Chapter - 2
A mass funeral for all the defenders of Hogwarts who fell during the battle was held a week after the end of the Second Wizarding War. Important officials from the British Government were among the attendees as well. The war somehow exposed the magical world to the muggles to a certain degree.
Harry became an important part of the funeral. He was among those asked to deliver a eulogy during the procession. As someone who had never done it, he sought Hermione's help. Hermione however told him to speak his mind.
"Tell the audience how you feel. Talk about the memories you had with those not with us today. Talk about their kindness and bravery. Speak about hope and the future. Let it all out. Let it all go," she advised.
And Harry did as told. He nearly lost his composure in the middle of it. Lucky for him, Hermione and Ron quickly stepped out to the podium and stayed by his side until the end.
The Ministry suffered many hectic weeks since then. Court trials were held almost daily. Captured Death Eaters and their enablers continued to fill the temporary lock-ups set up by the Ministry. Many convicted Voldemort's sympathizers were removed from their positions within the Ministry under direct order from Minister Shacklebolt himself. Support committees and trust funds for victims of the war and their families were set up to help them regain their footing. Harry himself contributed a third of his considerable Gringotts savings towards those funds.
Being the celebrity of the moment, Harry wasn't spared from being hunted down by journalists worldwide wanting to interview him. His face graced virtually every magical world newspaper and tabloid across the globe.
Minister Shacklebolt, realizing Harry's difficulties enduring the newfound limelight, made it clear that he was not to be touched. No one was allowed to seek him and the place of his residence would remain hidden for the foreseeable future. And thanks to Shacklebolt's action, he was able to accompany Hermione and Ron to Australia three weeks after the ending of the Battle of Hogwarts undetected. They flew there via the muggle way.
The reunion between Hermione and her parents was sad but heartbreakingly beautiful. Hermione never thought that she would see her parents again. She had been worrying about the kind of reception her parents would give once they found out what she did to them. She had also been worrying about the possibility of her memory enchantment going badly wrong, that all her parents' memory about her would be completely wiped out. She once confessed to Harry and Ron after the war that during their search for Horcruxes, all she could think of was death. It was only her desire to help Harry accomplish his task that kept her sane.
It was part of the reason why Harry insisted on accompanying Hermione to Australia. He wanted to be there for her just like she had always been there for him. He and Ron returned to Britain a week later without Hermione. She decided to stay in Australia with her parents but she promised that she would return to Britain eventually.
"I'm thinking of finishing my studies at Hogwarts. It's only for another year," she said as the three of them spent one afternoon strolling down the streets of Alice Springs. "Seems like a waste if I don't try to complete it, don't you think?"
Kingsley visited Harry and Ron at the Burrow two weeks before Hogwarts' new term began. Hermione was present as well. She had been in contact with Headmistress McGonagall while she was still in Australia and returned to Britain a week prior. The headmistress was the one who informed her about when the new term started.
The Minister of Magic of course came with a mission. To recruit all available Hogwarts defenders as Aurors.
Being hailed as the vanquisher of the most dangerous dark lord of all time, Harry was the first in line to be offered the position as an Auror within the Department of Magical Law Enforcement without the need to go through his final year in Hogwarts and without the need to go through the usual Auror training regime. That offer was personally handed over to him by Kingsley himself who apart from being the Minister of Magic, was also the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Ron and Hermione were offered the Aurors position as well.
Hermione as expected declined the offer. She told Kingsley that she was wary of fighting and was planning to finish her education at Hogwarts. She also told him that she was planning to pursue a more peaceful career when she graduated.
Ron on the other hand was quick to accept Kingsley's offer. He was excited at the prospect of not having to go through another year of schooling and finally being able to earn his own money.
Unlike his two best friends, Harry was on the fence at first. On one hand, like Ron, he too was excited at the prospect of being able to skip school and become an Auror as he had always envisaged. On another hand, the prospect of finally being able to spend his time at Hogwarts properly without having to look behind his shoulder all the time also enticed him. Perhaps this time around, no nasty surprises awaited him.
Of course, that was not just the reason. Both James and Lily Potter were among the brightest students of their time and they both were not school dropouts. Harry intended to emulate them. His parents might no longer be with him, but he still wanted to make them proud.
Therefore, and with much to Ron's chagrin, Harry decided to follow Hermione's footsteps and finish his seventh year at Hogwarts. And so on September 1st that year, he together with Hermione, Ginny, and many others, boarded the train to Hogwarts.
Hogwarts at that time was still in the process of rebuilding but all the basic facilities were available. Harry and Hermione joined Ginny's year and with the absence of Ron, Ginny became the new member of the Golden Trio.
Harry silently admitted that he was weirded out by the fact that everything went so smoothly. There were no Malfoy and his thugs. He no longer had to endure their taunts and provocations. And most importantly, no Voldemort. Everything was perfectly as normal as it could get, even in Potion and Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. He even found himself glancing at the table where Malfoy used to sit now and then during many of the classes just to make sure that he wasn't hallucinating.
Days were spent together with Hermione and Ginny. They studied together. They talked about the future and all their wishes and their hopes for it. They made plans. Ginny had been talking about how she wanted to become a professional Quidditch player once she graduated. It was something that Harry wholeheartedly supported.
Of course, for the moment there was nothing she could do about her ambition. The Hogwarts Inter House Quidditch Tournament had been temporarily put on hold. The Hogwarts Quidditch Stadium had yet to be rebuilt during their time there so there would be no way for a Quidditch tournament to be held. Harry however managed to help her train whenever possible just so that she would have a chance to join any of the professional teams once she graduates.
They both were happy and deeply in love.
All that was about the change when that dreadful morning came.
It was a week before the holiday began. Everyone was so excited about going back home for Christmas. Harry himself for the first time ever, was looking forward to the first Christmas after the death of Voldemort. It would be the first proper Christmas for him, devoid of the shadow of the Dark Lord. He spent quite a fortune buying presents during the students' Hogsmeade outing for all the Weasley family members including Fleur. Fleur and her husband were planning to spend the first day of Christmas in The Burrow before they headed to France the next day. Ron of course was extremely excited about what Harry bought him. Harry bought him a specialized broom servicing kit from Quality Quidditch Supplies in Diagon Alley. The present was supposed to be a well-kept secret and Ron wasn't supposed to know about it until Christmas morning. Ron found out somehow. Harry had a suspicion that Hermione had something to do with the breach of information.
Potion was the second subject of that day after Charm. It was still helmed by Professor Horace Slughorn who had given his agreement to continue teaching until Headmistress McGonagall managed to find a suitable replacement. They were receiving instructions on how to make the Polyjuice Potion, something that Hermione was already good at. She was smirking all the time when Headmistress McGonagall burst her way through the door. She immediately walked up to Professor Slughorn and whispered frantically to him.
"What do you think that is?" asked Hermione.
"Dunno," replied Harry, watching McGonagall and Slughorn. "It won't be good, I supposed."
Professor McGonagall turned to face the class a few moments later. "Miss Weasley," she announced, her eyes laid on Ginny. "Pack your bag and please follow me." She paused. "I think Mr. Potter and Miss Granger should come as well." She then turned to Professor Slughorn. "I apologize for disturbing your class but thank you, Horace."
Professor Slughorn waived off the Headmistress's apologies. "No-, no-, at all. It was unfortunate but yes, I understand. Send my regards and condolence to the family, would you?"
"Of course."
"Condolence?"
The trio's curiosity peaked as they hastily packed their belongings. Swinging their backpack over their shoulder, they followed Professor McGonagall out of the classroom.
"What is it, Professor?" asked Harry just as they were out of ear reach of the Potion class. "What happened?"
"There has been an incident," answered McGonagall simply as she continued to walk quickly towards the headmaster's office.
"What incident?" asked Harry again.
But McGonagall did not answer. She sped up, forcing the other three to follow her pace.
Hermione meanwhile gave a side glance to Ginny. She saw that her face turned paler as seconds passed by. She instinctively reached out and grabbed hold of Ginny's hand, trying as hard as she could to silently assure her that whatever happened, she and Harry would be there for her.
They finally reached the entrance to the headmaster's office on the third floor. "Gum Drop," said McGonagall as they reached the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to the office. The gargoyle stepped aside revealing a moving circular stairway.
McGonagall turned to face them the moment they were inside her office. "What I'm about to tell you won't be pleasant," she said as her gaze fell onto Ginny. "And I am sorry. So sorry. Your family certainly doesn't deserve this after everything that happened."
"What is it, Professor? Has something really bad happened to my family? Has someone died?" said Ginny.
Professor McGonagall hesitated before she spoke, "Early this morning there was an incident at Gringotts. It came under attack. We have yet to determine who the assailants were but I can tell you that it was very bad. The ministry sent their Aurors to the scene and a battle ensued. There were casualties on both sides. One of them was your brother, William."
"BILL!"
"NO!"
Ginny sobbed uncontrollably on Harry's shoulder as the latter hugged her. Hermione meanwhile slumped onto a nearby chair. She too burst into tears.
"Again, I am sorry," said McGonagall. Sadness and grief plastered on her face. "I know this is hard for all of you given everything that happened a few months back." She then walked towards the fireplace and grabbed a handful of Floo powder from a pot placed next to the fireplace. A greenish flame erupted after she threw the Floo powder into the fireplace. "We shouldn't delay. Your family is now waiting at St. Mungos."
Harry, Ginny, and Hermione sprinted toward the mortuary the moment they stepped out of St. Mungos' public fireplaces. Professor McGonagall followed them from behind. The moment they arrived, Minister Shacklebolt, Arthur, Charlie, Percy, and a woman whom Harry recognized as Augusta Longbottom were already there.
Ginny immediately hugged her father and she was then ushered into the mortuary. Harry meanwhile walked towards Charlie. "I heard the news. Anyone else we know?"
"Quite a few," replied Charlie rather grimly. "Ron nearly became one."
Hermione immediately cupped her mouth upon hearing this. "Ron?! No! How is he? Where is he?" she frantically asked, grabbing Charlie's sleeves.
"Ron is fine, Hermione. He was injured but he'll be fine. He's now resting inside one of the wards at the end of this corridor," said Charlie, pointing towards the aforementioned ward.
Harry watched Hermione letting go of Charlie and dashing towards the said ward. Turning back to Charlie, he asked, "Any idea who the attackers were?"
Charlie shook his head. "No, but based on what I heard, a group of You-Know-Who fanatics was the prime suspect behind this. I guess they were seeking revenge."
"Revenge, huh?"
"Yeah," said Charlie. "That is we think what they wanted to do. Aside from showing the world that they're still up and running and people, especially you, should fear them."
"I thought the moment Voldemort died, everything about him died as well," said Harry, shaking his head.
"Not really," Shacklebolt interrupted them. He came to them and went on to shake Harry's hand. "The Dark Lord may have died Harry, but his ideals live on and there are still those who continue to live by them. We have been monitoring their movement. Many established splinter groups, one of them is called the Wand of Death. We suspect that this group was the one that mounted the attack on Gringotts this morning," explained Shacklebolt. "Anyway, good to see you again."
"Did they get anything? Gold? Jewelry?"
"No. Nothing is missing. They never try to get to the vaults. We don't think robbing the bank was their motive," said Shacklebolt. "I don't think they will succeed anyway if they tried. Gringots, after that one successful, highly embarrassing for them break-in, had stepped up their security game. Or so they said. Even until now, no one had any idea who broke into the older vaults and released the dragon guard."
Harry went silent at this.
"We got distress calls coming in from Gringotts early this morning at 6.30 am. I gathered every available Aurors including Bill and his father and we headed straight to the bank. The situation was already chaotic when we arrived. The bank wasn't the only establishment they attacked, you see. Several other parts of the Diagon Alley suffered as well. We caught up with them when they were creating mayhem within the bank's lobby. A fierce fight ensued. Many goblins died. We lost several men in the first few minutes. Bill-, well Bill was trying to save one of his fellow Aurors. One of the Wand of Death gang members got a clear shot on Peter Jameson during the fight. Bill managed to push Jameson out of the line of fire and in turn, he got the full-blown killing curse hit right to his chest. He immediately collapsed. I managed to kill the perpetrator but it was already too late," Kingsley continued. Hints of regret could be heard accompanying his voice.
"So what happened after that?" asked Harry.
"We managed to overwhelm the attackers. A few of them managed to flee. I've sent a bunch of Aurors to go after them. I promise you that it won't be long before we capture them. You'll see," said Shacklebolt. "Justice will still be upheld no matter what."
"I should have accepted the offer you made me back then, Kingsley," said Harry. "I should have become an Auror. Maybe by then, none of this would have happened."
Shacklebolt glanced at the entrance into the mortuary that now houses Bill's body. Turning back to Harry, he said, "There is no way for you to know that. Even with you on our side, it could still happen. What you chose is the right thing, Harry."
"Are you sure?"
"I know your parents well, Harry. None of them is a school dropout. They were the best of their year. Complete your education and come see me once you graduate. For now, don't worry. I'll manage."
They heard footsteps coming in from the mortuary and saw Molly Weasley coming towards them. Upon seeing Harry, Molly immediately gave him her signature crushing hug like always. She then released him. "How are you, Harry?" she asked.
Harry could see the stream of tears flowing down her face. "I'm fine, Mrs. Weasley. I'm sorry for what happened."
Molly gave Harry a soft pat on the cheek. "There is no need to apologize. It happened."
"Is Ron okay?"
"He's going to be fine. He's waiting for you."
Harry nodded. "Well, I guess I should visit him. Excuse me, Mrs. Weasley."
Leaving Mrs. Weasley together with Kingsley and Charlie, Harry made his way towards the ward where Ron currently resided. He was greeted with a grin when he entered the ward.
"There you are, Harry!"
Ron was lying on the bed with Hermione sitting beside him. She was holding his hand.
"How are you, mate?" asked Harry the moment he arrived at Ron's bedside.
"I'm going to be okay," said Ron as he pulled his shirt up to show a long, white bandage that wrapped his belly. "No idea what hit me though. It was just too confusing. Too chaotic if you get my drift. I was fast asleep when Dad woke me up. I guess I was still half asleep when we got to Gringotts and not at my best."
"I'm glad that you made it out alive, Ron," said Harry, holding Ron's shoulder. "I am so very glad."
"Yeah, me too. But this is what we do, right? We save people's lives. It doesn't matter if we made it or not. You know," said Ron. His grin was suddenly wiped off his face. "We just have to be thankful. I wish Bill was as lucky as I am."
"We all wish for that, Ron," said Hermione as she continued caressing Ron's hand.
"Yeah," said Harry.
"I want to see Bill," said Ron, trying to get up from his bed. "Can you?"
"Sure."
Harry and Hermione helped Ron get off his bed. With Ron's hand placed over their shoulder, the three of them made their way towards the morgue.
At that point, Harry saw whom he recognized as Monsieur Delacour coming out of the morgue. Mr. Delacour went straight to Arthur and they both had a chat.
"Fleur is here too?" asked Harry.
"Yeah."
"How is she?"
"They told me she was unconscious, Harry. They placed her on a bed in a different ward. Her mother is staying with her. I don't know if her sister is here too though," said Ron.
"I see."
"They told me she went hysterical the moment she got the news," Ron explained. "She fainted the moment she saw Bill's body."
"The news of a sudden death of our loved one isn't an easy thing to live with," said Harry.
"Yeah. She loved Bill a little bit too much, you know."
"Yeah. We all saw that," said Harry.
Entering the mortuary, they saw several bodies lying on mortuary tables. Relatives and friends could be seen gathering around the bodies. Harry, Ron, and Hermione made their way towards the far end of the mortuary where Bill's body was laid.
George could be seen sitting next to Bill with their back facing them. Ginny meanwhile, with her head lying on Bill's chest, cried incessantly.
Harry gingerly placed his hand on George's shoulder. George looked up to him before turning his gaze back to Bill.
Bill's eyes were shut tight. A thin smile formed on his lip. He looked at peace.
Sadness took over Harry. He wasn't as close to Bill as anyone else from the Weasley family but still, he felt indebted to him. Bill was a cool bloke. He and Fleur sheltered and provided protection for him, Ron, and Hermione when they were on the run. Bill even ran the risk of endangering his life to provide him with the necessary information that helped him to do what he needed to do. The couple even joined the fight at Hogwarts when they could have stayed home, especially considering they got married only a few months earlier.
Harry decided to look for Fleur, to see what her current condition was. He covertly left the mortuary a few minutes later and began searching for the ward that houses Fleur. He found her in a ward just three doors away from the mortuary.
He stood at the entrance. He saw her lying on the bed, still unconscious. Her mother, Appoline Delacour, was sitting beside her bed. Her fingers continued to caress Fleur's silvery long hair. Tears could be seen streaming down her face.
He met Fleur only once during his stay at the Burrow after the war. She ended up spending most of her time in France, attending funerals and such. Many of her friends and relatives were casualties of war when the war spilled across the English Channel. Daphne and Astoria Greengrass, both of whom were Hogwarts students, were her cousins as he later would find out. The whole Greengrass family, unfortunately, perished during the war. Their bodies were brought back to France for burial.
Fleur invited him to Shell Cottage. It was an invitation that he never fulfilled.
Anger began to brew within him. A set of determinations began to form inside his mind. On that spot, he vowed to himself that he would become an Auror. He would hunt all of them down. He would become Mad-Eyed-Moody reincarnated, only a thousand times worse. The Death Eaters would have nowhere to run but him.
It was three days after Christmas. Bill was buried two days prior at St. Ottery Catchpole Cemetery. The Christmas celebration that year was subdued.
Harry at that point, had given up hope of finally having a good Christmas celebration. He began to think that a curse had been laid on him by some unknown forces that did not want to see him happy. He was hoping for a good and quiet year of studying. He did not get that. He was hoping for a wonderful Christmas celebration. He did not get that either.
It was early morning. He sat on his bed inside the bedroom he shared with Ron for quite a few minutes. All this while, his brain was accessing and analyzing everything that happened these past few days. Many things happened to the Weasley family. He would have thought that once Voldemort died, they would finally be free. No more death and Fred would be the last victim of the war coming from the Weasley. But nope. That did not happen.
Harry sighed. He took out the old gold watch Mrs. Weasley gave him as his coming-of-age present and peered at the time. It was already nine in the morning. He then got up and began to get dressed. Ron was still fast asleep. He contemplated whether or not he should wake his friend up but after a few minutes, he decided to let Ron sleep. He then exited the room and made his way downstairs.
"Good morning, Harry," Ginny greeted him inside the kitchen. She was preparing breakfast. She then leaned forward and gave a peck on his lip. "Did you sleep well?"
"Not so much," replied Harry. "Been tossing and turning nearly all night. And you?"
"Same," answered Ginny. "But I managed to catch a few winks as the rooster crows. Why don't you sit at the table? I'm making breakfast."
"So where are the others?" asked Harry.
"Mom and Dad went to the ministry early this morning," replied Ginny as she resumed cooking breakfast. "They're meeting the Delacour family there. Something about Bill, I think. They'll be back before noon."
Harry went on to sit at the dining table. The Burrow was eerily quiet that day.
"Fleur is here with us," said Ginny without looking at Harry. She was picking up the sausages out of the frying pan and placing them on a plate.
"Oh, she didn't accompany her parents to the ministry too?"
Ginny shook her head. "No. She said she wanted to spend some time here. She's leaving, you know. Permanently."
"Back to France?"
Ginny nodded. She came to the table carrying a plate filled with sausages, baked beans, baked potatoes, and fried egg along with a steaming cup of tea, and placed them in front of him. She then sat down opposite him.
"Have you had your breakfast?" asked Harry. That was his first concern. Ginny hardly ate anything for the past few days.
"I had a little this morning," replied Ginny.
"That's a start," said Harry. "You know I'm worried about you."
Ginny replied with a smile. "Don't worry about me. Eat them up before they get cold."
It was a silent breakfast. All the while, Ginny just sat there watching him eat.
"I'm going upstairs and take a shower," she said once Harry finished his breakfast. She took the empty plate from Harry and placed it inside the kitchen sink. Then without another word she left, leaving Harry alone inside the kitchen.
He sighed. Ginny was acting a bit odd that morning, he could sense it. Yes, she did kiss him, but all the warmth that usually accompanies her kisses had all but gone. All the conversations they had that morning were done just for the sake of having some conversations. He silently wondered if recent events had anything to do with her current behavior.
Or perhaps he was overthinking it. Ginny lost two of her brothers within the span of a few months. It would take a while for normality to return, he reasoned. For now, all he could do was to give her all the support she needed.
Maybe a little bit of morning fresh air could help clear up his mind, he thought. He took a last swig from his cup and brought it to the sink. He ended up washing the plate that Ginny placed inside the sink. He then made his way to the front door. But just as he made his way outside, a surprise awaited him.
He found Fleur sitting alone on the small swing on the porch.
She heard him coming out of the house and smiled at him. "Good morning, 'Arry," she greeted him.
"Good morning, Fleur," replied Harry. "I didn't realize you were here. So, how are you?"
"I'm fine," she replied.
"Already have your breakfast?"
Fleur shook her head.
"Well, Ginny was making some. You-."
"They offered me," Fleur interrupted him. "I declined."
"I see."
There was a pause after that.
"Why don't you come and sit beside me, 'Arry," said Fleur, patting the space next to her.
Harry hesitated momentarily before deciding that there was nothing wrong with sitting beside the girl after all. She was his friend after all. A friend he never thought he would gain considering how bad their first meeting went. He remembered it so clearly. She only warmed up to him after the Second Task. Striking a friendship with Fleur wasn't easy it seems.
But then again she possessed unnatural beauty and the fact that instead of eclipsing people around her, she beautified them was a solid testament to that. She became the object of envy and jealousy. Men and probably women would want her and they would want her very badly. She had no choice but to be choosy. Bill was very lucky.
He sat beside her and immediately her flowery smell invaded his senses. From that close distance, he could see how perfect her skin was. Her skin as he observed before, glowed against the morning sunlight. She didn't wear any makeup that morning. Harry honestly felt that she didn't need to nor ever she needed one.
Both Harry and Fleur didn't speak for the first few minutes. They just gazed at the lawn, watching the morning mist hanging inches above the ground. The garden gnomes could be seen running around the lawn.
"You didn't accompany your parents to the Ministry," Harry started. "I was told that it is about Bill."
"It iz. But zhere waz no need for my presence zhere. Zhey told me I could still come anyway. I decided not to," said Fleur. "I just want to spend zhe morning 'ere in peace."
Harry nodded. "I also was told that you're leaving, that you won't be returning."
"I am. Zhere iz nozhing left for me 'ere, 'Arry."
"That's not true. We're still your friends and these are your family too," said Harry. "You know, you don't have to go."
"I know. But zhere iz also pain and misery. For az long az I am 'ere, I will alwayz remember 'im. I will alwayz yearn for 'im. 'Ow can I live through zhat, 'Arry? 'Ow can I keep on living and wanting zhe zhing zhat iz no longer mine forever? Can you tell me?" said Fleur, her bright blue eyes drilled deep into Harry's eyes.
He had no idea how to respond to that.
Seeing Harry go silent, Fleur turned her gaze back to the lawn. "You 'ave no idea, do you?" she said.
"I don't," Harry admitted. "Sorry. I'm new to this relationship thing."
"Zhat iz okay. Anyway, living alone at the Shell Cottage iz no longer an option for me. My family wants me back in France. I am obliging zhem."
"I see."
Silence.
"You know, I got heartbroken once," said Harry suddenly.
Fleur glanced at Harry, and then at the house. "Really? With Ginny?" she asked.
He shook his head. "No, not with Ginny. With someone else but she was just a fling. She uh-... she danced with someone else during the Yule Ball. I was hoping that she would come to the Ball with me but I was too late. Cedric got to her first." He then chuckled.
Fleur's eyebrows creased. "Zhat girl?"
"Yeah. The one and only. Ginny and I weren't dating at that time. I'll probably bring her as my date if we were, you know."
"So what did you do zhen?"
"Nothing. I just move on," replied Harry.
"It waz zhat easy?"
"Well, she was just a crush at that time. I mean I liked her but I have yet to fall in love with her so the act of moving on wasn't that difficult," said Harry. "I was quick to forget her, to be honest."
"And later on you ended up wiz Ginny," said Fleur.
Harry nodded. "Yes, which probably explains why I have no idea how to respond to your dilemma. I've never experienced true heartbreak. Maybe just disappointment but that was it."
"Well, I 'ope you will never experience one, 'Arry."
Harry stared at Fleur's unimaginably beautiful face. He silently wondered how she did not affect him. Not like Ron and many others who tended to do something stupidly embarrassing whenever she was in their vicinity. He probably would never know.
"And I hope that you won't forever be drowned in your misery. I don't think Bill would want that either. I hope that in time, you will heal. I know that it won't be easy for you to move away from Bill. I'm not saying that you should. You should honor his memory Fleur, but don't forget your happiness at the same time. I believe that somewhere out there lies your second chance. It could be anyone or anything, you know. Maybe in time, you will find it. Honestly, I truly hope you will. I just want to see you be happy," said Harry.
Fleur sighed. "Do you zhink so? Do you zhink zhere will be a second chance for me?" she asked.
"Sure there will be. You just got to believe that it's there, that it exists. You just haven't found it yet. It is unfair, I know, but we shouldn't forget to keep on living," Harry replied. "I lost my parents and probably most of my extended families. I mean, I never knew them but you won't see me moaning about them. I kept on living the best I could. That's what I did. The future is not set. There's nothing we can do about our past but we can still do something about our future. Sometimes, an ending could just be a new beginning. It's up to us to make it good or bad."
Fleur went silent at this.
"I think you are stronger than you think you are. You'll get through this. I know you will," Harry continued.
It took her a while, but she finally nodded.
They both then spent the morning together in silence from that point on.
Both the Weasleys and the Delacour matriarchs returned from the Ministry at noon that day. Gabrielle was with them as well. She gave Harry a crushing hug the moment she saw him. She now looked exactly like Fleur, only a little bit younger and shorter.
Both families had lunch together and at ten minutes after three, the Delacour family was preparing to leave The Burrow via the Floo network. They would first depart to the Ministry for Magic before continuing on their journey to France from there.
It was a tearful farewell for both Molly and Appoline with Molly insisting that they should remain in contact even though they were no longer in-laws. Monsieur Delacour shook Harry's hand several times, voicing his appreciation for what Harry had done for the wizarding world as a whole.
Before they left, Fleur announced that she was returning the Shell Cottage to the Weasley. She told her former in-laws that she wanted them to have whatever was left of Bill's legacy.
"'Arry," said Fleur after she finished saying goodbye to the other Weasley family members including Hermione.
Harry extended his hand to Fleur. "Well, I guess this is goodbye," he said.
Fleur took a momentary look at Harry's hand before she pushed it away. She then pulled Harry into a tight hug. "Zhank you," she whispered into his ear.
Harry was caught by surprise by Fleur's action. "Anytime, Fleur. Anytime," he said rather awkwardly.
Fleur then released him. "I am not going to invite you to France. You couldn't even fulfill my invitation to the Shell Cottage. I do 'owever want you to promise zhat you will write to me," she said.
"I promise. But before you go," Harry handed her a present wrapped in silvery wrapping paper. "Merry Christmas, Fleur."
It was Fleur's turn to be caught in surprise. "Zhank you," said Fleur as she took the present. "What iz it?"
"You'll know it once you open it," said Harry, smiling at her.
Fleur smiled and nodded. She then leaned forward and kissed him on his cheek.
Harry simply watched as Fleur and the rest of her family disappeared into the green flame. Sadness filled his heart. Another friend left him just like Fred, Bill, Collin, and many others. That would be the last time he saw her.
Or so he thought. Little would he realize that four years later, fate would bring him back to her under a very different circumstance.
To be continued...
A/n: So just to recap, yes I removed TDWFL. Its absence will be temporary. That story will receive the same treatment as Across the Time and since this story already sports Harry/Fleur pairing, I'm planning to have Harry paired with Daphne in TDWFL. The story in turn will center on events within OoTP and beyond. The plot is still under construction, however. It will be published once it is properly established.
Meanwhile, enjoy.