HARRY POTTER: THE LOST LEGACY

by peverell.magic

It was on a cold October evening that this story began, an evening that, in the eyes of many people, marked the advent of a new era, an era of great upheavals, although it would affect only a certain category of individuals.

13. CHAPTER: 13 THE RETURN OF THE PRINCE

CHAPTER: 13 THE RETURN OF THE PRINCE

"Dumbledore wasn't usually someone who lost his temper quickly when something didn't go the way he hoped, at least not in public. His sugar daddy image stuck to his skin wherever he pointed, and no one would suspect that a completely different personality could exist within him, a much darker personality than the one he generally displayed. But today, this other side threatened to come out at any moment as what he had before his eyes had the gift of irritating him.

He had been at the Potters' house for several hours, but not for a courtesy visit, of course. The reason for his coming was simple and contained in a single word: Matthew. Since he had decreed that this boy was the chosen one in the prophecy that the clairvoyant Sybille Trelawney had told him, the headmaster of Hogwarts had made it his mission to assist the little boy in his fight against Lord Voldemort. But what he saw in front of him had the gift of annoying him and making him continually doubt.

'No, Matthew,' he said patiently, brilliantly hiding the anger surging within him. 'Your wand movement wasn't exactly the right one; you had to move it that way.'

'That's what I did!' persisted Potter's son, tapping his foot on the parquet floor of the living room without really paying attention to what his private teacher was showing him. 'It's this damn wand that doesn't suit me!'

'This wand works perfectly well,' Dumbledore told him without losing his fake benevolent smile. 'I tested it myself before giving it to you for your birthday, and you can believe me: I would never have given you something that didn't work.'

If the headmaster thought he would calm his student's crisis, it was unsuccessful: Matthew simply threw his wand across the room onto the head of his own father, who was also monitoring his son's training. Far from being sorry for his action, Matthew railed strongly about the uselessness of a wand that he had had for almost three years now, wrongly believing that with age, it must certainly work less well. Dumbledore didn't even dare tell him that Ollivander's wands were the best in the world and that it was only when they were broken that they simply no longer worked so as not to alienate his student.

From there to saying that he was afraid of him, there was much more than a gap. After all, hadn't he beaten the dark wizard Grindelwald a few decades earlier? Hadn't he valiantly resisted Voldemort's repeated assaults?

A child that young was absolutely worthless against him, especially this one. Despite the past three years, Matthew had shown virtually nothing, not the slightest ounce of power or even the smallest sign of accidental magic. And to make matters worse, his chosen status had gone to his head to transform him into an odious, tyrannical, and contemptuous little boy. Dumbledore had instructed his parents to always be there for him, to continually show him how much they loved him, and to take his training to heart to prepare him for his next battles, but wanting to do well too much, their little protégé had become as vile as Malfoy.

'Don't worry, Matt,' James said, not expressing the slightest ounce of anger for his action towards him. 'Starting tomorrow, we'll go to Diagon Alley to make you a new custom wand!'

'I want two!' Matthew exclaimed, turning towards him. 'The normal wizard only has one wand, but I'm much stronger than anyone! I need two wands to show everyone that I'm above them!'

Yes, his protégé was temperamental too, and James did nothing to fix things. Dumbledore was still happy to see that the Potter's son nevertheless remained faithful to his principles and ideals, and over time, Matthew no longer swore by him. Dumbledore was a sort of mentor for this little boy, an example to follow, and a constant inspiration in every facet of his life. The headmaster of Hogwarts fully appreciated seeing that his student respected him so much, but not for good reasons: Matthew was easily manipulated in this way, and Dumbledore could tell him anything; he would still believe him.

So, when he told him that Remus Lupine didn't like him at all and only swore by his older brother, Matthew had started to hate Harry's godfather and had even called him 'the hybrid' several times under the horrified eyes of his mother and sister. James didn't even flinch at this insult. Gullibility was a fault that many people tried to get rid of, but Dumbledore made sure to preserve this facet of his protégé's personality to instill in him his own values and mold him into the perfect little pawn that he hoped for from him.

But that didn't mean he liked him, far from it. Dumbledore did not like his student in the least but simply saw in him a weapon, a war machine to be shaped to fight under his standard. Matthew was the one who would defeat the Dark Lord for good, but Dumbledore saw the end of this story differently. Looking into the future could be a risky gamble, but if his plans worked out as he wished, it would be him at the end of the next war who would find himself center stage. And Matthew? Well… He himself didn't know what would become of him, but the best would be for him to disappear permanently.

Death might be the price to pay, but Dumbledore was willing to take that risk for Matthew if it brought him personal glory. Being Voldemort's slayer would give him enough prestige to establish his domination over the British magical world, to name but one. The rest of the world would also see in him a superior being that no one could match, not even 'the French fool' who he had hated so much since she had ridiculed him more than a year ago.

'Matthew, you will only have one wand,' Lily said, bringing the old headmaster out of his thoughts. 'Learn how to use one before thinking about getting a second one.'

'But Mom, I need two wands for… well… both of my hands!'

'I said no, and my decision is irrevocable.'

Faced with his mother's refusal, Matthew used his last weapon of which only he had the secret: the tantrum. Screaming with rage, the little boy literally threw himself on the ground and began rolling around, uttering howls like beaten animals. The noise caused was ear-breaking, but apart from Lily and Rosie, the other two adults in the room did not show any discomfort caused by Matthew's screams.

'It looks like a big fish out of water, except that this one has the use of speech,' Rosie muttered, giggling despite everything, sitting nonchalantly on one of the sofas in the living room, seeing Matthew continue to roll by on the earth."

"To be big, the fish was, much to the displeasure of Dumbledore who wanted to put him through physical tests to improve his endurance. Even if he didn't yet reach the weight of a sperm whale, Matthew was overweight and the tons of sweets his father and godfather bought him didn't help matters. At this rate, the Potter's son risked being simply obese upon entering Hogwarts, and the image of the hero of the magical world risked taking a hit. Who would take an obese, capricious, immature boy with limited magical abilities seriously? Fortunately, the Daily Prophet did not publish the slightest image of Matthew in its sections; otherwise, public opinion could not have been more disturbed by the appearance of the 'boy-who-lived'. Dumbledore was, to say the least, enraged by what he saw and was beginning to believe that using Matthew as a showcase for his ideals would be much more difficult than expected.

'Come on, Lily, it's almost his birthday. We'll just have to take two for him at this point so he can start to adapt to using a wand with both hands,' James tried, turning to his wife sitting directly in front of him on another sofa.

'In any case, saying no won't change anything; as usual, you will do the opposite of what I want,' his wife replied, frowning.

'What do you mean again?' he said, raising his voice a little.

'That you refuse him absolutely nothing, that you accept the slightest of his whims, and that you are…'

'That I am?' James continued, seeing that Lily had suddenly stopped talking.

'That you don't have… the behavior of a normal father,' she finally replied, slightly embellishing her real thought.

Dumbledore, who silently witnessed this new exchange between the Potter spouses, did not really know which side to take in this story. Lily was right about one thing: James didn't have the makings of an exemplary father even if he acted that way under her orders. Where a normal father would have flatly refused to separate from one of his children, James had not hesitated for a single moment to distance his eldest son from the rest of the family to fully take care of the second. Surrounding Matthew with love to reinforce the power he had within him had its drawbacks, but it was, as the Headmaster often said, 'evil serving the cause of the greater good.'

But where he was satisfied with the work done by James, he could not be more disappointed with that of Lily. She always behaved in the same way with Matthew: loving but in the same way as her other children, present but without being so continuously. Dumbledore could even at times find her distant towards him, and that was undoubtedly to comfort Matthew in the idea that his mother did not love him, which therefore influenced his magical abilities, at least, according to his headmaster. Blaming the son's failures on the mother may have been a low blow, but Dumbledore believed that Lily's behavior was having repercussions on her son, and over time, it could eventually become problematic.

'My dear Lily,' Dumbledore called in a soothing tone, cutting off the verbal joust once again between her and James, 'I think we should really consider giving your son a second wand for his training. Knowing how to use both hands in a duel is a significant advantage that you have to know how to use wisely, and if like me, you hope that Matthew manages to definitively defeat Voldemort when the opportunity arises, then you might as well give him every opportunity offering itself to him, don't you believe?'

'Yes, of course,' she replied, looking at him with a confused look. 'But I want to instill in him that it is by working hard that we achieve satisfactory results and not by blaming our failures on things that have absolutely nothing to do with them. This wand works perfectly well, you yourself said so earlier, so I don't see the point in buying two new wands for him.'

'Maybe a spare wand to start with then?' Dumbledore suggested, wanting to finish this matter as quickly as possible. 'Some wizards have a second wand when the first one fails or is broken. We might consider giving him another one to teach him how to guard against the potential risks of forgetting his main wand.'

'It's mainly to give in once again to his whims of a big crybaby,' said Rosie without stopping taking her eyes from the picture book she held in her hands. 'This idiot knows very well that nothing will be refused to him.'

A heavy silence accompanied her words, and Rosie immediately regretted opening her mouth to say what she was thinking out loud. Everyone stared at her, including her brother who had stopped rolling on the floor screaming to glare at his little sister in a way eerily similar to the one he used for Harry. Being the center of attention was not usual for her; it would even be quite the opposite as Matthew monopolized everyone's attention wherever he went.

'WHAT DID YOU SAY, GIRL!?' James immediately exclaimed, getting up from his seat. 'HOW DARE YOU INSULT YOUR BROTHER LIKE THIS!?

'I FORBID YOU FROM RAISING YOUR HAND ON HER!' Lily replied immediately, seeing him approach his daughter, his hand outstretched. 'LIFT ONE FINGER TO HER, AND YOU WILL NEVER SEE ME AGAIN!'"

James immediately stopped in his gesture, fist raised uselessly and looking haggard, looking at his wife in the same way as if she had slapped him. For the first time since their marriage, Lily openly threatened to leave him, and this threat had the same effect as a cannonball taken to the stomach. The woman he loved would never have gone so far as to utter such words, and she would never have looked at him with such hostility if there were not a problem in their relationship. After all these years, James realized that a rift had apparently opened between them, a rift that was gradually destroying the foundations of their marriage, a rift that he wasn't even sure was fulfilled that day. His marriage was failing, and he was only now realizing it, and the realization broke his heart.

'GO TO YOUR ROOM!' he shouted to Rosie, avoiding meeting his daughter's eyes. 'I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU FOR THE REST OF THE DAY!'

'Perfect!' she replied, leaving without asking for her rest. 'I hate you!' Rosie added from the doorway. 'I should have gone with Harry instead of staying with you!'

James was tempted to tell her that he was capable of sending her to see her big brother for an extended visit, but he changed his mind, not wanting to further inflame the situation. Dumbledore watched this scene helplessly. How could you teach your student that love was the most powerful magic if your own family was being destroyed little by little? Even he didn't have the answer to this question, other than to show him the "affection" he had for him, replacing that of his parents. The idea of supplanting James and Lily as Matthew's favorite people wasn't on the table yet, but who knows? His pawn would only trust his judgment and prove to be the perfect weapon.

The explanation between the Potter spouses was going to be very tense in any case, and it was better that Matthew was not there to see the damage on his parents' married life. Escape was certainly a trait linked to Slytherins, but in such circumstances, it was preferable to having to endure a heated exchange between James and Lily, and without further delay, Dumbledore grabbed Matthew to quickly leave the room. Looking after a child his age would be easier than resolving a couple's problems at the end.

Far from there, in the Greengrass cottage, the atmosphere was quite different, even if a certain tension existed within its walls, although the reason was totally different from that which could explain the climate in which the Potters lived. The entire Greengrass family was seated in their living room, a decently-sized room which, unlike many ancient families in the magical world, did not exude luxury. Daphné and her family were not people living in precarious conditions, far from it, but they all had in mind not to show off their wealth to each new visitor and to give the image of a family wishing to intimidate and impress by his money like the Malfoy family was.

But for the occasion that presented itself to them today, Belvina Greengrass was very tempted to make her family look the best for the two people expected to arrive at their humble abode any minute now. Cygnus Greengrass was content to walk up and down, muttering to himself incomprehensible things of which he alone had the secret. The reason everyone seemed so anxious was simple and yet so important: Harry was going to appear before them again, and he wasn't coming alone for the occasion. For this reason, everyone had dressed up to the nines to welcome into their home the one who was already part of the family, but even knowing the nature of the person who would soon burst into their home, a doubt remained concerning that of the second, a person that even Daphne didn't know and who Harry nevertheless mentioned a lot in his letters.

Daphne had finally received a letter from him a few days earlier informing her of his imminent arrival in her house and that he was coming accompanied by his guardian. Threatening him not to write to her again had had its little effect, and this blackmail, although childish, had at least the merit of allowing her to finally see him again, something she would not complain about. Informing her family was undoubtedly the most difficult because it meant confessing to Belvina and Cygnus her correspondence with her fiancé and the months of secrecy during which she hid from them what she knew about him. Initially skeptical by this announcement, her parents finally believed her words when she told them in detail everything that was written in her letters, not without proving her words to them by showing them the last letter that Harry had sent her.

Her family was obviously happy to know that Harry would soon come to see them even if a doubt remained in them: What if their daughter had been duped? And if this mysterious "G. d. S. » was a person wishing harm to their daughter? Many questions crossed their minds, and it was with apprehension that they awaited the imminent arrival of the so-called Harry Potter, the wands already ready to be used and carefully stored in everyone's pockets.

'It's 3 p.m.,' Cygnus informed them, looking at the clock hanging above the fireplace. 'They should arrive soon.'

'You did everything necessary to… You know what?'

'Yes,' he affirmed, understanding that his wife was talking about the few warning spells he had put in place in the event of an attack.

'When is Harry arriving?' Astoria said impatiently, slumping even further on her couch.

'Soon, darling,' replied Belvina, trying to appear calm in the eyes of her daughters."

Daphne remained perfectly silent and nervously observed the fireplace. Her mouth and throat had become dry, and the use of speech seemed to have been taken away from her. Even if she wanted to, no words could come out of her mouth; the stress absolutely not helping.

"Maybe this was all a set-up or a bad joke," said her father when he saw that the clock now showed 3:01 p.m. "They are late anyway."

"It's only been a minute," his wife informed him, nervously fiddling with the fabric of the armchair on which she was sitting. "This cannot yet be considered as a lack of punctuality."

The roaring fire in their fireplace suddenly came alive as a cool breeze blew in their faces. The green flames announcing the arrival of someone immediately burst from the hearth, revealing a few moments later the silhouette of a young man calmly advancing towards them. Instinctively, each Greengrass rose from their seat to properly welcome this new arrival, but the vision before them made them want to sit down immediately. The boy was a total stranger to them, but even before this realization, Daphne was impressed to say the least by the ease with which he used floo travel; usually, even the most experienced wizards would take a step back to avoid finding themselves face to face on the ground, but the young man who had just appeared in front of them gave the impression of landing as gracefully as a bird in the middle of the logs of the fireplace.

When the flames had completely disappeared, Daphne, like the rest of her family, was able to detail this new arrival at length, and the least that could be said about him was that he looked nothing like Harry: a pale complexion, perfectly brushed brown hair framing his face, perfect posture, and a bearing that Draco Malfoy would envy. This boy was undoubtedly part of the high aristocracy, but none of the four Greengrasses could recognize him as Daphne's fiancé. It was only his eyes that reminded those of Lily and her son, but beyond that, it was very difficult to discover his true identity.

For his part, Harry suppressed the urge to smile with amusement at their confused faces, too happy to see this family he loved so much, and pretending to dust the imaginary soot on his boots, he took his time to address them and dissipate the trouble that had arisen. He also took the opportunity to stare at them one after the other to see for himself the transformations that time had made on them. The Lord and Lady Greengrass had not changed in the least, but conversely, little Astoria had in a year improved and was now beginning to show the first signs of future beauty. As dark as Daphne was blonde, her little sister nevertheless had many similarities with her, and it would have been easy to mistake them for twins if they were the same age. As for Daphne, Harry found her as beautiful as he remembered, maybe even more so. Above all, his fiancée had once again taken the trouble to dress in the same shades of green as his eyes, a little personal touch that he loved as much as she did and proved to him that she cared about him.

He, for his part, had for some time abandoned the knee-length breeches, and for the occasion had dressed himself in dark blue silk trousers reaching to his ankles under long riding boots, a long buttoned jacket of the same blue color decorated with gold embroidery as well as a black scarf under a white shirt of which only the collar stuck out slightly. His outfits were already beginning to have the appearance of those of the Muggle military, and by his own admission, he had never before found himself so comfortable in these clothes, not even in those he had worn during his first day in Lamballe. Perhaps it was his uniform that troubled the Greengrasses so much, so Harry chose to take the first step towards them in an attempt to dispel the uneasiness.

"Mr. and Mrs. Greengrass, I am honored that you were kind enough to agree to receive us. Daphne, what a joy to see you again, my dear," he said, approaching her. "I was really looking forward to seeing you again."

If Harry hoped to lighten the mood by saying this, it was to his cost. Daphne's parents suddenly became frightened when they saw him approach and placed themselves in front of their daughters as shields, and even if he didn't think about it at the time, Harry suspected that any parent would act like this when they saw him arrive at their house an illustrious unknown. Needless to say, seeing them take out their wands and point them at him disturbed him slightly.

"Who are you and how the hell did you get here?" Lord Greengrass asked, looking at him.

"Come on, you don't recognize me, Mr. Greengrass?" Harry asked, giving an amused smile. "I knew these changes were important, but I never thought my in-laws wouldn't recognize me."

"Beautiful family?" Belvina repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Are you… Harry Potter?"

"It's definitely me, and the person currently taking care of me should arrive soon. She is currently busy giving her final instructions to her servants."

"Prove it," ordered Daphne's father without lowering his wand. "Who's to say you're not a spy or someone who wants to harm my family?"

Harry just sighed without blaming his father-in-law. Caution was required, especially when a stranger suddenly came into your living room claiming to be your daughter's fiancé, and Harry couldn't blame him. He himself would undoubtedly act the same way in such circumstances.

"I am Harry James Potter, at least I was until a few months ago. I was born on July 31, 1980, in St. Mungo's on the same day but two years apart from my brother, Matthew Potter. My parents are James Charlus Potter and Elisabeth 'Lily' Victoria Potter, and I also have a little sister named Rosalyn. Now to really prove my identity to you, I would say that I have been engaged to your daughter for almost four years now and that we are to marry each other when I reach my majority, which is at seventeen. Our engagement was made in my father's office on the day of my dear little brother's birthday party, and while you hoped to betroth Daphne to him by offering a dowry of 10,000 galleons, the choice ultimately fell on me after my father openly mocked your offer. Moreover…"

Harry brought his hand to his face to release the lock covering the right side of his forehead, thus revealing to the eyes of the others the old scar that he had inherited from the Unforgivable Curse received there. The potion had made it partially disappear, but a thin trace nevertheless persisted on his skin, the last vestige of what his life was like before sporting this new appearance. At this vision, all the Greengrasses' doubts vanished, and without further delay, Daphne threw herself completely on him, her arms encircling his waist while she cried tears of joy. Seeing him in the flesh had made her understand how much she had missed her fiancé, just like their moments of intimacy, their childish games, their discussions, or quite simply each other's presence.

In that moment, nothing mattered to her except the boy she held against her and over whom she shed many tears. The explanations could wait, for now, she much preferred to feel Harry's body against her, tightening her hold on him from time to time as if to check that all this was not a dream. But no, Harry was not disappearing, and all this was reality, and this realization brought a radiant smile from her through her tears. Harry himself suppressed the urge to shed a few tears as he gently stroked his fiancée's blonde hair. The same feelings of loss and joy ran through him, but he still managed to hide them thanks to his occlumency.

"My aunt would lecture me if she saw me," he whispered in her ear. "She always says a man doesn't cry, although I think it's just to make fun of me when my mother reads me a moving story."

"Your aunt?" Daphne repeated, without understanding.

"It doesn't matter," he said simply, releasing her. However, they did not take their eyes off each other, each looking into emerald green for one and ocean blue for the other. Perhaps they finally realized that they had just looked at each other that way for several seconds, because at the same moment they burst out laughing—a laugh full of joy, bringing out all the euphoria buried within them at this reunion.

"Sorry, Harry," Cygnus apologized, shaking his hand when they finished laughing. "We expected to see you appear in your old guise, and we were surprised by what we saw. Even your voice has changed slightly..."

"Don't apologize, Mr. Greengrass. I suspect that my appearance must have disturbed you. I would undoubtedly have acted the same way if I had been in your place."

"It's incredible," Belvina breathed without taking her eyes off Harry, who had just kissed her hand before greeting Astoria. "By what miracle have you managed to change so much? You're not under an illusion spell, are you?"

"No, no, this is indeed my new appearance, but Mother will explain it to you much better than me."

"Mother?" Daphne's mother repeated. "Does Lily know?" Before Harry could answer, the fireplace came alive again, and a few seconds later, Marie-Louise appeared in its hearth. Harry immediately rushed to offer her his hand and help her get out of there, under the stunned eyes of the Greengrass family, who saw an unknown woman arriving at their home in a dress that could make Narcissa Malfoy green with jealousy. There was little doubt now as to why Harry looked so noble in his demeanor and clothing when this lady introduced herself to them.

"Forgive my lateness, Gabriel. Giuseppe kept asking me what we were eating for tonight's meal," she said, accepting her son's outstretched hand. "This man does not seem to understand the need to eat a balanced and fresh meal in such intense heat..."

"It's nothing, Mother. I had plenty of time to celebrate my reunion with the Greengrass family in your absence. If you would like to follow me, I will make the introductions..."

Led by her son to them, Marie-Louise was finally able to see with her own eyes those who would be linked to her in one way or another by the marriage between Harry and Daphne. Each Greengrass observed the new arrival with bulging eyes, believing they were dealing with an almost divine apparition. Never in their lives would they have thought they would one day see this kind of lady arriving in their humble living room, and especially seeing Daphne's fiancé holding her hand as if she were someone very close to him.

"Mother, this is Lord Cygnus Greengrass and his wife Lady Belvina Greengrass, as well as their two daughters, Astoria and Daphne," he said in French. "Mr. and Mrs. Greengrass, this is Marie-Louise of Savoy, Princess of Lamballe and... my adoptive mother."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," said Marie-Louise, extending her hand to Daphne's father. "My son has told me so much about you that I feel like I've known you forever."

However, the adults in front of them were not as talkative as she, and all that responded to her greetings was a heavy silence, to say the least. The Greengrasses seemed too shocked by the latest information given by Harry to say a single word, and even Astoria, who was a very talkative little girl, had lost the ability to speak in an instant. Finding out that Harry had a new mother was a shock to them, and he never would have imagined that the life of their daughter's fiancé had changed so much.

"Y-you're Harry's mother?" repeated Belvina with a shocked look. "But… He already has a mother!"

"Well, now he has two," she replied without losing her smile. "I actually came here to talk to you about it if you don't mind."

Cygnus finally accepted the hand extended to him by Marie-Louise, realizing his disrespectful behavior towards her, just as his wife urged him a few moments later. Despite everything, he remained suspicious of her. This story seemed to be very strange, and the sincerity and honesty of the woman presenting herself to them were yet to be proven.

"You must be little Astoria, right?" she cooed, tenderly patting Daphne's sister's little nose. "You look absolutely lovely, exactly as Gabriel described you."

"Who is Gabriel?" Astoria asked in a small voice, looking at her confusedly.

Marie-Louise just smiled kindly at her before turning to her son. With a wink, she silently instructed him to keep Daphne away from this room while she explained to her parents the whole story concerning him and the proposal she wanted to make to them.

"Would it be possible for us to talk in private, Daphne?" Harry suggested, holding out his arm. "I have so many things to tell you."

"Well, uh… Y-yes, of course," she agreed, although she looked at her fiancé with a funny look, wondering why he was being so secretive.

The two children quickly went out towards the garden, leaving behind three adults and a little girl to finish getting to know each other, even if for the Greengrasses, Harry's dismissal was surprising if not strange.

"If you would take the trouble to sit down," Belvina suggested, pointing to one of the armchairs in the living room, "I think it would be much more pleasant to be comfortably seated to have a better chat."

"I couldn't have said it better," agreed Marie-Louise as she took her place right next to Astoria.

Cygnus, like the good gentleman that he was, helped her to sit down by offering her his hand, which she readily accepted, before he himself took his place on the seat he usually occupied.

"Could you explain this change in Harry's appearance to us?" asked Daphne's mother, bringing out a tray filled with cups of tea and small biscuits on the coffee table in the living room. "And why do you call him Gabriel?"

"Oh, but with joy," replied Marie-Louise, accepting the cup offered to her by the hostess. "To answer your first question, I simply adopted Harry thanks to one of my latest filter creations. This potion replaced everything that directly or indirectly linked him to Mr. Potter with my own characteristics, thanks to blood. The principle of my potion is the same as that of a basic adoption potion except for the fact that my filter only contained the blood of one person, myself. To give you an image reflecting the result of my work, just imagine Harry and the fruit of the union between Mrs. Potter and myself."

"He… He's not a Potter anymore, then?" asked Cygnus with a surprised look.

"Not really anymore. He is an Evans through his mother, but also now an heir to the royal house of Savoy from which I come. My late husband being related to the Bourbon royal family, who gave many heirs to the French crown, Harry is also related to this branch of the French monarchy, although he has no biological connection to them. In truth, his new status also links him to many other royal families in Europe, in particular to the courts of Sardinia or Sicily, which means that royal blood now flows in him. As for why I call him Gabriel, that's his own decision. We needed to give him false identity papers to reach my estate by boat and to escape the Muggle authorities who are still chasing me, and Harry chose this first name by reading a passage from the Bible. He also chose to keep this name when we arrived, and since then has never wanted to be called anything else. Harry Potter no longer exists except in the birth registers of your country, his new identity being Gabriel of Savoy, Prince of Lamballe and Duke of Carignan, Châteauvillain, and Penthièvre."

This latest information drew a gasp of astonishment from Daphne's parents and even from Astoria. The little boy they had not seen for several months now had apparently undergone enormous upheavals in his life—upheavals they would never have suspected. The simple Harry Potter, son of a tyrant father and a loving mother but powerless in the face of the actions of her husband and the headmaster of Hogwarts, had become an aristocrat in all his splendor, with two mothers but no father and obviously wealthy. Destiny may have been written at birth, but that of Daphne's fiancé was decidedly different from the others.

"It's... It's very surprising," Belvina admitted, nervously raising her cup to her lips.

"Harry's mother told us that she had taken her son to safety because of the actions of the headmaster and her own husband towards him, but we never thought that she would have come to this end."

"Oh, don't worry, she would never have imagined entrusting custody of Gabriel to someone else, and even less to me. To tell you the truth, I have never had the opportunity to speak to her, let alone meet her, but fate has chosen that we are linked to each other in an astonishing way."

"How can you have custody of Harry… Hm, sorry, I mean Gabriel, if Lady Potter never gave you the possibility?"

"A very relevant question, Mr. Greengrass," affirmed Marie-Louise, tilting her head slightly. "This is a very long story that I am about to tell you, but it is important that you know the truth about this curious story."

The initial idea, however, was not to tell them the reasons why Harry had been abandoned by his family in this orphanage so as not to give them a bad impression of Lily Potter. But it was better to explain to them why Harry was with her now, means not forgetting any details, not even those that could cause them harm. The Greengrasses deserved to know the truth, and in any case, everyone would have known sooner or later thanks to their eldest daughter. If Marie-Louise hoped that her plan would come to fruition, then she had to lay her cards on the table with them and hide nothing from them so that they would accept her proposal. A relationship is built on trust, after all. For the sake of the little couple, it was sometimes necessary to make small sacrifices.

"I don't know if I'm best able to tell you this story if the main people involved haven't told you the slightest word about it, but I can tell you what I know by reconstituting the elements that Gabriel provided me and those that I myself have been able to collect since our meeting now."

"We won't tell anyone if that reassures you," Belvina swore while her husband simply nodded to confirm her words. "We can make a magical oath if that's what you want?"

"I would prefer if it doesn't bother you. Mrs. Potter went to such great lengths to keep her son safe; I would be remiss if I undermined her efforts by telling others what she did."

Daphne's parents simply nodded before each taking their respective wands and holding them up in front of their faces like fencers.

"I, Belvina Greengrass, swear on my magic not to divulge anything that comes out of this conversation until those affected by it also know. So be it."

A slight blue glow immediately appeared at the tip of her wand before disappearing just as quickly as it had come. Her husband also made the same oath as did Astoria as a precaution. Their daughter was talkative, but she would never go so far as to give up her magic by flicking her tongue so stupidly. Two precautions were better than one.

"Well, then, I'll tell you everything I know. As you have noticed, Harry is now living with me and has been for several months. We met by chance while I was visiting orphans with the Princess of Hanover as part of an official outing from the British royal court…"

"An orphanage?" Cygnus cut her off. "You mean Harry lived in an orphanage? Was that Lily's solution?"

"Yes, but don't blame her for this decision. She took the one that seemed the most sensible and the least risky for her son's safety, and this decision is very commendable on her part. So I met this curious boy that day, but not directly. Arriving in front of this sinister building, I was immediately attracted by the magic escaping from it which presented itself to me in the form of small curls of smoke that only I saw. I've never seen this before..."

"Was magic escaping from him?" Daphne's mother repeated. "How is it possible?"

"Very few people are able to see the magical residue that comes out of a person's core, and I fall into that category. Harry had so much magic inside him that he wasn't able to keep it, and without even realizing it, he was wasting his chances of being able to use it wisely. We met shortly after in the dormitory of this orphanage."

"What a strange idea to leave him in an orphanage," said Cygnus absently, helping himself to the biscuit cup. "I thought Lily had family to take care of Harry, even if far away. In any case, I hope he was really safe in this place."

"He was… more or less. Separated for a time from the magical world, he thus avoided meeting his father or the headmaster of Hogwarts and found an excellent shelter where to sleep and eat, but he was not out of all danger, far from it. His mother had chosen to send him here to avoid having to live under the same roof as his aunt, Petunia Dursley, if I'm not mistaken. According to my son's own account, this woman and her husband would be openly hostile to all forms of magic and would undoubtedly have used violence against him. But Lady Potter chose to override Dumbledore's plans by not entrusting the custody of Harry to her sister but rather to an orphanage where she would pick him up after three long years, when he would begin his education at Hogwarts."

The mystery surrounding this strange affair was finally beginning to dissipate for the Greengrasses, although many points remained to be clarified for them. They did not need to be asked to find out more about this story, especially since the woman present with them was herself very captivating in her way.

"Do you happen to know why Professor Dumbledore wanted Harry to leave his home?" Cygnus asked him. Lily's official response was that he wasn't safe at home any longer, but his life itself wasn't in danger?

"Well, to tell the truth, Gabriel is rather reserved about the reasons that pushed his own father to abandon him. But it seems that the headmaster of Hogwarts deemed it necessary for the Potters' eldest son to leave so that everyone could fully concentrate on the 'savior' of the magical world. My son was apparently a nuisance that needed to be gotten rid of, and with James Potter's agreement, Dumbledore wanted to send him to his wife's sister for a while so that Lily could fully take care of her second son. The headmaster of Hogwarts has designed a very ingenious plan aimed at gradually enclosing the hero of the nation around a single point: Him and his family. In my opinion, Matthew Potter would only be a pawn in Dumbledore's chessboard, a pawn that he gradually isolates from the rest of the world to have better control over him, and Gabriel was not part of it."

Cygnus nodded at the explanations provided by Harry's mother, not without sighing at the attempts to manipulate the headmaster, a man he had never really liked even when he was a student at his school. Imagining him trying to establish his control over the Potter family was entirely possible, not to mention that the overprotective behavior he had towards Lily's youngest son proved that he was keen to be omnipresent in her life.

Belvina, for her part, was more concerned about the way her future son-in-law had been treated in this orphanage, herself having had to deal with cases of gratuitous violence on numerous occasions when she officiated for a time at the orphanage at St. Mungo's Hospital. Muggle-borns tended to be bullied when in crowds of non-magical people, and orphanages were no exception.

"He… He wasn't living the happy life his mother hoped for, far from it," Marie-Louise admitted to her when she asked him the question. "When I met him, his clothes were torn in several places, and the rest of his belongings had been used to block the pipes of the orphanage or were simply stolen by his roommates. He had no friends and was bullied by some orphans because of his wealthy background, and the orphanage staff did absolutely nothing to help him. Worse still, he would have been locked in the cellar of this institution on numerous occasions for stupid things he had committed. I won't hide from you that he was generally innocent of these things, but everyone tended to blame him for these reprehensible acts. My friends, like me, noticed very clearly that this child was unhappy where he was, separated from those he loves because of the questionable choices of a senile principal and a violent father, brutalized for being the son of a wealthy family and isolated from everything he knows."

"You know, we wouldn't have been against taking Harry with us for a while to avoid this, but his mother supposed that it could have been detrimental to us, especially because his own father could have used this to tell anyone who hears it that we had taken his son," Cygnus informed her, placing his hand on that of his wife who at that moment was livid. "If we had known, perhaps we would have insisted on having custody of him for these three years…"

"Don't overwhelm yourself like that; you are absolutely not guilty of anything in this sad story," replied Marie-Louise in a soothing tone. "In truth, I could even thank you for not having done it because then I would never have crossed paths with Gabriel."

Even if this did not alleviate the feeling of guilt that the Greengrass parents had, this remark still brought a smile to their faces.

"Coming back to my story, we talked at length about his childhood, his life in this orphanage, why he was in this place, and even magic. That day I discovered a feeling that had never occurred to me before, something that I never thought I would feel in my entire life. It was both a feeling of unease that inhabited me but a surprisingly pleasant unease because I had just discovered that I could find meaning in my life, a life which until that moment had been very dull and bland. I thought at first that my desire to see Gabriel follow me in my field was only to have the possibility of training myself a boy who seemed very promising to me and that it would be stupid of me to let someone slip away. such potential without allowing him to exploit it, but I quickly resolved myself to the very evidence of my feelings: I simply wanted to protect this boy, to tear him away from this hell which was his and above all to dedicate my time to raising a child that I have never been able to have until now. I wasn't thinking about making him my son yet, but the idea came to me quickly, to tell you the truth, and none of us regrets this choice. So that same evening, I legally adopted Harry, although I had to bargain with the director of this orphanage so that she agreed to let me have custody of him, and the next day we left for France where I own many estates, notably the one in which we currently live in the Château de Lamballe."

Marie-Louise interrupted her story for a few seconds, time for her to savor Belvina Greengrass' delicious tea and look out of the corner of her eye at little Astoria who was literally glued to her lips. In any case, this story seemed to please him a lot.

"It was during our journey to Dover that Harry chose this French first name to take on a false identity by simply reading the Bible that I had entrusted to him. I come from a very religious family, and Harry graciously chose to comply with that by becoming a Catholic himself. Gabriel is the angel who announced to the virgin Mary that she would give birth to God's son, and my son assumed that just like that angel, his arrival in my life was an omen of good news for me."

"That's such a lovely touch of her," Belvina cooed as her husband rolled his eyes at her behavior. "But what about his situation now? Are you taking him in with you until he turns eleven, and Lily comes to take him back?"

"For the moment, Gabriel is indeed living with me, but it is not yet certain that he will one day return to the Potters. I would even say that it would be stupid of me to return him to his now former father; it would be like throwing him into Dumbledore's crooked fingers. I think I will contact Mrs. Potter sooner or later to tell her the truth and offer her the opportunity to see her son as much as she wants on my land. Until then, I take care of Gabriel by training him in magic, particularly wandless magic for which he seems to be naturally gifted. I am a very good practitioner of this form of magic myself, but it could well be that in a few years he will manage to surpass me. I also teach him other subjects that are also taught at Hogwarts, and Gabriel turns out to be an excellent, very diligent student. His knowledge might surprise you. I can't imagine the reaction James Potter would have if he saw what his son had become and the level he was at. I can't say too much, but I'm sure that next to him, Gabriel's little brother would be worth absolutely nothing," she added proudly.

Even Daphne's parents gave an amused smile at this sentence, themselves having been "lucky" to see Matthew Potter at work. Given his level, anyone could beat him, even their daughter. This thought greatly brightened the atmosphere in the living room, and their conversation resumed in a climate favorable to exchanges and laughter.

A few dozen meters away, Harry and Daphne were walking peacefully in the charming Greengrass garden, discussing the same subject as their parents without even knowing it. Their correspondence by mail had already cleared up many mysteries, but hearing the whole story from her fiancé was still much more informative than anything else, and Daphne was still shocked by Harry's latest announcements. She who had imagined dozens of scenarios, each one as far-fetched as the next, this one was incredible to say the least and difficult to believe. Her best friend, her fiancé, the boy with whom she had already shared so much, now had another family, another life, and other responsibilities that fell to his rank.

It seemed clear to her now why he had been so reluctant to tell her the truth about what he was going through, although she wished she had been informed much sooner. But it didn't matter to her now; Harry had finally resurfaced in her life. Even if his appearance and the confidence he now exuded were confusing to her, Daphne was more than happy to have found him safe and sound, and, above all, in good health. Everything else could wait; only the presence of her friend, who had been missed so much, mattered.

"It's incredible, Harry," she breathed thoughtfully once he had finished recounting in detail what he was doing at his new mother's house. "This story deserves to be published in a book because it is so astonishing."

"I know, and at times I wonder if all this is not a dream and if I am not going to wake up in this horrible orphanage. I still have a hard time realizing how lucky I was to meet this woman and the turn my life has suddenly taken in recent months, but I won't complain about it for anything in the world."

"In any case, you have become very handsome," confessed Daphne, blushing as she looked at him discreetly. "Are these clothes tailor-made?"

"Obviously," he said in a falsely pompous tone. "Mother knows many tailors and seamstresses, hiring their services to satisfy me, and this set is inspired by the military outfits of Muggle officers. It hasn't been decided yet, but I might eventually join a military school to train in the French army."

"What a funny idea!" she exclaimed with amusement. "I can't imagine you serving in a Muggle army!"

"Oh, but I anticipate! I have already started to make progress in my studies, and the results might surprise you!"

"I would like to see that," Daphne said. "Show me what you can do!"

Stung by Daphne's challenge, Harry untied the arm she had wrapped around his and looked around for a potential target to prove his point. The garden that Mrs. Greengrass tended almost lovingly did not deserve to be destroyed by casting any spell at random, so Harry took his time before finding the perfect target, in this case a simple log placed carelessly at the foot of a tree.

"Look at this log," he said, pointing at the object in question. "In a few seconds, it will be destroyed in two."

Without waiting, Harry bent his thumb very slightly, simultaneously activating the mechanism of his wand holster fixed on his forearm. It was expelled quickly to lodge peacefully in the palm of his hand, under the astonished eyes of Daphne.

"You… You have a wand!?" she asked him, not taking her eyes off what Harry now held between his fingers. "What are its components?"

"A thestral hair and Arole pine wood," he informed her, smiling slightly at the description of his wand of which he was very proud. "The manufacturer who created this marvel told me that it was a very original composition and undoubtedly unique in its kind. I made another addition to my wand, an addition that is only done in a few families of witchcraft: My mother's blood."

"Why?"

"It's a tradition that we mix the blood of one of our parents into the core of our wand to strengthen it. The royal house of Savoy is a very old witch family dating back to the 11th century and has always been renowned for the power possessed by each of its members. It is, therefore, customary to pass on to its descendants what constitutes its strength. Furthermore, this is also done as a security measure. The blood will mix with the core of my wand, and this will bind it entirely to me. No one else will, therefore, be able to use it, at least no one who does not have the same blood as me. For example, if you took this wand in your hand, it would be of no use to you, even for creating sparks."

"Fascinating…" Daphne muttered, now looking in wonder at the object Harry was holding. "I would love to have one like this."

"It could be done," replied her fiancé simply, pointing with his wand at the log. "For now, I'll show you my progress. Wingardium Leviosa!"

His target immediately levitated several centimeters above the grass, but Harry took the opportunity to also bring it to him, a feat generally beyond the capability of users of this spell. But if Harry thought he was impressing Daphne by using this spell, he quickly became disillusioned when he saw that his little trick didn't even make her raise an eyebrow.

"That's all?" she said, slightly disappointed. "You could do the same thing without a wand if I'm not mistaken, and even I've known how to do it for a very long time now."

"Yes, but you have to learn to copy the movements I made with my finger, this time using a wand, something I didn't know how to do before."

With a gesture of his left hand, Harry threw the log back to its initial point, which crashed softly onto the patch of grass it had just left.

"Reducto!" he cried suddenly.

The spell cast a blue glow immediately escaping from his wand violently impacted the target designated by its caster. The poor, already mishandled log exploded as expected into two pieces, leaving a burn mark on each of them and giving off a slight smell of burnt wood.

"Gosh... But... This spell is taught in the fifth year at Hogwarts!"

"Mother thinks that the teaching at Hogwarts is not the best in Europe," her fiancé informed her, putting his wand back in its case. "She thinks that anyone, regardless of age and ability, can learn this spell, even a first year. The only notable difference is that the magical core of an eleven-year-old is not the same as that of a fifteen-year-old, and the remaining amount of magic thus varies depending on the spell used. A first year will tire more quickly when using the Reducto than an older student."

"I see, but does that mean that we could very well learn the school program from a student taking their NEWTs even if we are not yet of the required age?"

"Among other things, yes, and that's what I do in truth. My teaching combines the seven years of study at Hogwarts into a single program, although I have not yet started my lessons in the study of runes and arithmancy. This allows me to realize that I have absolutely nothing to envy of someone ten years older than me when it comes to our knowledge of magic. Now take a good look..."

Harry pointed his finger at the two pieces of log again, but not only that: His whole hand was now turned towards his target, perfectly still and without the slightest twitch, each finger slightly apart from the other and just as still as the rest of his arm. Daphne also noticed that Harry had closed his eyes, making him appear to be dozing while still standing. The spectacle her fiancé offered her was astonishing, to say the least, but what happened next showed her that she was still far from doubting the feats of which he was capable.

"Reducto!" he exclaimed again.

To Daphne's great surprise, not one but five blue rays of light, each coming out of one of his fingers, struck the pieces of wood which, upon contact with the multiple spells, exploded again, this time into a multitude of small pieces, scattering across the entire yard of the Greengrass cottage. Daphne was, to put it simply, stunned by what Harry had just shown her.

"Wow!" she said after a few seconds. "I've never seen that before!"

"It's normal; we are already very rare to know how to use magic without a wand, so on top of that using all your fingers to manipulate it... I could use all ten for the same result, even if for the moment I'm still working on that."

"Do you know any other spells like this?" Daphne asked him excitedly.

"A few, but they are only intended to defend me," he replied, absently knocking on a piece of wood. "Mother thinks it's still too early for me to become an encyclopedia of spells, and she doesn't want to see me become too powerful so quickly. She thinks that learning should happen gently and little by little for a child's good balance."

"You're really lucky," Daphne sighed. "Mom thinks I'm still too young to do magic, so she spends her time teaching me how to be a Lady."

"I'm learning the same thing as you, if that can reassure you, except that it's an aunt who gives me lessons. Among other things, I had to learn to walk like a nobleman, the names of all the cutlery and their functions, to express myself clearly and worthy of my new rank, or even to…"

"has?"

"Don't make fun," he said nervously, looking everywhere but at her. "I had to learn to stand up straight with… a corset."

Despite the order Harry had given her, Daphne burst out laughing at this admission, under the resigned look of her fiancé who already regretted having told her that.

"Merlin Harry! A corset!? My poor friend, how humiliating that must have been!"

"Stop!" he muttered darkly. "I don't wear it anymore, and it's allowed me to walk with a grace I never thought I'd have!"

"Yes, but still, a corset! I don't know if I'll be able to take you to my room now; you might be tempted to wear mine or even my dresses!"

Harry watched her without reacting as she burst into another fit of laughter, but in the end, he ended up joining her in finding himself that this sad story finally had a little amusing side for those who were not the instigators. From an external perspective, imagining him in clothing normally worn by a woman might indeed seem horrifying, and if Lily and Rosie ever got wind of what he had endured, they were sure to react the same way.

"Maybe we should go back now," he suggested, holding out his arm for her to hold on to. "Mother has probably finished saying what she wanted to tell your parents by now."

"What did she want to tell them?" she asked as they both walked towards the garden gate.

"The same as me with you, well I suppose. She's a much better storyteller than me, but I don't hold my own too well either."

"Tell me… What should I call you now?" she asked suddenly with a concerned look. "I'm so used to calling you Harry that I have a little trouble calling you Gabriel. Your new mother seems to have taken it easily, but I doubt that's the case for the rest of us."

"Call me Harry when we are in private or with people who know my real identity. Otherwise, the rest of the time, it will be Gabriel. You can also call me master like my servants, or my prince, your highness, my…"

A well-placed punch from Daphne, however, made him stop his ranting as they were now walking on the flagged ground delimiting the courtyard of the grassy and flowery Greengrass garden. Soon the garden door was opened, and the two of them entered the living room again where their parents were quietly waiting for them. The delicious smell of Belvina's tea immediately tickled their nostrils, and for a moment, Harry regretted having gone for a walk with his fiancée and therefore missing the tasting of this beverage.

"Oh, there are the lovebirds again," simpered Belvina as she saw them appear. "Was the reunion interesting?"

"Mom…," Daphne stammered, blushing with embarrassment.

"Have you finished, mother?" he asked, leading Daphne towards the adults without letting his confusion show.

"We have not yet broached the subject that interested us," she declared, smiling slightly at the spectacle presented to her eyes. "You two make a very nice little couple, but wait a few more years before thinking about slipping away like this. I don't want to find you behind a bush one fine day under the pretext of celebrating your reunion and then become a grandmother nine months later. I still feel too young for this role!"

"Mother…" Harry muttered, blushing as well.

The adults laughed happily for their part while the two engaged couples timidly sat next to Marie-Louise, their eyes turned towards the ground. Astoria took advantage of this remark to say, "Why should they hide to grow their cabbages? I too would like to see my little nephews born," which had the gift of making the parents present redouble their bursts of laughter.

"Very well, then I am not going to hide from you any longer the real reason for my coming among you, but that does not mean that I am not delighted to be in this place and in such charming company," began Marie-Louise once the laughter died down. "This really concerns you, Daphne."

"M-me?" she stammered, arching an eyebrow.

"Yes, you, and Gabriel already knows what I am about to offer you. He himself was not in the least against this idea, although I think that it was above all the desire to see you which was the spearhead of his choice."

Daphne turned her attention to the boy next to him, trying to guess without asking what it was about, but Harry carefully avoided looking at her as well, too busy staring at his mother with a thin, amused smile.

"I will obviously need your parents' approval for this to happen, but I wanted to ask you if you would like to spend some time with us to follow training identical to that which I am currently giving to Gabriel."

"Why?" Daphne asked, her eyes widening.

"The connection between you and Gabriel through your marriage contract allows you to give both of you a part of the magic buried in your magical core and thus provide the other with a sufficient quantity of energy when it runs out. Few people realize this possibility, but all prenups act this way. However, the particularity of your fiancé is that the amount of magic he has within him is such that he could provide you with it continuously without suffering the repercussions of this transfer, and thus allow you to increase your magical abilities tenfold without effort."

"But isn't she too young to start doing magic?" Cygnus asked, interrupting her rant. "She's only just turned seven, and her first signs of accidental magic are only minimal at the moment."

"My son can, if necessary, give her a little of his magic to help her learn, while she herself can fully develop her abilities. She won't be able to do wandless magic like him, but her spells could prove more powerful than average with a little practice. And before you ask me, the Trace does not exist in our country. Daphne will be able to use a wand as she pleases without fear of receiving a warning from your ministry. In any case, the Trace is placed on every new wand that Mr. Ollivander designs, and I could possibly ask him not to put it on your daughter's. I'm even willing to cover the cost of making a custom wand if you'd like."

"That's... It's very kind of you to offer that to us," Cygnus stammered, losing his confidence. "But I cannot accept your offer; I would feel like I am taking advantage of your kindness. I would prefer to invest in this famous wand myself…"

"Very good, but still let me finance the purchase of a case for your daughter. After all, sooner or later she will be my daughter-in-law, and I think it would be the least I could do to give her a small gift to complement the titles she will obtain by marrying Gabriel."

"Titles?" Daphne repeated, looking confused.

"To put it simply, you will become the duchess of the many lands of which I have recently become the owner, and also a princess by marrying me."

Daphne's parents immediately gasped at these revelations, with Belvina almost passing out when she learned that her daughter would also be titled. And to think that the engagement with Harry didn't bring anything to Daphne in the first place... Cygnus suppressed the urge to go straight to James and throw that in his face. The poor guy thought he had been tricked into this alliance, but the roles were now reversed. Lord Potter might, in any case, bite his fingers if he found out.

"What luck! You're going to be like the princesses in our stories!" Astoria exclaimed, looking in wonder at her sister. "How I envy you!"

"I, uh… Yes…," Daphne simply stammered when faced with this news.

"So, Daphné, you haven't given me an answer yet," Marie-Louise continued, dissipating the little moment of hesitation that had just set in. "Would you like to spend some time with us to be trained like Gabriel? You can come as much as you want, just like your family."

To this question, Daphne strangely didn't know what to answer. The desire to learn how to do magic finally presented itself to her, as did the possibility of having Harry for herself and spending time with him, but on the other hand, it meant moving away some time from her family, and even for just a week, Daphne didn't like the idea. Just like Harry, she was very close to her parents and her sister, and not being with them had the way of continually moving her. The easy solution would have been for Harry and his mother to come to her house themselves to teach her magic, but deep down she suspected that this idea was not an option.

Turning her head towards her parents, Daphne noticed that both of them were smiling slightly at her, silently accepting that she would leave their home for a while. The Princess de Lamballe's proposal pleased them in any case, and given the expression on their faces, they had nothing to say about it.

"I… I could still see my parents?" she asked nervously, turning towards her.

"Of course! You can return home whenever you want. I suspect that separation must be difficult to contemplate for someone of your age, especially when several hundred acres separate you from your family, but I hope that your stay with us will make you forget this absence."

"Then I would really like it!" she finally accepted. "When do we leave?"

"Whenever you want, even if I think it would be rude of me to leave your parents so quickly when we have only just met."

"Oh, but you can stay with us for dinner," Belvina suggested while her husband nodded in agreement. "We would be delighted to have guests to brighten up this day. I'm dying to learn more about what they say in European courts, at least if it doesn't bore you..."

"Belvina," her husband muttered darkly, frowning slightly. "You behave at times like one of those young girls in need of gossip, and…"

But as he quickly realized, no one was listening to him or paying attention to him. The two women were already immersed in a long conversation on the morals of several European monarchs, often including the hidden mistresses of certain kings, under the watchful eye of Astoria who also took the opportunity to touch the silky fabric of Marie-Louise's dress, fascinated by the flowery patterns and the few emeralds encrusted on them. As for Harry and Daphne, both had already slipped away into the latter's room, no doubt starting to pack their bags and talk about the good old days like a couple of octogenarians nostalgic for their common past.

"Some things will never change," he sighed, bringing up a cup of wine which he hastened to drink. "No, old habits die hard."

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