Harry's last encounter with the aurors put a few things in perspective.
It showed him how different it was to fight against a human force than a magical beast. Not only that, but duelling to flee and fighting to kill couldn't be any more different.
He got humbled and shown his place.
Luckily, Harry learned his lesson without any consequences.
Sirius was relocated to a safe house by Kreacher, and being disappointed by his own performance, much like his godson, he started training with the goal of getting back in shape.
Merlin knew how deep the damage the accursed prison had caused him, ran.
Kreacher had also returned the Potters' invisibility cloak by the next day.
Needless to say, the stupid boy got scolded enough for a lifetime by his two familiars as soon as he woke up from his slumber.
Ash in particular wasn't happy about not being woken up, despite Harry's reasoning that it wouldn't have mattered and it would have only stressed the snake.
That was all in the past though.
The weekend had come and previous plans had to be considered…
That's how Harry found himself standing in front of a full-body mirror, checking himself out.
He took a deep breath and adjusted the shirt he was wearing. The weekend was meant to be relaxing, but now he wasn't sure whether he preferred to go against another battalion of aurors or meet Fleur.
He wore a simple yet comfortable white shirt and black pants, uncaring that he wouldn't be able to blend in with the weekend crowd.
He was Harry Potter, the boy who lived. There was no blending in for him anyway.
Considering the identity and beauty of his date, that wasn't a possibility anyway.
Wanting to both impress and feel comfortable in his clothes, he decided to go muggle.
The shirt, along with a few other pieces of clothing, was a new addition to his closet. He had gone to the Muggle side of London again the day before and bought himself some clothes. It was high time.
'I gotta thank Sirius for that one. Who knew that the Blacks were so wealthy,' Harry thought absentmindedly.
As soon as Sirius woke up he immediately sent Kreacher to make sure that his godson was alright.
After his fears were assuaged, meaning Harry going to the safe house in person, Sirius gave him a small black key meant for the Black heir's allowance vault.
A vault that was connected to the main family vault and was thus refilling itself when running out.
There were obviously some withdrawal restrictions on the vault; however, they were too high to even matter…
"How do I look?" Harry asked, half expecting no response and half expecting a sarcastic remark from the snake that had become such a central part of his life.
Ash, coiled up on the rug in front of the fireplace, lifted his head and flicked his tongue.
"Well, well, well. In this great snake's humble and wise opinion, your hair would make a perfect home for our new roommate," Ash replied.
"Real funny Ash," Harry muttered, wondering why he bothered asking for the snake's opinion in the first place.
Ash hissed in a way that sounded suspiciously like a laugh.
'Were you two talking about me?' Fawkes asked through the soul channel just as he flashed himself in, making sure to appear above Ash.
The majestic avian trilled good-naturedly as Ash flinched and hissed some pointy remarks.
'Serves you right,' Harry barbed with mock joy in the soul channel before he turned back to the mirror and straightened his collar one last time.
'In my opinion, your hair looks okay, although it could definitely use some shortening. Also, I'm sure that if my fellow avian didn't like your appearance, you wouldn't be going on a date now,' the regal bird commented from the most recent addition to the fabled chambers.
A perch.
Its base was made from the finest gold, intricately carved with flowing and organic patterns of flame. It wasn't overly tall, barely reaching a meter in height
'Thank you. I need that,' Harry replied gratefully, ceasing his attempts at taming the untamable.
He turned around again and threw a dirty glance towards the laziest and wittiest snake he had the displeasure of knowing.
Truth be told though, he hadn't talked to many snakes…
'It wasn't so hard, was it?' Harry inquired, prompting Asmodeus to shift and look him in the eye.
Serious sparkling green met with amused large yellow eyes.
"No. It was fun though," Ash hissed joyfully.
Harry muttered something under his breath about ungrateful and immature legless creatures as he made his way to Fawkes' breathtaking perch.
'Can you give me a lift?' Harry asked the majestic phoenix who had closed his eyes sometime during the back-and-forth barbs.
'I thought that your phoenix flash was perfected,' Fawkes said as he opened his eyes and then blinked.
Harry started as their colour shifted and swirled like molten lava.
He also noted the unmistakable annoyance that shined through.
'Well-' started Harry, only to be cut short by Fawkes.
'No wells, and not buts! If you had mastered the thing as I told you to, you wouldn't have needed my aid back in London,' stated Fawkes with a stern voice, his eyes glowing with an otherworldly colour, daring the human to talk back.
Harry knew a lost cause when he saw one…
Unable to contradict the avian's words, Harry moved to the centre of Salazar's old chamber and closed his eyes, allowing himself to fall into a concentration trance and concentrate. His magical senses were greatly enhanced as he did so.
He knew that Fawkes wouldn't approve of his timing, that's why he tried roping him into taking him out.
That didn't go well though, and unless Harry wanted to appear next to Hogwarts' gate smelling like burned pork, he had to do it right, which meant slowly.
Taking a deep breath, Harry felt an intense heat running through his entire body, followed by a sense of extreme exhilaration.
He burst in a flash of flames and reappeared just outside the Hogwarts wards.
He could feel them drumming with a godly amount of magic.
Making sure that he didn't smell like some kind of cheap pork dish, Harry flicked his wand into his hand.
He cast a wordless tempus and four sliver digits manifested in the air, breaking many of the
laws of physics.
'It's twelve-thirty,' he noted.
Fleur wouldn't be there for another half hour.
'I should have cast the spell before flashing here,' the boy belatedly realised.
There was coming earlier and then there was coming way earlier…
Sigh.
Not having anything better to do and not wanting to return back the chamber, lest he wouldn't be allowed to go out again until he mastered the art of phoenix flashing, Harry turned his attention to the fallen twigs and rocks in his immediate vicinity.
Pointing his wand towards a pile of them, Harry busied himself with a transfiguration concept he was stuck with.
Vanishing, a previously O.W.L. level spell which got re-evaluated and it was decided to be put with the N.E.W.T.s.
It made the objects or mundane creatures it hit, disappear completely.
Not every seventh year managed to get the hang of it, and neither did Harry.
That's why it was considered advanced magic.
Merlin knew what it was doing with the O.W.L.s…
"Hello," a melodic voice came from behind Harry.
He was so engrossed with the spell that he didn't notice either the time passing or Fleur's presence.
He wondered absentmindedly about his failures as he turned around.
Long lustrous hair, unmatched by any mundane, a figure that put even fit women into shame and the most enticing dark blue eyes Harry had ever seen.
His throat suddenly felt extremely dry and he may have missed a breath.
"Hi," Harry said back, hoping that his voice didn't sound as high as he heard it.
He barely managed to calm down to safe levels when the French girl walked near him.
'God, she's even more gorgeous up close,' Harry's mind concluded.
"Was zat ze vanishing spell you were trying to cast?" she asked curiously.
Deciding that it wouldn't hurt to be truthful and that Fleur was probably asking out of courtesy, Harry offered a nod.
"Yes, it is. However, whenever I cast the spell on something it takes a moment to disappear instead of being instantaneous," he revealed, prompting Fleur to smile.
That smile.
Her white, shiny teeth were perfect.
"I know what's wrong. I had ze same problem myself," the French said, moving even closer to Harry.
Harry's world was filled with a scent of sweetness and warm creaminess the next time she opened her mouth.
"You are probably imagining somezing in ze lines of moving ze object to some dark and long-forgotten place, and zat is what your spell is doing. You should instead will for the item to disappear, to be dispelled, and to cease being. You should wish for everyzing zat makes it, to unmake it," Fleur finished excitedly, waving her hands as she talked and even casting the spell in the end so Harry could see it in action.
'There's no harm trying,' Harry thought and raised his wand again, his mind filled with molecules and atoms.
Pointing at a rock, the boy imagined it to ceasing being.
"Evanesco," he uttered with a steady voice, doing a zig-zag motion.
The offending piece of rock disappeared instantly, bringing a smile to both youths' faces.
"You did it!" Fleur exclaimed.
"I did it and it's thanks to you. I didn't know you were so passionate about transfiguration though," Harry added cheekily.
"Wait until you see me talking about charms," she replied with a blush and started a fast walking towards the village.
Harry laughed at the older girl's antics and followed her.
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