous home. He couldn't help but smile at it, even if Dr. Kusuru had done a terrible job with the small gardens out front. He'd have to resist the urge to comment on it.

"I don't sense anything unusual," Harry said as he peered around the yard.

"I didn't think there would be. But may as well find out if he had any strange visitors of late," Priya asked.

"Want me to make myself scarce?" Harry asked.

"No. I'll just deal with it," Priya answered. She rang the bell on the door and waited for an answer.

Dr. Kusuru appeared a few moments later. He looked at Priya, then at Harry, then back at Priya with an obviously amused expression but he invited them in.

It was, at best, uneventful. Harry didn't say much as the two Doctors talked. His wife was working at the hospital that day. She'd always been more of Priya's friend. They'd shared a shift during her time working in Japan. But the elder man was the higher ranking of the two.

They exchanged general pleasantries. Priya kept up the guise of asking about if there was anything they needed to take care of and if everything was alright with the rental agreement and the same general questions. Harry was mostly quiet.

After they were assured that everything was fine some general talk of life filled in. The man seemed almost disappointed that Priya decided to set up her own clinic in Ehime rather than come back to work at one of the more prominent hospitals in the area. Priya shrugged it off and asked about his life and the like.

All-in-all they were there for about a half hour. Harry found nothing odd about the conversation and didn't participate much in it. As they were walking down the path once more Harry pointed out the obvious.

"You didn't ask about strange visitors or anything unusual," he said.

"Obviously that's what you were there for," Priya responded. Harry frowned to himself but nodded.

"I didn't sense he was hiding anything. No anxiety, no fear. Just someone amused to see a friend," Harry said. He'd paid closer attention early on than he had toward the end of it figuring any tell would happen immediately rather than after some time.

"Me either," Priya agreed. "Seemed normal. So I don't think they approached him."

"Well, I wouldn't either," Harry said.

"You aren't desperate," Priya countered.

"True. But it wouldn't take very long to realize we aren't there. And that they clearly don't know anything more. And even that doesn't account for the fact that they very well might have and he doesn't remember," Harry said.

"You think they Obliviated him?"

"No. Well, maybe. But no. I mean for one his wife could have been the one home at the time," Harry explained.

"And for two?"

"Well, it isn't like we were hiding before. People knew where Harry Potter and Priya Patel lived. Reporters came. You had magazine interviews in that home. Your address was on record at the Hospital," Harry said.

"Yes," Priya agreed, sounding bored with the conversation. "That's why we figured they would check here first."

"So they probably did. But there's no reason to draw attention to themselves. How much of a conversation would it be? 'I heard my friends from England were here' 'Oh I'm sorry they moved about a year ago' 'My bad, thanks for your time,'" Harry said, using finger quotes where appropriate. Priya rolled her eyes at him.

"You don't think he'd mention that?" Priya asked.

"We don't know how long they've been looking for us. For all we knew it wasn't an uncommon occurrence and a few minutes after the conversation it was no longer important to him," Harry said. "It's perfectly easy to be unassuming and not-malicious. The good news would be if that were the case and they decided to leave him alone, then they're in no real danger."

"Well that would be good news. I'd be furious if something happened to them," Priya said.

"And I think they know that and do not deem it worth the risk," Harry said. "At least if they wanted my help. Deciding to not blackmail me shows they're at least learning."

"Yeah. I guess. The whole thing just feels off to me," Priya admitted as they continued down the path. She peered back at their old house once before turning her gaze back to him.

"Me too. Seiyo?" He asked, holding out his hand. She nodded and took it and they apparated back home.

"You still think our best course of action is to look for him here?" Priya asked when they arrived.

"Unless you have a better idea," Harry said. She nodded and thought about it for a moment then shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, I guess not, but I want to do some shopping while we're here. I need new trainers and some new tops. And we should get Emily a summit gift." Priya said.

"Are summit gifts a thing?" Harry asked, genuinely curious as to if he missed some type of etiquette thing.

"They are now," Priya shrugged. Harry nodded, figuring if Priya felt it necessary to find some nice little gift for Emily's impending accomplishment, well, he saw no reason to stop her. Especially if it allegedly came from both of them.

"Didn't you just buy those shoes?" he asked, nodding toward the red and white gazelles she wore.

"They're uncomfortable."

"There's charms for that."

"And new shoes," she agreed. He chuckled but nodded.

"Alright then, what first?"

"May as well knock off Emily first," she said, peering down one of the side streets as they started to walk through the city streets.

"I think there's many people that would agree with you there," he laughed.

"I didn't even think of that connotation," Priya snorted.

"What do you get a budding alpinist?" Harry asked.

"Viagra," Priya answered. Harry raised his brows.

"I'm not sure how useful she would find that. And if it's anything like your Lust Potion tea I'm going to have to argue vehemently against it," Harry said.

"Really? Because I thought that might be fun with the three of us," Priya answered.

"I withdraw my argument."

"I thought so. But honestly, I have no idea. She's mostly self-sufficient so I can't imagine buying her gear. And it's not like she's back yet so we can't listen to her complain about not having enough carabiners or something and go that route. Maybe socks?"

"Socks?" Harry laughed.

"Yes, socks."

"You have to be kidding."

"Everyone likes socks. Especially warm fuzzy pink ones. I bet she'd be thrilled."

"I think she'd look at you like you grew a second head."

"Well then I'd say they were your idea," Priya said.

"Happy to take the fall," Harry added as they stepped into a local shop. They sauntered through it together, peering at one thing or another while nothing caught their eye. The same routine continued for four shops and nearly two hours. Eventually they gave up and ventured on to one of the shoe stores in the area. Harry stayed with Priya until he grew bored of listening to the salesperson debate the merits of Nike vs Asics.

At that point he attempted to shop for himself. But the sales lady that approached him asked questions like what he used shoes for, and honestly, he wasn't really sure how to answer. He ran on occasion but mostly just for, you know, existing?

She seemed to take that to mean he was a serious runner. And so she started talking about things like bounce and tempo and stability and carbon plates and heel drop and by the end of it Harry wondered if he'd need to stop by a university and study physics and engineering for a few years to make any sense of what she was saying.

He felt bad for wasting her time, so he bought the first pair she had him try on, making sure to act surprised by how comfortable and springy they felt. And they did feel nice. But they were still shoes. And he didn't quite understand their importance. Even had they not felt great, it would have only taken a couple of minutes of charm work to make them feel exactly how he wanted.

And it might still take that, as he wasn't sure that black with three purple stripes really suited him for a color motif, but he didn't have the heart to argue with the girl when she said they looked good on him. Even if deep down he knew she said that to every customer she assisted.

Either way he took his bag and found Priya in the middle of about ten different boxes that she'd already tried on.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"A map," Harry answered. Priya stared at him.

"What?"

"A topographical map of the fourteen peaks that she can mark off as she climbs them. Maybe make it out of slate or marble or something she can mark and erase if need be. Not that magic would make that difficult. But also something dark and sort of mysterious," Harry explained as the first vestiges of an idea formed in his mind.

It wouldn't be that hard to make, once he had the material. It would probably only take him a couple of hours with the aid of magic. Which bled into a second idea based on his rather limited knowledge of geography.

"Harry," Priya tried to interrupt him but he kept on.

"Maybe two, one of the Pakistan ones and one of the Nepal ones, just to get more detail into them rather than stretching it out," he continued, lost in his own head.

"I was asking about the shoes," she said, gesturing to her feet. He blinked a couple of times then looked down at him. The choice was fairly easy, he thought.

"The purple ones," he said.

"Really?"

"I like purple on you," he shrugged.

"Well that settles it then," she said, looking at the sales lady. "I'll take both."

"Of course," Harry laughed as Priya donned her original shoes. It only took another couple of minutes for them to pay and be on their way. Priya sent the shoes home once they were out of sight and led Harry toward a cafe they'd often visited. The same one, in fact, where they'd lunched while Emily found all of the property listings.

They sat at a secluded table in the small courtyard and ordered a handful of things. Once their food came Harry staged a low level repelling charm, one that encouraged people to look the other way, but wasn't strong enough for most Wizards to even notice. But still one he could magnify in a pinch, if he had to.

It wasn't until she started on the food that she spoke up.

"The map is actually a good idea. Maybe out of Portoro?" Priya asked.

"I don't know what that is," Harry said.

"The black and gold marble I vetoed for the kitchen," Priya explained. Harry remembered it then, nodding.

"Oh yeah, that would be a good base," he said.

"I don't know how easy it is to work with magically but we could alter it so the gold becomes the topography in a sort of Kintsugi style," Priya said.

"I like that," Harry said. He'd taken enough museum tours with Priya to know the art style famous for fixing things with gold. He liked the symmetry that Emily's first hobby could recognize something similar to that.

He wondered if he'd subconsciously put that together already. If he did it, he'd be giving her a gift that showed the specific marks, in gold, that were slowly forcing her to put herself back together.

"But do we do two large ones to mark a goal? Or do we make them smaller, individual ones, for each one she manages?"

"The second option might be better. We don't know if she'll do all of them," Harry said. Priya laughed at him.

"Of course we do. I've known her for like six months and I already know she's not going to leave a challenge unfinished," Priya said. "And she's talked of wanting to try them all in her journal."

"Well, I think small individual ones would be better options then," Harry said. "Give her something to decorate her room with. We should stop at the bookstore so I can pick up an atlas."

"What, you can't magic up a topographical map of Makalu with a wave of your hand?" Priya teased as she sipped her drink and peered around the square as the general hustle and bustle of life continued around them.

"Well, I'd need to make sure it was accurate. You know how stray thoughts can sometimes affect magic," Harry shrugged. Priya rolled her eyes at him but smiled rather brightly.

The conversation continued for a half hour. Priya conjured a notebook and a pen and they went about doodling possible ideas of how to frame the map. The various sketches filled up a few pages of the notebook.

He wondered what Emily would think about it. She didn't seem the type to appreciate nostalgic gifts. At least that wasn't the facade she presented. He tried to remember back to his time in her diary. The most nostalgic thing her husband ever bought her was the violin. And she'd clearly appreciated that. But it was a hobby she'd obviously enjoyed.

He'd actually broached the subject of buying her a violin to Priya during one of the periods she was clearly struggling. They'd waffled about it but ended up deciding that it seemed insensitive to try to force a hobby onto her. If she mentioned an interest in it, they'd support it. But they didn't want to seem like they were forcing her toward a decision.

When Harry remarked that maybe they could play a duet Priya had laughed and said she didn't know how to play the violin. But he did. She didn't believe him. So they snuck off to a music store on one of their side trips and he proved it. He was rusty, but managed. She scoffed at him and told him it didn't count since he hadn't taught himself how to play, or practiced, or earned the skill.

He assumed she was jealous.

It was probably why they'd both jumped on Fuji. A hobby she'd expressed interest in without either of them prying? Well at least more prying than a little game Priya devised. It seemed like the perfect way to get her to think human again. And for the time being it seemed to have worked.

He could recall her journal entries easily enough. They were clinical at first. Little more than bullet points describing days or activities and minute details that seemed irrelevant. But the more she wrote the more they transformed into something else.

There was an odd poetry in her words. She clearly marveled at her surroundings and the world around her. It took her a few entries to fall in love with all of it. But the passion soon became clear in her words. It was almost intoxicating to read. Eventually she'd note the silly and the challenging and the amusing far more than the technical details of the trip. And then, it sounded like life.

Harry smiled at the memory.

After sharing a lunch entree and a pot of tea they decided there wasn't much of a reason to still be camped out at the cafe in the town square. Neither of them had sensed any magic while they'd sat in the town but they'd enjoyed the day and the thought of returning home yet wasn't appealing. And, given that there hadn't been any urgent summons from the clinic, they figured a fancy dinner was in order. They were debating restaurants as Harry left far too much cash on the table.

A flicker of something caught his attention as he stood. His eyes flashed to the east and he saw three figures across the way. They were walking down the street, looking dejected as they peered at buildings. None of them looked in their direction but the three foreigners stood out amongst the crowd, even without the locals giving them a wide berth.

"Well damn," Priya said as she stood next to him. Harry nodded. They were moving slowly away from them. They'd had to have walked just across the street from them and not noticed. A testament to Harry's own ability with magic.

"Well damn indeed," Harry said.

"They're walking away," Priya said.

"But are they leaving?" Harry asked.

"Do we ever get that lucky?" Priya asked.

"No. I guess not. What should we do?"

"Well, it's clear they can't sense us. We could leave them in an eternally frustrated state until they gave up. They'd have to eventually, for their own sanity. Or we can figure out what the hell they want. I'll leave it to you," Priya said. They started to saunter in the same direction as the other Englishmen.

Harry let his magic probe outward, looking for any crack in them, any stray thought, any slip. Nothing popped out. Both of the Aurors with Fudge looked familiar, but he couldn't place any names to the faces. Part of that lingered in the back of his mind. He hated feeling like he was missing something, and here he felt exactly like that.

He sighed as he stared after them. He increased his pace, closing the distance between them. Priya had no problem matching his step. He wished, for the briefest of moments, that he could let something die. That he could go without an answer. That there wasn't actually a reason to take his next action.

But they invaded his space. They were looking for him. And they would keep looking for him unless he did the one thing they wanted. He paused near a crosswalk and gathered himself before making his next move.

"Cornelius!" he yelled, faking joy. Any of the locals would have thought he'd seen a long lost friend. Even Priya looked surprised. Fudge and the two men stopped in their tracks as the crosswalk lights changed. Harry jogged through the intersection.

"Gracious!" Fudge exclaimed, surprise evident on his face as he turned to the sound of his name. It was clear Harry Potter approaching him was the last thing he expected. He looked terrified as his eyes widened and focused on Harry.

Harry felt the magic flare in the two Aurors behind him. Hands slid into pockets but no wands came out.

"What brings you to Japan? My wife and I were just going to get some dinner. Would you care to join us?" Harry asked. He forced a full smile onto his face and stared at Fudge. The man bumbled slightly but regained his composure quickly.

"That…would be lovely," he said, cautiously. The Aurors behind him clearly did not think it would be anything that should be described in such terms.

"We were just heading up there," Priya smiled and pointed toward a restaurant at the end of the block. It hadn't been their intended destination but it would work out. Priya skipped ahead of him and started guiding Fudge toward it. The Aurors stared at her for a moment but were bright enough to know that Harry was the major threat.

Still, her distraction worked. He'd had enough time to let nearly invisible purple tendrils slip from him. They slithered into a nearby bush and Harry followed after his wife and the Minister of Magic.

The Aurors fell into step behind him. He didn't like their wands at his back. But they knew better than to force a fight in an open street. And neither of their magic seemed ready for combat.

Thankfully they were so focused on him that they didn't notice the tendrils slip out of the bush behind him. Nor did they notice when they slipped to them, suppressing their own power.

He wished he could take credit for it. But it had been Emily's idea. A way to dull magic without the target noticing. If they were any good at their job they'd be able to overcome it. But it would blow their cover, and make their intentions clear enough. And in that situation, would buy Harry the time he'd need to either escape or rid himself of them.

It was, he thought as they entered the restaurant and were led to a table, all the advantage he should need for a dinner conversation.

Author's Note: Thanks for reading and reviewing I do appreciate all of the support I receive. If you wish to support me further there are five additional chapters of this story available on PAT RE ON at TE7writes. As well as the first ten chapters of my new fic, Conjurations & Catacombs. Thanks again for reading!