(A/N) PLEASE READ. There will be a lemon at the end of this chapter. The start of it will be marked in bold. The sex scene will have no bearing on the story, so feel free to skip it. Thanks for reading!

Comments from the editors: Poor FFN missing out on Orion's best work! Max agrees!

Chapter 70

They avoided the political fallout for three days. It took three days for the ICW to come together, confer on what occurred, and then announce to the public that Gellert Grindelwald had escaped Nurmengard. The world was a political firestorm, and as expected the truth had been avoided. The way Dumbledore told the Potters the story it seemed that blame was being pushed off in every direction.

Hit-Wizard Fritz and his entire team had been relieved from duty after their attempted attack on a guest of the Supreme Mugwump, but in the same hand, Dumbledore had been dismissed as the head of the Confederation. The man had taken the dismissal humbly, and promised the group of powerful witches and wizards that if the man were to take arms against the people then he would be there to stop him.

What followed his dismissal was the order for blanket silence on what occurred. Dumbledore made it very clear to all those who had gone to Austria that any word of this to the public would likely result in their arrest for interfering with an ongoing investigation. Nonetheless, the rumors circulating around what occurred were ranging from conspiracy, to outright treason.

It seemed the public at least managed to compile that Charlus and Dumbledore were at Nurmengard when the breakout occurred, but luckily they had managed to keep Harry and Elaina out of the story. Every news outlet in Europe had attempted to schedule an interview with Charlus or Dumbledore, but both men had been firm in their stances that they could not comment until the investigation was over, and that they would answer the call if the man stirred up trouble.

In the week that followed there was not a single sighting of the man, despite the whole world looking for him, but Harry knew from Dumbledore that the man was talented in disguising himself. Even if Grindelwald was half as talented as his granddaughter is, it would be near impossible to locate or track him down through conventional means. This simply meant that until the former Dark Lord wanted to be found, he wouldn't be.

In the week that followed the largest manhunt in wizarding history, Harry and Elaina kept their heads down and trained at Potter Manor. Harry could tell his girlfriend was distracted by everything going on in the world, and the threat of the Death Eaters looming over them. They all knew the silence of Voldemort would not continue much longer, and any day now the fighting would start with renewed vigor. This left everyone feeling uneasy, and with Elaina so distracted he worried about what would come next.

When Harry returned to Potter Manor he was pleased to see that James was hard at work. That first morning after returning from Number 12, James had met them on the lawn of Potter Manor and worked through numerous drills with Harry and Elaina in preparation for the upcoming Auror Academy that he had been working on an application for. When Harry had asked if he wanted to talk about what happened with Snape he merely shook his head and promised the time-traveler he would be okay with time.

A further hint that Elaina was not in her usual form was when James inquired about their trip to the continent she had nearly bitten the teen's head off. Harry and James both had watched with wide eyes as the girl stormed to her room muttering about how some nosy gits can't mind their own business. Harry promised James it wasn't anything personal, and that she was just under a lot of pressure, to which the former Head Boy just nodded in understanding.

The off encounter with Elaina and James had been dismissed in the following days as they had linked back up with their friends and resumed the group training. Most of the group had now set their heart out to being Aurors in hope of being more useful to the Order of the Phoenix, and that meant they had begun working on their applications by mid-July.

Of course, Lily was going to be attending Hogwarts again to be a teacher's assistant and apprentice to Professor Flitwick, but James, the Marauders, Frank, and Alice, had all turned their minds to being as helpful to their communities as possible. They knew better than most that war was coming, and they wanted to help their country prepare for it.

Andi had told Harry that while Arcturus had scared several years off Ted's life, the Lord of the family had decided on mercy for the time being. The condition of that mercy included Ted marrying Andromeda before the baby was born, and that the baby would take on the name Black instead of Tonks. This had been a hard sell for Ted at first, but after Andi assured her boyfriend that if he wanted to live there was hardly any other option, he relented.

Harry had yet to congratulate or speak with Ted at all since finding out Andi was pregnant, but from what he had learned from the future mom it hadn't been easy telling his family either. It surprised Harry when he learned that Ted's family was very religious and had summarily thrown the teen out of the house when they found he had knocked up his witch of a girlfriend. Supposedly the boy had found a job at Gringotts as an assistant teller, and would be staying at the Leaky Cauldron till further notice.

Harry wondered if that was how the two made it the first time? Had Ted's family thrown him out and they had spent all of Andromeda's pregnancy in hotel rooms? If that was the case he felt a wave of sympathy for the couple, but had to admire their resilience.

As July progressed Harry knew something had to be done about his girlfriend. Her state of mind was off-kilter, and Lily was pressing him to do something about it. Elaina had made it clear she didn't want to talk to anyone about what happened on their vacation and that extended to Harry, Charlus, and Dorea. He didn't want the girl to shut him out, and he also knew that she needed to talk about what had happened to someone.

It was late one Summer evening when Harry found himself at her door trying to think of exactly what he should say. Just earlier that afternoon she had hit Frank with a blasting hex that was much more volatile than her usual finesse on magic, and he knew he needed to bring the girl back into the fold. Especially before they took the fight to Voldemort.

Harry knew that Charlus and Dorea had been planning something with Arcturus. He could tell by their posture that they were anticipating something big, and that they had a lot on their minds with what was to come. The names Rosier and Rookwood kept circling around their home for some reason, and Harry reminded himself that Rookwood was the one who helped lead the attack on Potter Manor one day. With him out of the way, an attack on their ancestral home became less likely, maybe even impossible. The Dark Lord would certainly need someone who had been in the home before to find the wards and even begin attempts at breaching them, and Augustus Rookwood could be his man.

The future may have been uncertain, but that was all the more reason Harry steeled his nerves and wrapped his knuckles on the girl's door 3 times. As the time-traveler waited for the door to open he realized the girl had not had much of a break since they returned from the continent. It had been her ambition to start the dueling circuit in August, but with everything going on Harry suspected she feared exposure, and had not even brought up the possibility of beginning her career.

Harry understood the girl's hesitance, but also wanted to provide her some comfort if he could. She had done more than enough of that for him over the course of the school year, and he wouldn't shy away from the girl now she might need him more than ever.

When the door opened he noted the girl was wearing a blue floral night dress that went down just below her thighs. Her figure was hugged nicely by the apparel, and her blue eye seemed to stand out more than ever, leaving her green eye to appear even brighter. Harry's mouth dried at the sight of her. Beyond her figure though Harry could immediately tell the girl had not been taking the usual care of herself. Her hair was a bit of a mess, and her cheeks were blotchy as if she had been out in the cold.

Offering his girlfriend a smile he asked, "Can I come in?"

Without a word, the girl stepped away from the door leaving Harry to push it open. The room was certainly not as clean as her room back at Hogwarts was, but the teen was smart enough not to comment on that.

Closing the door behind him he stood in entry to her room awkwardly as the girl flicked her wrist at a few items in small attempts to tidy up, "I was just getting ready for bed. I figured you were already asleep."

"I wanted to talk to you." He said quickly.

The girl stopped and raised her eyebrows at him, and he quickly noted her defensive posture, "Yeah, well it's kind of late. Shouldn't we talk tomorrow?"

"I want to get it off my chest." Harry admitted, "I have been thinking about how to approach it with you, because I know things are not how we imagined, but-"

"Harry." Elaina warned softly, "I don't want to talk about my grandfather."

Sighing the teen nodded in understand, "I know you don't, but I just want-"

"I never pushed you to tell me anything!" The girl snapped, surprising Harry, raising his eyebrows as she continued, "All the secrets you kept from me, I never once pushed you. Can't you respect my boundaries and do the same for me?"

Feeling like he had been slapped and his mouth feeling like sandpaper Harry just nodded, "Of course, I'm…I'm sorry, Elaina. I just want to be here for you. I know this has all been hard, but-"

"But nothing, Harry." Elaina said before stopping herself from continuing, "This is very different from what you went through. Your family are all great people. They loved you. You did everything you did in your time to honor them. When you came back to meet them it was almost everything you ever wanted…is there any part of this that seems like something I wanted?"

She asked this last part in nearly a whisper, while Harry's heart sank. After a moment he shook his head, "You're right, Elaina. I'm sorry. I'll just…go back to my room."

Awkwardly Harry scratched the back of his head before turning around, and going towards the door, before he heard Elaina say quietly, "I just don't want to be the bad guy."

Stopping, Harry didn't turn back to look at his girlfriend, he merely called back over his shoulder, "No one thinks you are the bad guy Elaina."

"They would if they knew." She countered softly, her voice breaking slightly.

"They wouldn't." Harry rejected, "Our friends love you. I love you. My family loves you. They don't expect anything out of you, and they would not reject you for being his family."

"It's not just about that, Harry." She said in a near whisper, "I'm not just his family. I am not just his legacy. It's not those things that are plaguing me."

Turning around now he faced his girlfriend and steadily walked towards her, tentatively taking one of her hands, "Then tell me what is. If it's a secret, then I will keep it. I promise. If this is some invasive thought in your head, just tell me. I will protect it. Just like I will protect you."

The girl glanced around as if she feared she would be overheard, "I want to know him. I want to know this magic I see in my dreams. I want to know how someone delves so deep into the magical arts that they invent the things he did. I want to know why he did what he did."

"It's natural to feel all those things, Elaina." Harry said mechanically. The fear that the girl had likely been considering running off to confront her grandfather was more real than it had ever been. The desire went a lot deeper than he ever imagined, and he felt quite foolish for not realizing it sooner, "You are dreaming of his magic?"

"My family magic…I think so." Elaina breathed out in a barely audible tone, "Though I am not sure. It's been on my mind so much that it could be my imagination…I can't stop thinking about this rare magic that I was born to wield just sitting in a house my grandfather may have long abandoned. Maybe he is there, maybe he isn't, but he said my legacy could be found there. I want that, Harry, just not at the cost of everyone else here."

Swallowing hard, Harry looked down into the girl's eyes that were now peering desperately into his own, "You think if you go after this magic…if you meet with Gellert Grindelwald…my family will forsake you?"

"You heard Arcturus…they expect me to deal with him when the time comes." Elaina said bitterly.

Shaking his head Harry sighed, "He expects you to protect our family. Just as we will protect you. If Grindelwald never moves into the open, I don't believe anyone expects you to solve this problem. It may have happened on our watch, but I don't think anyone in this house, or in our extended family expects us to solve it."

Looking down again the girl stared towards a window that overlooked the creekside of Potter Manor, "There is magic out there that could help us, Harry. Help me fight at your side as an equal. What if this magic is the key to defeating Voldemort? A power he knows not? Could this be it? Maybe the power even refers to me after I learn this magic Voldemort never dreamed of."

She said these words bitterly as if she never expected him to see things her way, but the truth was he did. The prophecy was never clear. It was a possibility, no matter how small, that this was the power it referred to. Even if it wasn't though, the woman he loved was hurting. He wanted to bring her peace, and he needed to do it before the fighting resumed.

"You're right." Harry said in a hushed tone.

Her eyes shot back to his, surprise shining in them, "I am?"

"We should go to the house. See what is there. Maybe Grindelwald is there, maybe he isn't. Maybe your family magic is there, maybe it isn't. You need to know though. You need to have this peace." Harry said slowly as if he was conceding defeat.

Moving towards the door he reached for the handle and when he closed his hand around it he said, "Be ready in 15 minutes. We can't tell anyone where we are going, or they will try and stop us."

Elaina's eyes widened as she stared at Harry, "Are you serious?"

"You need to know, and I won't risk you taking off without me one day. We go and we come back. Promise me, Elaina." Harry pleaded.

"I promise." She said a smile taking over her face as she crossed the room looking happier than he had seen her since Paris, planting a soft kiss on his lips. When they separated she immediately went about packing her room, and Harry exited knowing he needed to do the same.

As he made his way to his room the picture of William Potter with his arms around Fleamont and Charlus seemed to bear into his soul, and he did his best not to meet the eyes of the magical portrait. Guilt curled up in his stomach as he crossed the hall. He knew Charlus and Dorea would be worried, but he had to do this for Elaina. She deserved to know more about her family magic. When it was over they could turn their eyes to Voldemort. Remove any obstacle that stands in the way of their future.

How far will you go to win? A voice that sounded strangely like Charlus echoed in his mind.

Ignoring it he crossed into his room and summoned a bag from his closet and began throwing a few miscellaneous items in it. Will you be the man we remembered by the time it's over?

The second voice sounded a lot like Hermione, and he froze at the voice in his head. He looked around wondering if he would see the specter of his friend, but nothing living or dead could be seen in his room. Shaking his head he finished packing a bag and crossed to the door in preparation to leave. When he pushed his father's old cloak into his bag another voice came to him, "Don't forget who you are, Harry."

The voice of Fleamont Potter nearly stopped him in his tracks. He knew he was imagining it, he had to be. Releasing a breath he didn't realize he was holding he glanced around the room, with a slight fear it would be the last time he ever saw it. Shaking the horrible thoughts away he closed the door behind him, and ignored the looks of the portraits in the hall as he moved to the front of the house to wait on Elaina.

The beautiful dark-haired girl didn't leave him waiting long as she joined his side, slipped her hand into his own, and followed him out to the property. She was squeezing his hand as they silently made their way towards the ward line, but neither one of them looked back as they prepared to cross into the great unknown.

.o.

They made it to Paris by mid-afternoon. It took several apparitions, and theoretically broke several laws in the process, but they were wearing disguises as they crossed through Montmartre. Harry could admit he felt like a spy as they traversed the now familiar magical district of Paris. They would need to rest for a few hours before attempting any more long-distance apparitions. They were both tired from the nearly five hundred kilometers worth of apparating. It was decided they would get train tickets towards Budapest from there, and save their remaining energy. It would be a few easy apparitions from there to find the small town Grindelwald had spoken of. They would have to keep their heads down in Austria, but Harry knew they could flee back to Zurich in desperation if they had to, but hoped they faced no obstacles in their path.

Confounding the ticket clerk at the train station was all too easy to get access in a private car to be as comfortable as possible. Going Muggle was their only option if they wished to go undetected, and by the time they boarded the train in Paris, Harry knew he shouldn't complain. They had even been given a room that had a small private bathroom. It was nightfall by the time they were comfortable and they undid their glamor charms they had been wearing all day. It felt like a breath of fresh air to Harry as he wiped at his face feeling slightly overwhelmed from the day's events. It had been non-stop since they left Potter Manor and other than the quiet lunch they had in Paris, it had been a quiet day.

Harry took a seat on the bed and glanced out the window as the train began picking up speed. He was once told by Dean that these trains, if you could afford them, were practically hotels on rails. He felt slightly guilty for manipulating the muggle to give them the tickets for free, but he knew the risks of what they were doing. His stomach was in knots knowing that Charlus and Dorea were undoubtedly worried about them, but he had yet to receive a Patronus. Had they even realized they were gone? It wasn't completely uncommon for them to go to Diagon Alley, or to the Muggle London to meet with their friends. Perhaps they were ignorant of what they were doing. A simple Patronus message could put their minds at ease.

A small hand slipped into his, as Elaina took a seat on his lap looking out at the passing city of Paris with a smile on her face, "I do love Paris."

"It's beautiful." Harry admitted.

"I never thought I would get to do things like this." Elaina said wistfully, "As I kid I just never could truly imagine what life was like outside the walls of my own home. I dreamed, but it wasn't real. Now here we are, traveling Europe together, just the two of us. It's like a new dream."

Harry wrapped his arms around the girl's waist pulling her tightly into his body, "I know what you mean. The Dursley's never let me think there was much beyond Privet Drive. When I found out I was a wizard though it all changed."

"We've changed…even within just a year." The girl said, but there was no sadness in her voice, more amusement than anything.

Harry looked at the girl questioningly, and she just kissed him on the cheek, "I don't think I would've believed anyone if they told me a year ago that I was running across Europe with my boyfriend to meet my crazy grandfather who might be the most powerful conqueror of the last century."

Chuckling Harry saw the amusement in the situation and shook his head, "You're right. Everything has changed."

She looked down at her boyfriend and gave him a soft look and something else was in her eyes he didn't quite recognize when she leaned into his ear and whispered, "I love you, Harry."

He was surprised by her words. He couldn't remember if she had said it before, but this seemed more real than ever before. She saw his look and offered him a shy smile, "You knew something was wrong. You made a tough decision, and against what was likely all your better judgment, here we are. I know you only did it because you love me, and that makes me realize just how lucky I am. Thank you, for all this, Harry."

Leaning into her neck he felt his face burning a bit as he placed soft kisses on the side no longer able to meet her eyes, "You would've done the same for me."

"That's why I love you. You never doubt me. You took this huge risk, and you have faith. In me. It means everything to me, Harry." She said, grabbing his chin now making him look at her. The two shared a long look and suddenly Harry understood exactly what she wanted.

She closed the distance before he could meet his lips in a hungry kiss. The two kissed several times until she turned herself to the point that she was completely straddled on him, and attempted to slowly push him back.

X.x Lemon

Her hands on his shoulders slowly pushed him to where his back was flat on the bed, his legs still touching the carpet of the train room. Her kisses smoothly went from his mouth to his jawline, to behind his ear, where he felt goosebumps erupt down his back. Wrapping his arms around the girl however, he bucked his hips and easily turned them over to the point he was now on top of her, his right hand sliding up her jeans till his hand was gripping her butt, and with a squeeze, the girl moaned into his kiss.

In complete control, Harry returned the favor, but returned her kisses from before down her neckline causing the girl to tremble underneath him. His hormones drove his hips forward grinding his hardening member against her. The two separated from the kiss as their foreheads touched, making Harry think the moment might be over, but her blue and green eyes stared into his, and her next words sent him reeling when she whispered into his ear, "I want to touch you."

Agreeing to her request he continued kissing her hungrily now as her hands went to his pants, and he helped her unbutton them with one hand as his other kept him propped up on top of her. As soon as his pants were unbuttoned she wasted no time slipping her hands into his boxers and feeling his hard length, and he gasped into her kiss, separating for a moment.

Elaina took advantage of this and pushed him over, and with no question he allowed her to do so, until she hovered over him with one hand pulling his penis out of his pants and stroking it dryly. The girl seemed immensely satisfied as he let out another deep groan and his eyes nearly rolled backward. Smirking at her boyfriend, Elaina backed off, and Harry watched her with wide eyes as she pulled his pants and boxers the rest of the way down and kneeled down in front of him. She was sexier than he had ever seen her before as she looked at his erection with interest, and continued to stroke it with her hand. With a mischievous look, the girl said, "No interruptions this time, Harry."

With that, she leaned in and wrapped her lips on the crown of his penis, and it took everything he could not to have an early eruption as she began treating it like her own personal piece of candy. Immediately he knew he wouldn't last long looking at the beautiful dark-haired girl take his engorged erection down, and the sounds she made nearly ended it for him. Soon enough her black hair bobbing up and down was all he could see when he had the strength to look at her, it seemed like she was attempting to suck the life out of him.

Standing up slowly she looked at him in surprise, as she continued to attempt to suck him off, but he forcefully removed her face from his penis, and lifted her back to her feet. Stepping out of his jeans, leaving him naked from the waist down, he pushed her gently towards the wall of the train, and she hit it with a thud, "Aggressive there, Harry?"

The teasing in her tone indicated her amusement, but her eyes gave way to her arousal as his hands went straight to her shirt, and began to lift it off. Not fighting him in any way she lifted her arms, and allowed him to remove her shirt leaving her in a black bra. Elaina's athletic body didn't leave her with the largest breast, but Harry was still enraptured as she reached behind her back to undo the clasp leaving her bare-chested when the bra hit the ground.

Unable to contain himself Harry began kissing back down her neck, while using his body to keep her pressed against the wall. She moaned into his kisses as his free hand moved up to her small breast and began massaging it gently. In no time at all he had moved his kisses down far to the center of her chest, where with one hand he continued to massage her breast, and the other gently captured a nipple in his mouth causing the woman to gasp.

Feeling satisfaction and a bit of redemption Harry grinned at the girl as he pulled her towards him, and took her gently towards the bed, where he pushed her down to where she was lying on her back, and his hands went to her jeans buttons, his eyes searching for permission, and a nod of was all he needed to nearly rip the button off in his attempts to undo her jeans and pull them off.

The black lacy underwear made his already hard cock throb as he eyed her smooth legs and began to kiss down her navel, which followed to her belly button, and his fingers wrapped around her thong until he was able to pull them down with a bit of her assistance.

"Shirt off, Harry." The girl commanded with a deeper voice than he was used to hearing from her.

With no hesitation, he ripped his own shirt over his head and the two looked at each other for a brief moment completely naked. The desire was clear, and Harry didn't waste any time as he dropped to his knees, put her legs on his shoulders and began kissing around her glistening pussy lips. The moan that came out of Elaina's mouth was unlike anything he had ever heard from the girl and she bucked into him as he ran his tongue up and down her center, "Harry."

The moan of his name spurred him on. With little to no experience in this field, Harry only did what was natural as he began licking and sucking on the top of vagina, and getting his first taste of her, which was about as good as he could've hoped for. The girl was flavorless, and no scent came from her private area as he explored his girlfriend's body, making it easy to be bolder in his pursuits. His hands clenched on her thighs as she occasionally attempted to slip away from his attempts to pleasure her causing her to moan even more.

"Harry, right there. Suck it harder." Elaina begged.

Harry swallowed liquid that was a mixture of his own saliva and her juices that were free-flowing now from his ministrations. As he was swallowing at the top of her pussy she had moaned louder than before as she had given her instructions, and with hopes of hitting the same spot again, he followed her instructions. By the way her body began shaking, he had a feeling he was doing something right.

"God, Harry. Please. Keep going."

Feeling emboldened by her words his tongue began moving faster, and his lips continued a suction motion at the top of her pussy that seemed extra sensitive. He even began to use a hand to slide a finger into her warm center, and began slowly pumping it from side to side causing the girl to arch her back and lift her body into him. Her hand went into his hair as he spurred forward going faster and faster.

"Fuck, Harry. That feels amazing. Please. Don't stop."

Faster and faster he went until his girlfriend was nearly screaming with pleasure. The juices were now flowing more than ever as she took deep heaving breaths and gently yanked his hair making him look up at her. Elaina's beautiful eyes were practically glazed over as she said, "Come here."

Swallowing nervously Harry rose to his feet and leaned over towards his girlfriend. He was on top of her now, with his erection laying on her stomach, pre-cum leaking off his dick from how turned on he was.

She kissed him deeply for a moment and his right hand cupped her ass and her leg slid up his side. She rubbed her smooth legs against him, and he mumbled into the kiss, "You're so beautiful, Elaina."

She stopped kissing him at that point and looked up at him, "I want you in me, Harry."

Nodding slowly he watched as she reached with one hand and licked it before grabbing a hold of his penis and positioning it at her entrance. Gently he pushed into her for the first time, and his dick throbbed inside of her as he felt the warmth of her entrance, and which was still a mixture of his own saliva and her cum from before. Both of them moaned as he slowly moved in and out of her.

Elaina adjusting to his size leaned her head back with a furrowed look on her face. Harry for his part continued to be slow and gentle as he kissed her neck and thrusted his member in and out of her. When her other leg slowly left the ground and began to wrap around him she moaned softly, eyes closed now, "Faster."

Harry didn't give any recognition of her words other than to increase the speed of his hips making both of them moan louder. Losing control slightly Harry scooped the girl into his arms, and while her legs were wrapped around him he sat up to where both of them looked each other in the eyes. His legs were crossed underneath her now, and her legs were wrapped around his waist. Both of Harry's hands were on her ass now, and he began to bounce the girl up and down with minor amounts of strength.

Elaina was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen as one hand went on his shoulder, her hips rocking back and forth as he lifted her up and down. Minutes passed and the only thing that changed was their pace, and the frequencies of their moans as they lost themselves.

Harry felt his penis throbbing to the point he couldn't stand it any longer when he moaned, "Elaina, I can't hold it much longer."

Moaning, the girl shook her head, "Don't stop now. Fuck me, Harry."

Leaning the girl over to her back, Harry shoved his forward pistoning his dick in and out of his girlfriend, causing her to close her eyes and moan his name, "Harry!"

An eruption came out of his lower body as Harry stiffened and thrusted one final time. Elaina continued to moan, her hands in his hair, and her lips coming towards him to continue kissing him.

Harry turned over to lay beside her in the small train bed, and he let out a sigh of contentment as he wrapped an arm around the girl and she curled into his side. The two sat in silence for a moment before Harry breathed out, "Well that was pretty amazing."

Moaning, the girl seemed to agree as she kissed his jaw looking very tired, "I love you, Harry. Thank you, for all this."

Kissing the top of her head he just nodded, "Anything for you. I love you too."

He wasn't sure how it happened, but suddenly exhaustion seemed to overtake him, and he wasn't sure who was asleep first, but soon they were both asleep curled up into one another.

X.x Lemon End