This story is part of a future series about Harry Potter and his friends in the after-war Wizarding World. Maybe some parts may be unclear and difficult for you. But I hope I can give you answers to everything later.

There were times—not many, but a few—when Harry Potter was glad he was a famous The Boy Who Lived. As he refilled his glass of Firewhisky, he realized this was one of those moments.

Harry settled into a chair a short distance away and took a sip. Ogden's brew, with its woody notes, brought a smile back to his lips.

Under the unusually blue sky of southern England, little Teddy Lupin played gleefully on the grass with Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. Harry felt a warm contentment watching their carefree joy. It comforted him to know he had managed to secure a relatively peaceful future for Andromeda Tonks and his young godson. A few visits to the right people ensured the Ministry would provide for the orphaned child of war heroes and his grandmother. Harry felt satisfied.

Teddy laughed brightly as Ron pulled a funny face, and Hermione glanced at Harry. He caught her eye and smiled.

"She's very beautiful," came the sudden voice of Andromeda. Harry turned to see his godson's grandmother settling into the chair beside him. "Intelligent, brave... Had she been born pure-blood, she would have been a highly sought-after match. But thank Merlin, she's spared that horror."

Harry felt a bit flustered and could only nod. Andromeda Tonks, a hereditary aristocrat, harbored none of the prejudices common in those circles. Her voice was tender with children and resolutely firm with adults.

"She loves children too," Andromeda noted. "But why are her eyes so sad?"

Harry frowned, not understanding. He looked more closely but saw nothing unusual.

"Sad?"

"Oh, you clearly didn't inherit your father's understanding of women. No offense," she waved dismissively. Harry wasn't offended, truth be told. "Your friend is troubled by something, Harry, though she smiles for Teddy. Hasn't she mentioned anything to you?"

He thought hard but couldn't recall anything.

"I don't think so?" Harry said uncertainly, almost as if asking.

"An iron lady," Andromeda concluded.

"I'll ask Ron; he should know..."

"Weasley? If she hasn't told you, she's even less likely to have told him."

"They're dating," Harry responded reproachfully, lowering his voice. "He should know."

"Dating? I'd never have guessed. Does your friend have no interest in women's bodies at all?"

Harry felt he must have misheard and turned to Andromeda, stunned.

"Mrs. Tonks, I..."

"Oh, come on, Harry," she interrupted. "We're all adults here, and we all understand."

He thought that the legendary Black's temperament had been passed down to Andromeda Tonks not as cruelty and psychopathy, like her sister Bellatrix, but as a complete lack of modesty and a sharp tongue.

"As far as I know, when it came time to choose, your friend didn't exactly pick Ronald," she continued. "Why do you think they're together?"

"Ron and Hermione kissed, and... Ron says they're a couple."

"A couple that hasn't touched each other in an hour and a half? When Ted and I started dating, there wasn't a single untainted horizontal surface in his house."

Harry was completely flustered.

"I think Hermione wouldn't..."

"Hermione might not, but boys think with their dicks for the first half of a year after they start dating, you should know that," Andromeda declared unabashedly. Harry felt himself blush. "I haven't seen this young man get his hands slapped away."

To Harry, it seemed obvious: Ron and Hermione just had to be together... and Ron wouldn't lie about something like that. Why couldn't Andromeda understand?

Hermione conjured a dozen soap bubbles from her wand, and Teddy clapped his little hands in delight.

"They kissed. I saw it..."

"And you, when you were alone together in the tent, didn't kiss?"

Harry nearly choked on his Firewhisky.

"We didn't..."

"Not at all? And you didn't even want to?"

Harry gave Andromeda a pleading look, but she just smirked.

"If people were more honest with each other," she grumbled, "the world would be a better place. That girl is waiting for you, Harry. All you need to do is say three words to her."

He wanted to respond, but at that moment, there was a pop, and someone appeared beside them.

"And here is Mr. Nott," Andromeda rose and greeted him. "Good afternoon, Mr. Nott, we're glad to see you."

"Hello, Mrs. Tonks..."

Teddy sat on the grass, his big eyes staring at the man who had appeared out of nowhere.

"Teddy! Will you show me where your red car is?" Hermione asked in an enticing voice. She glanced at Ron and then nodded towards the house. "Will you show me? Let's go!"

Harry smiled at her and nodded gratefully. Nott extended his hand to him.

"Mr. Potter!"

"Mr. Nott!" Harry responded, shaking his hand and standing up. The brunet's hand was soft. "Firewhisky?"

"It's still too early; I'm afraid Daphne wouldn't understand," Nott smiled. "Perhaps we could drink together another time. But for now, allow me to congratulate you—all the papers are ready..."

"You ought to try enjoying at least the moments of victories, Mr. Nott," Andromeda interrupted, handing him a glass of amber liquid with one hand and taking the neat folder with the other. "You might find it suits you"

Nott smiled politely and took the glass.

"I'm afraid my victory is not yet achieved, Mrs. Tonks. But I will gladly celebrate yours with you."

"It's not just ours, it's yours too. Harry told me that you were the one who helped arrange everything. These accountants... it's tough to squeeze out any extra Knut."

"To be honest, my wife helped me. Thanks to Daphne, we managed to negotiate with the right people."

"Oh, Miss Greengrass... excuse me, Mrs. Nott," Andromeda corrected herself and smiled. Harry could swear she did it intentionally. "Of course, your wife, the sister of Mr. Malfoy's fiancée. Yes, without a doubt, she played a crucial role. Please convey my thanks to the lovely Daphne. It's amazing how blood ties can help in situations where interaction is necessary, but people are on opposite sides. I heard you can be congratulated on your success in the Wizengamot."

Nott smiled.

"It's the achievement of the minister and Mr. Dance. I had nothing to do with it, Mrs. Tonks."

"Oh, come on, Nott. No matter how much praise the Prophet sings for Mr. Brewster, it's clear that the signed statute is your accomplishment. How did you manage to convince the goblins? I'm sure they—and many other families—weren't too pleased with such Ministry interference. Especially when the Malfoys used to run things. I remember my mother telling me that Abraxas clung to Gringotts with a death grip and only taught Lucius to count correctly."

"Indeed," Harry muttered.

Thanks to Malfoy's efforts, the Black family accounts were frozen during the legal proceedings. Harry couldn't transfer control to Andromeda until little Teddy grew up.

"Unfortunately, the Ministry can't solve your problem yet, Mr. Potter," Nott read his grim expression. "The goblins insist on the freeze, and we can't do anything about it."

"Remarkable," Andromeda said sarcastically. "The largest account is frozen. Is it perhaps to pay off the others?"

"That's precisely the concern we've been trying to alleviate, Mrs. Tonks."

"And how? Have you succeeded?"

"The statute is signed; it can be considered a success."

"Of course... a success. You've managed to break the will of so many people. The Ministry forced the bank, which has stood longer than it has, to comply. It's surprising you didn't want to drink with us, Nott. So, how did you manage it?"

"All thanks to the account."

"The account?"

Nott fell silent. He swirled his glass, watching the swirling liquid, and turned to her.

"I like dirt and rocks... and facts."

"No argument here," Andromeda agreed. Harry watched with interest. "I trust only what I can hold in my hand or see on my horizon."

"Well, but you can't just touch all your gold. You can see it, but not touch it. Will you sit back and admire the view? Those with full vaults know how to count," Nott's voice resonated with enthusiasm. "They love counting. But they merely see the gold in their vaults or as numbers in an accounting ledger. How do they know that a mountain of Galleons isn't moving from vault to vault as they visit the bank? We don't use all our gold at once. How then do we verify that it is truly there? That it's all there, and not a Sickle less?"

Harry was astonished: had things really been so opaque before? Why? He remembered the mountain of gold he saw in his vault on his first day in the wizarding world. Could it have been... not real?

"And you managed to convince the goblins?"

"The goblins now have to work with the Ministry instead of the Malfoys," Nott said evenly. "The era of privileges for the select few is ending. And Gringotts finds it hard to refuse all its depositors simultaneously, no matter what guarantees the Malfoys offer. To both sides. After the betrayals of the war, no one is satisfied."

And then Harry understood. He had seen a few accusatory articles in the Prophet but hadn't read them. Nott had skillfully removed the Malfoys from the equation and, in case of any imbalance in the bank's accounts, could blame them entirely.

"And all in Lucius's absence," Andromeda noted.

"Mrs. Tonks, we considered everyone's opinions. Draco agreed to the Ministry's terms."

Harry remembered: Draco Malfoy's fiancée, Astoria Greengrass, was the sister of Nott's wife, Daphne.

"Still, when Lucius returns, he will be displeased. And Gringotts. They will support him. Oh, how goblins love to remind everyone of their presence! The entire History of Magic course at Hogwarts is filled with wars. And now new measures of control! On gold! An unimaginable blow to their pride..."

"I don't care about Gringotts."

"We both know you're smarter than that," Andromeda inclined her head.

Nott remained silent, but for the first time in Harry's memory, he looked away.

Indeed, he was smarter.

They talked for another ten minutes until their glasses were empty. Nott bid farewell and, as he said, departed for the Ministry. At the sound of his Disapparition, Hermione peeked out, and, frowning at the glasses, waved her wand. They floated away.

"She's upset that you were drinking," Andromeda observed.

Harry laughed. Of course, it was Hermione.

But Andromeda remained serious. She surveyed the yard without joy, her gaze lingering on the spot where Nott had Disapparated. She began to speak in a cautionary tone:

"Be wary of that man, Harry. Be as wary of him as you would be of fire. And don't let Hermione get involved with him."

Harry nodded.

"And most importantly, stay close to her. For your sake and hers. Manipulations of the Wizengamot and goblins are not the worst things in life. Trust me. It's better to have a loyal, loving person by your side."

Laughing loudly, Teddy ran up to them. He was flushed and looked around mischievously. Andromeda immediately changed her demeanor, smiling at her grandson:

"Teddy! Have you come to show me how fast your legs are?"

The boy laughed again and ran back into the house, shouting. Andromeda followed him inside.

Harry sighed and glanced at the greying sky. The air was becoming more humid.

It was going to rain.

And here we are! Thanks to everyone who read!
I hope it wasn't awful. English is not my first language, so please forgive me for the grammar mistakes and bad style. This story was originally written and published in Russian, so its translation wasn't an easy task.
Please write your comments! I will be glad to any advice and any criticism! Only thanks to you I can become better.
Your opinion is important to me!