Chapter 19 - Chapter 17 - Becoming Family

I don't own anything related to the Harry Potter franchise

Author's Note:

One third of the way down this chapter, there is a linebreak denoting a missing smut scene. If you wish to read this scene, head over to the story Harry Potter: Unleashed: Uncensored, and then the indicated chapter.

After reuniting back in the Gryffindor Common room the day after the Goblet's reveal, Harry, Neville and Hermione descended to the Great Hall for breakfast, only for Harry to suddenly pause outside the doors... "Care to wager?"

Quick as a thought Neville raised his hand. "I wager the Gryffindors have got your back all the way, sans Ron, Hannah and Cedric controlled the Hufflepuffs, the Ravenclaws don't care either way, and the Slytherins hate you as per usual."

Hermione shook her head at Neville even as a wide grin split her face. "That's a fool's wager because Neville's exactly right." Turning in place, Hermione poked Harry in the chest and ribs several times in rapid order. "It's going to be business as usual, Harry, except Fleur might be a little bit bashful this morning…" At the tail end of her words, Hermione smiled again, enjoying Harry's rare blush.

Even as Harry smiled at the support that his friends were providing him, he shook his head because the word bashful definitely wouldn't work to describe Fleur's current attitude. The one thing that he hadn't admitted to any of his friends yet, was the fact that even as they stood there, he was connected to Fleur with an expressway of thoughts, emotions, and senses both of the magical and the mundane variety. For example, his girlfriend had been amused at the mundane sex-ed he gave to Dean and Seamus back in the Gryffindor dorm room, and had hugged his heart when he'd warned the two of them about her worth.

So far at least, Harry's newfound… mate, as that was the legitimate Veela term to describe the two of them now that they were bonded, had never been far enough away from him geographically that the link they shared even shrank from the strain… Harry had no clue just what kind of absurd distance it would take to completely close the bond he shared with Fleur, because the Hogwarts grounds weren't big enough to affect it in any way shape or form.

More and more as he went about the business of dressing, showering, talking with his friends, and walking throughout the castle, Harry found himself marveling that he was somehow aware of where and what Fleur was currently doing without it ever infringing upon his own personal awareness. It was amazing, it alleviated several concerns that he held regarding Fleur's safety, and there could be no doubt that he was enjoying every single second of it…

Harry did blush however when he felt Fleur brazenly explaining every little aspect of their first time together to a completely captivated looking Selene through the bond. His girlfriend was explaining with great enthusiasm, detail and sincerity, every single little aspect of their first time making love, right there in the middle of the Gryffindor table (thankfully in French), and he could tell right from the get-go that she was doing so specifically to get a rise out of him.

Bashful indeed, Harry thought to himself while blushing up a storm… Hermione ended up thinking the blush was in response to her teasing, and she looked satisfied enough with herself that he didn't bother correcting her.

"Let's get to it then," Harry finally announced, while visibly manning up for the benefit of his friends.

They all laughed and then walked into the Great Hall.

Without even noticing the entire Great Hall quieting all around him, Harry walked up behind Fleur, to run his fingers along her shoulder, exactly like she tends to do. Despite the fact that she'd known he was coming, she still shivered anyway, and he smiled. "Good morning ladies." Harry spoke in French, as he sat down on Fleur's right and Neville's left.

Hermione sat next to Selene and accepted the girl's tight hug in greeting (Selene is affectionate). "Which language this morning?"

"Eenglish please," Selene immediately replied. "I enjoy both ze practice and making ze boys shiver at ze accent."

The girls all laughed as the boys at the table rubbed their necks in chagrin.

It didn't take long for Harry's hand to be taken up by Fleur's, and then pulled down into her lap. He returned her happy grin with a smile and wrapped her up in tendrils of his aura shroud. In the seconds that followed, Fleur drew in a very deep breath as if she was enjoying crisp, refreshing mountain air before settling back into her chair. Then, with a momentary sidelong glance in his direction, she instantly began channeling immense amounts of love directly into his mind through the bond. Apparently, she'd decided that it was Harry's turn to strain to look normal in front of all their friends.

While from an outsider's perspective, Harry and Fleur didn't look like they were doing anything at all, they were communing with each other at extremely high speeds, flirting their asses off, and having a completely wonderful time…

"So, what ees ze plan for everyone today," Fleur asked aloud, as she forced herself to rejoin the world again. "Eet ees rare zat you guys take a day off training. So you must 'aave lots of extra energy."

George smiled at Fleur even as Fred bowed at her compliment. "So far we've all been observing

the

Goblet

Of

Fire

And all of the second round of applicants," finished Fred.

Turning towards Harry, Alicia's somewhat serious expression cracked into a grin. "Only a very few very lonely and delusional souls believe you entered your name, Harry." She cast a scathing look down the table at Ron. "Magically binding oath, and he still claims you cheated... What a putz."

"Hear hear," called out Fred and George together.

George continued by saying, "the Weasley family has one of everything from the very excellent.

The most dashing

Creative

Hardworking

Handsome(Fred gestured at himself)

Shy(George gestured at Ginny down the table)

Ass kissing(the absent Percy)

and Delusional." (George pointed at Ron)

Abruptly, George turned towards his brother with mock outrage on his face. "You're the creative one dear brother, I'm the handsome one!"

"No, you're the dashing one brother of mine," Fred immediately replied. "I snuck in two words that we could use."

"Ah genius," exclaimed George and the twins both nodded in perfect unison.

...

...snicker

... giggle…

Giggle

Snicker, snicker…

It started small, but soon enough the entire section of table surrounding the twins was giggling like children. Nobody could seem to stop for many moments.

"Some-'ow eet never gets old..." Selene was wiping a tear from her eyes at this point, as she was and would always be that shtick's biggest fan.

Emerging from the last page of a textbook, Hermione smiled as she pantomimed wiping her hands of something. "There. I'm officially three semesters ahead of schedule in all of my classes. Who wants to take me to Hogsmeade with them?"

Alicia, Angelina and Katie raised their hands immediately. Katie leaned on the table and looked really excited. "We want to take part in this newly relaxed Hermione thing. Come with us, Selene and the twins!"

Hermione beamed at them all and nodded.

When Neville stood up, he moved to tussle Harry's hair, but as per the norm, the boy saw him coming and deflected his hand. "I have a young lady to track down, so I'll see you all later today." At everyone's return wave, Neville gave the Hufflepuff table a meaningful look. Sure enough, a girl discreetly detached herself from the main group and walked out of the Entry Hall doors. Harry wasn't the only one who could be mysterious, Neville thought with a grin.

To be as discreet as possible, Harry leaned into Fleur and spoke in some low volume French. "We have two items on our agenda today, before we can relax."

Fleur nodded her understanding and squeezed Harry's hand in her lap.

"What are these items?" Selene leaned in over the table and whispered as if they were in a spy novel.

"I need to talk to my Headmaster about several things, but mostly my training and that punk Krum." Harry forced himself not to give the Slytherin table the stink eye from across the room, but it was hard. In fact, there were only two things that stopped him from looking for Krum amidst his toadies. He didn't want to make their personal business a spectator sport for the entire school and he didn't want to reveal a motive... With those things in mind, Harry carefully kept his attention on his friends as he quietly replied. "I'll settle for Dumbledore doing something about Krum if nothing else. That boy needs to be controlled somehow or I'll put him down with a conjured meteor from a distance..."

At first, Hermione and Selene giggled at Harry's off color joke. Fleur, on the other hand, was nodding seriously as if Harry was only using his common sense. The girls' laughter slowly ground to a halt as they caught on to Harry's completely deadpan expression. As if a switch had been flipped, Hermione was suddenly leaning in and deadly serious. "Krum is that big of a deal then?"

Despite his efforts at discretion, a furious expression flowed over Harry's face for a single second. "Krum literally hurts me just by existing, but that's not the issue here. What he tried to do to Fleur last night is enough that I should just end the creature as soon as possible. I have no great desire to go to Azkaban however, so I'll try reaching out to Dumbledore. We all know the success I've had with that approach in the past..."

Selene noticed both Fleur and Hermione's looks of both frustration and anger as they nodded their heads, and she began to suspect the professors at Hogwarts were nearly useless.

"So we can expect very little help from the Professors," Hermione agreed, further confirming Selene's suspicion. "What's the second item on your agenda?"

"Apparition," Harry immediately replied. "I'm going to have Fleur side-along me about a dozen times while I observe, and then I need to give it a try. Today's the right time to do it without Hogwarts's Anti-Apparition wards getting in the way."

"It's a good idea Harry, and I'm proud of you for being on top of your training." Hermione, did in fact look proud, and was beaming a huge smile as if she'd won a bet or something. A few moments later when she sobered a bit, it was to draw out a deep sigh of relief. "Harry... If this had happened to you last year, I'd be panicking right about now. But you're not just that boy anymore. You're stronger now, and I don't just mean magically. If you use your time wisely, I don't see a problem with the tasks. By this time tomorrow, I'll compile a spreadsheet, displaying which type of magic has led to the most success in the tasks according to the history books. Hopefully, by doing so, I'll help you focus your attention in the most efficient directions."

When Hermione ended her unintentionally heartwarming show of support, Harry, Fleur and Selene just stared at her in awe.

"I want to call you big sister," Fleur suddenly exclaimed. "I..I can't help it! I know I'm older than you, but you're the big sister type. I want you to take care of me and I think I might even need a hug."

"I know right," Harry and Selene exclaimed, at exactly the same time. Selene was close enough that she really did hug Hermione (again) and she even snuggled her a bit this time.

Hermione blushed to the roots of her hair even as she smiled.

"I'm sorry, my boy, but nothing can be done about it right now..." Dumbledore's expression looked both frustrated and sad.

Just a few moments earlier, Harry and Dumbledore exited the Headmaster's Pensieve, where the boy had shown the elderly man his and Fleur's memories of Krum's attack the night before. He'd copied the memory off of Fleur directly through their bond in order to prove just how dangerous Krum was.

"Before I lose my cool, I'll give you a chance to explain," Harry bit out, even as a scowl grew across his face.

"Thank you, Harry." Dumbledore did in fact look relieved as he drew in a breath to speak. "The International Games and Sports were completely desperate to have this event this year and were willing to make many concessions. Among these concessions was an offer of diplomatic immunity to Headmaster Karkaroff, who is a known ex-Death Eater who was never caught and punished by our laws. Of course, Karkaroff was quick to demand that his chosen champion and high profile student Victor Krum be given the exact same immunity. Games and Sports said yes and it was done. I think we can all see why he asked for the immunity. Krum is truly a predator of some kind. I'm worried by how he affected your health, Harry. Do you have any ideas about protecting yourself from his influence?"

Resting his hands on the table in front of him, Harry stared back at Dumbledore. "In a straight up fight, I'd probably be okay, but only if I can keep my aura to myself. Krum's preternaturally strong and powerful, much like I am, and his magic is that of a natural born killer. I wouldn't have an easy fight against him, but I'm confident I could pull it off. If I release my aura however, he hurts me immediately. It feels like acid to me. The problem is that Krum has already forced me to protect Fleur from his influence twice now, at which point his miasma hurts me directly and I have no choice but to absorb the damage."

Harry continued staring at Dumbledore in order to impress the importance of what he was about to say. "Sir... Do what you can to make Krum behave himself or I will assassinate him." Harry didn't look scared of the prospect, just resigned and tired.

"Harry... That's not how we deal with misguided people here..." Dumbledore looked flustered.

"Normally, I'd agree that violence is the last resort, but Krum isn't some schoolyard bully. He's a monster, and he's trying to sexually assault my Fleur." As Harry's hands fisted white on the table, Dumbledore's office suddenly filled with an outpouring of his magic, until the very air felt like it was vibrating. Then, that same magic was suddenly filled with a sense of iron hard, ice-cold and completely unsympathetic determination.

Harry was allowing his emotions to leak out into his aura for one very specific reason. He needed Dumbledore to know that he couldn't just ignore this situation with a catchy little platitude, and expect Harry to abide. He needed Dumbledore to know what the COST would be if he failed to act. When next Harry spoke, it was in a cool but steel-laced tone of voice, containing no hesitation whatsoever. "It's important that you understand how serious I am when I say this, Dumbledore. I - will - end - Krum, if he continues to target Fleur... "

Privately, Harry knew that he needed to bring an end to Krum either way, but he was determined to make Dumbledore actually act this time, so he needed to convey the full gravity of their current situation. Krum was a monster with a lifetime of abuses to answer for. The man needed to be put down like the rabid animal he was… But above and beyond all that, the man tried to rape his wife…

Krum was a dead man walking.

In the depths of a cold and calculative variety of rage, Harry suddenly felt two cool but intangible arms wrapping around his waist from behind. Something he'd done had pleased his mate, and she was letting him know it through the bond.

"I... I understand," Dumbledore said slowly but with a sad expression upon his face. "I'll impress upon Karkaroff my concerns." After reaching into his desk for some documents, Dumbledore turned back towards Harry with a grave expression on his face. "This next part is important, Harry. If, outside of a task, you do end up fighting Krum, make sure that it's only in self-defense. The Tournament's magical contract will see you preemptively killing him as blatant cheating, which means you will either die or lose your magic. I am quite frankly shocked that Krum attacked Fleur like he did with Karkaroff supporting him and explaining the rules."

At Dumbledore's warning, Harry kneaded his palms into his temples because no, he hadn't known about that at all... "Krum probably thought that with his miasma controlling Fleur's actions, he could just do whatever he wanted without actually having to fight..."

"While Krum may not have meant to kill Fleur, the boy did attempt to bleed you out with cutting curses," Dumbledore continued in a very serious tone. "What that means is that Krum is most likely violently ill and bedridden by now, as the contract takes its toll upon his magic. It'll take several days for his magic to be restored back to normal and only because he failed to maim you. This'll most likely be quite a powerful learning experience for him and may convince him to avoid Fleur in the future. Krum now knows that your amulet is defending her to a certain extent, and he knows that you'll be on your way..."

At first, Dumbledore looked hopeful that that was the end of it, but when Harry's deadly serious expression didn't falter in the slightest, he sighed and nodded his head. "Still... I will bring up Krum's actions with Karkaroff and at the very least threaten to use your Pensieve memories to ruin the boy's career."

At long last, Harry nodded and his features seemed to soften. So far as he was concerned this was a win. Dumbledore's plan was lukewarm at best, but it was still the most involved that Harry had ever managed to make the man. Steepling his hands, Harry became all business again. "Fine, moving on. I also wanted to ask about the learning references."

"I have compiled a completed list of every spell ever used in the tournament." Gesturing at the thick manila folder that he'd just pulled out of his lower desk drawer, Dumbledore slid it across the desk. "A lot of these spells are very large and magically taxing, but you've become a very strong wizard. You'll find that they're all available to be found in the library and you're now allowed into the restricted section. I suggest you become very good at Apparating and that your shroud might help by observing Fleur. I also want you to take this. Keep it hidden because it's illegal to own." With that dubious bit of advice, Dumbledore handed Harry a book that taught the art of Leglimency.

"I'm not advocating its use, but if you become proficient at mind reading, you may be able to ferry out information about the tournament without making a cheater out of me." Dumbledore gestured his own head. It takes a very long time to get good at Leglimancy but I hope for your sake that you're gifted. I'm part of a magical oath not to help my school's champion. Madam Maxine did the same, but Karkaroff managed to get out of it in the bargaining. If you somehow find a way into my head, I might be able to let slip a clue. I'll tell you this freely however... Karkaroff WILL be aiding his Champions. I don't like the climate of this tournament, Harry, which is why I'm offering any of this in the first place. Between Crouch and Umbridge, the skill level required is skyrocketing. I'll also start looking into what type of wizard creates a corrosive miasma as a magical aura. I currently haven't the foggiest idea of what Krum even is. Can you do me a favor and help Cedric if you can? Cedric's a skilled young wizard but..."

Harry waved a hand dismissively and nodded. "I understand sir and Cedric's a close friend. I'll keep him informed." Leaning back, he looked up at the ceiling. "There's a lot happening right now and too many players sir. Pick one person at a time and look for signs of outside manipulation. Try to keep in mind that blackmail and extortion don't need to be magical in nature either."

Dumbledore brightened and pointed his finger in his enthusiasm. "That's exactly what I'm doing, Harry. I began with Ludo who is unfortunately just a drunk and a gambling addict. He's harmless. Karkaroff hates you but he isn't plotting anything overt at the moment. You will however, suffer from his poor judging during trials. I want to investigate Crouch, but he's hard to get near and wears Leglimency proof glasses. I don't wish to meet Umbridge unless I need to because she's… unpleasant..."

Harry nodded again at that because at the very least it sounded like Dumbledore wasn't being idle. "I appreciate that you're working on it, sir. Oh, my name on the slip of paper, from where?"

"An old essay you wrote for professor Binns' in History of Magic." Dumbledore shrugged in defeat at that point. "A centuries dead ghost Professor has no motive to add you, as I'm sure you agree."

After shaking his head in long suffering, Harry nodded his understanding. "Okay. I'm leaving for the afternoon, to learn to Apparate."

Dumbledore nodded with a smile. "I appreciate your choice in Ladies Harry. Fleur is remarkable. Have a good afternoon."

After descending the circular stairs from Dumbledore's office, Harry started walking through the hallways to the Entry Hall. He didn't even blink when Fleur stepped out from behind a set of armor to join him on his right hand side.

"I considered pushing you into a broom closet, but then I remembered you would see it coming," Fleur explained in cheerful French.

"I'd have acted surprised," Harry replied, with a grin.

"We will be in a carriage soon my love." As if to underscore her words, Fleur stared at Harry as if she was stalking her prey.

Harry both smiled and shivered, even as he waved at a stunned looking first year student that they were passing in the hall. Then he abruptly decided to change the subject so that Fleur would finish teasing him… "Krum's most likely violently ill right about now…"

"Yeah, I'm enjoying that idea as well, but the boy's also untouchable until after the Tournament ends," Fleur mused.

"This outcome will just give you time to master using my magic as a shield while releasing absurdly powerful spells," Harry pointed out, in an attempt to remain positive. "When the time for the reckoning finally comes, I'll watch from the sidelines as you do the honors…"

"So good… Such a French response," Fleur breathed out in a terribly impressed tone of voice.

Harry smiled in amusement as he pushed open the Entry Hall doors and they emerged out into a partially cloudy fall day. To Fleur, being called French was the highest honor imaginable, which was both endearing and a subtle dig at his nationality at exactly the same time…

Due to the fact that they were delayed by Harry's meeting with Dumbledore, a lone carriage was waiting for the two of them down at the train platform, which meant that they could pet its docile team of thestrals without holding anyone up.

Harry looked over at Fleur, conveying an apology that she'd been forced to see the mercenary leader's death. In return, Fleur gave him a stern look that didn't mesh at all with the powerful love she was channeling directly into his body. It was such a contradiction that Harry laughed, which caused the beautiful blonde to grin in return.

"You know Fleur," Harry began in quiet but happy French. "At some point, when I get a tattoo, I want it to be a thestral..."

Harry wasn't looking at Fleur when he said those words, but at her sudden and intense spike of interest, his eyes whipped in her direction.

Fleur was staring at Harry now with sky high levels of interest visible in her every feature. "I think you would look terribly sexy with a tattoo, 'Arry. Other than the cool mystery and badassery of the animal, is there any significance to it?"

While continuing to rub at the openly affectionate animal, Harry turned and smiled at his girlfriend's approval. "Every time I see a thestral, I notice just how contradictory its image and behavior is. Despite their somewhat sinister appearance, Thestrals are well behaved and happy animals. The way they're viewed by the world around them is dictated by circumstances beyond their control. People can't seem to see thestrals as anything more than whatever death allowed them to be seen in the first place. When people think of me in the wizarding world, it's always about a story of sacrifice and death. These people don't know me or my story and prescribe meaning to me without my input. I find I can relate to thestrals."

Easing up beside her lover, Fleur wrapped her arms around his stomach and dropped her chin onto his shoulder. "Okay granted, there is definitely some significance there. It's not just a cool looking tattoo idea. I'm glad because superficial tattoos are a pet peeve of mine."

"Then it'll please you that there's yet another reason I chose a Thestral," Harry added with a smile. "Dobby procured for me a Potter family bloodline that I could study. My house elf wants me to be proud of my Potter lineage and as prepared for my future responsibilities as I can become. If there's one word that can describe my family history... It's long... It's very, very long. I have family that knew Merlin's grandparents and all that jazz. One of my family lines was called the Peverels. They were a group of very famous, very dangerous wizards, and they invented things. They were a little too involved in wars, always fighting the good fight. Their family crest involves a thestral."

By this point, Fleur had become completely captivated. "Arry... You do realize that the Peverel family is an Ancient and Noble one just like your own, right? If you could claim it, you would more than double your wealth. Not only that, but the Peverels had extraordinary family magics that would make you incredibly dangerous and hard to hurt... I'm already curious to see if you have any new abilities as Head of House Potter."

Turning around in Fleur's arms, Harry dropped his face into Fleur's hair. "Well... I doubt that I'm a valid member of the Peverel family or my dad would've been one as well. On the other hand, it wouldn't hurt to find out for ourselves. Do you want to Apparate me to Gringotts at some point this afternoon?"

"It's a date," Fleur immediately declared, with a sly grin on her face. "Come. We must go." Fleur grabbed Harry's hand and then dragged him into the carriage.

Harry Potter: Unleashed: Uncensored: Scene In The Carriage - CH 17

Even before Harry finished settling into his seat in the carriage, Fleur was leaning flush against his side, and was clearly intending to make the most of the privacy that the commute would provide for them.

By the time Harry and Fleur entered the three broomsticks, it was early afternoon and the beginning of the restaurant's lunch rush. The two of them were running late partially because Harry had met with Dumbledore, but they'd also just goofed around as they made their way across the village. To be honest, Harry didn't even really care where they ate. It had been Fleur who'd felt it was best that they make an appearance at the Broomsticks to say hello to their friends.

As they walked into the pub, all conversations in the room instantly dropped away. All eyes swung to them and then stuck there like glue.

"We can come back later if it's a bad time," Harry called out to the entire room, in what he hoped was a casual voice.

Snicker...

…Giggle...

Scattered laughter preceding the sound of conversations restarting announced the success of Harry's most recent ploy. As he took in the relaxed looks on people's faces, Harry couldn't help but think he might just be getting better at crowd control.

"Harrykins," George suddenly called out from the back of the restaurant.

"Stop breaking the room," Fred called immediately after.

With a friendly smile for the sea of faces, Harry gestured for Fleur to proceed ahead of him.

It was only as Harry was about to pass Malfoy's table that he saw the boy gearing up to talk shit again. Without ever saying a word, he discretely petrified the boy in place with his wand concealed inside of his robe.

"I noticed what you did zere, mon amour," Fleur whispered to Harry, with a very pleased smile upon her face. "Zat's ze kind of magic use zat I appreciate ze most." Linking their arms possessively, she dragged her man towards their friend's table.

As Harry sank into the inviting booth style seat, he was grateful that he and Fleur were against the wall, facing outwards towards the rest of the room. In the bond they both found themselves reciting a popular Muggle saying. Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't really out to get you…

"Hey everybody!" Harry spoke casually and with a happy smile upon his face. "I think I'm improving at dealing with stony silence and staring right?"

Cedric laughed as he nodded his newfound appreciation. "I actually received my very first stone-silent room today and it was off-putting in the extreme. I never really even thought about it but... that phenomenon has been following you around everywhere you go, since first year..."

Fleur nodded while looking up from her menu. "I as well, am no stranger to stony silence. We are lucky we 'aave each ozzer, no? Ze ozzer champions are going to feel pretty isolated."

At first, Harry nodded, but then he grinned as he shook his head. "Well, I guess it depends on whether or not you're satisfied with having your name chanted by goons."

"Krum, Krum, Krum, Krum," Fred and George chanted, in perfect unison.

George grinned as their chanting stopped with perfect timing. "Can you guys even believe that Ron was chanting it too?"

Harry shook his head but in the end he hadn't been surprised. "Ron seems to love the fact that Krum disrespected me."

"What did Dumbledore say about Krum anyway?" Katie was looking at Harry from down the table.

"Claims that both Krum and Karkaroff have diplomatic immunity, like some kind of comic book supervillain." Harry felt his teeth clenching in frustration after he delivered that news, and Fleur started rubbing his palm under the table.

"I need to finally read these comic books," began Fred, aiming for maximum distraction.

George eagerly nodded his agreement. "They're referenced far too often, and we're always clueless."

Harry, Fleur, Cedric and Katie smiled at their wizard only raised friends.

"Spiderman and Iron Man," declared Harry.

"Batman and ze X-Men," furthered Fleur.

"Don't waste your time on Superman. Anyone without weaknesses isn't worth worrying about," finished Katie.

Agreed," Harry and Fleur chorused.

As all of the Muggle and half-blood raised people laughed, the twins just looked confused.

Sometime later, Fleur dragged Harry out of the pub, claiming that they needed complete sobriety in order to Apparate. As they left the pub, she filled herself with Harry's magic again and stretched her arms wide to the sky as if she was waking up from a fantastic night's sleep. "Hmmm, 'Arry... I absolutely adore this new training regimen you have me on. I can Apparate like five dozen times with the power I just drew into myself."

"Good," Harry encouraged, as he extended his magic out in a shell around Fleur's body. "You can show me around southern France then, and I'll watch you work. Maybe you want to say hello to your mother and little sister?"

"I do." Fleur returned, with a smile. "We'll only approach if my father isn't home though. He loves you like a son, but he also wants you dead right now. It must be a complicated feeling."

Harry shivered and then nodded. "I appreciate your desire that I continue living, love of mine. Let's go to Gringotts first and get it out of the way."

After nodding her ascent, Fleur kissed Harry on the cheek and took firm possession of his arm.

All of the sudden, Harry was compressed inside of a very small tube and simultaneously yanked sideways, as if he was a bag in someone's hand. In the next moment, when they arrived at the Apparition point in Diagon Alley, Harry immediately began falling into Fleur. In his desperation not to hurt Fleur, he used his magic to affix his feet to the ground and then completely tensed up all of his muscles.

When Fleur turned around to face her lover, she instantly broke out in fits of loud and musical laughter. Harry was standing at less than a forty-five degree angle to the ground, but somehow he wasn't falling the rest of the way. Several seconds went by before she finally calmed down enough to speak, and even then, her words were laced with giggles. "Spiderman indeed," she gasped out, with a flushed red face and a wide happy smile. "You were defying physics just now, not to jostle me, weren't you 'Arry?"

Harry had straightened back to his full height by this point, and was fixing the state of his clothing with the air of long practice. "I wasn't breaking physical reality just now love... Just good old fashioned core muscles and a sticking charm."

"Well that is equally impressive, 'Arry." Fleur beamed at her mate as she took possession of his arm again. She couldn't help it however, and she started poking at Harry's cheek with a massive grin upon her face. "Are you destined to suck at every magical mode of travel ever invented, just to make up for your absurd broom flying skills?"

At first, Harry grimaced, but then he crossed his arms in a resolute fashion. "If so, it's still worth it. Flying is the only other thing that even approaches the level of joy you bring me."

"Ooooohhh 'Arry. That was so sweet of you, and you definitely won't regret it," Fleur murmured, as if she was only speaking to herself. While she refrained from doing anything inappropriately affectionate or flirty in the middle of such a public place, as she pulled Harry towards Diagon Alley's main strip, she was all over him in the bond. "Let's keep moving 'Arry! I have almost a hundred different places I want to take you by the end of the day!"

The cool and sophisticated Fleur Delacour was acting like a little kid in her enthusiasm... Harry thought his poor little heart might explode into a million little pieces.

While they made their way through Diagon Alley towards Gringotts, the busy crowds seemed to do a good job of concealing their true identities. Oh sure, there were several looks of both surprised recognition and allure enchantment, but by then they were always moving on and out of the way.

Gringotts Wizarding Bank was just as large and imposing as Harry remembered. It was complete with marble columns and goblin security standing outside the doors with staves held in their hands. Harry and Fleur didn't pause to gawk, but continued walking inside. Goblins don't respect indecision and since this would be Harry's first real business interaction with them, he wanted to make a decent first impression.

After walking up to a random goblin teller, Harry was surprised to see that he actually recognized the man. "Hello Goblin Griphook. It's been a while," Harry began in greeting.

Griphook looked up in supreme surprise and then once again when he completed a double take. "I'm... sorry, I'm afraid you look so different from whom I'm remembering that I'll need to confirm your identity. You are young Lord Potter correct? The question is not a slight to you of course. You have... grown quite a bit."

"Of course," Harry replied, while extending a hand to the goblin. "This is actually one of the reasons I'm here today. I would like to complete a full Family Bloodline Test." Harry didn't ask for permission because Dobby had explained to him that Goblins don't appreciate fake subservience. If he wanted a service from them then he should demand one, as was his right as a customer.

"Yes, of course. Such a thing can easily be done." As he spoke, Griphook had pricked Harry with a small knife in order to drop a bead of his blood onto an elaborately designed piece of parchment. As the knife's magic instantly healed Harry's hand, his blood appeared to swirl around the paper to form his name. "The process for the Bloodline Test will actually look a lot like what we just did," Griphook continued, in a business casual tone. "The only difference of note is that it will involve quite a bit more blood. It's still a relatively harmless procedure, if you eat a hearty meal immediately afterwards."

"Of course..." Harry drawled While staring at his new lover. After a few moments passed, he smiled in satisfaction when Fleur blushed.

Griphook didn't fully understand some humans' need for innuendo, but if Mr. Potter was happy then that was fine. "Come with me Mr. Potter. You will need to tell me if you desire the Lady present or she'll be kept here."

"I do, in fact, wish for the Lady to join us." Harry gently drew Fleur to his side with a hand on her lower back. "This here, is Fleur Delacour, Beauxbatton's Triwizard Champion and daughter of the French Ministry's Adrien Delacour. We have begun courting and are quite far along in our marriage negotiations. With that in mind, it is prudent that she be made aware of everything that I'm about to see."

In the bond, Harry apologized to Fleur for all of the pomp and circumstance of his introduction.

In return for Harry's apology, Fleur empathically wrapped herself tightly around his body and kissed his neck. She conveyed that Harry had done the smart thing and she was very pleased. If they could keep up a very respectful and strong image with the Goblins then their lives would be quite a bit easier in the long term. The Goblins aren't romantic and thus they wouldn't understand intense feelings of love being a motivator for anything at all...

While the two of them were communing in the bond, Griphook was writing down the fact that Fleur Delacour was Harry's intended. When he returned to their side, it was to bow an acknowledgement at Fleur. "Lady Delacour is now permitted entry and congratulations to the both of you. Now... Please follow me."

As Griphook quickly walked ahead of Harry and Fleur, they thanked their long legs for allowing them to keep stride with the man. Soon enough, they were led to a very well appointed office, where Griphook introduced them to Lord Potter's account manager, Goblin Silverclaw.

When Goblin Silverclaw raised his head from his work, he immediately nodded his head as if he'd been expecting Harry any minute. Then, when he opened his mouth, they found out that he had. "I have been awaiting your arrival since last night, when I was notified about your ascension to Lord. Congratulations are in order, Lord Potter."

After nodding his head, Harry completed a small bow that was appropriate for their respective stations. "It's good to meet you as well Goblin Silverclaw. May your enemies bleed money."

Silverclaw didn't smile because he doesn't smile. He wanted to though. Human wizards very rarely know the correct way to greet someone. "May your enemies' bones be crushed under your profits, Lord Potter. Now... How may I be of assistance to you?"

"First, I'd like to have a Bloodline Test completed. After that, I'd like to negate the Potter Vault Key that's currently in Albus Dumbledore's possession and have one issued to me. I'd also like a more convenient method of accessing my money on both sides of the magical divide. Finally, I'd like to see a statement of all my holdings and properties, as well as my worth, and I'd like to visit the Potter family vault before I leave here today." Harry spoke both calmly and quickly in order not to waste the man's time. The 'time is money' mantra is especially relevant in Goblin culture.

"Very well," Goblin Silverclaw replied, while reaching into one of the lower drawers of his desk. When he re-emerged from his desk, he'd retrieved a rather large ornamented knife and a bowl. Putting the bowl down on the table in front of himself, he turned back towards Harry and steepled his hands. "To summarize… The Potter Vault key outside of the bank will cease to exist, and a new one will be issued to you. We will also make available a password protected debit card that is useful in all magical locations as well as most big name Muggle businesses. The card is a brand new innovation and is a very detailed bit of magical engineering, thus, it has a five knut fee with every transaction. The paperwork you require will be copied and given to you within the next few minutes. This bowl is used to complete the Family Bloodline Test. I will need you to open a cut on your palm and fill this bowl until it flashes with light."

With a nod of understanding, Harry picked the ornamental knife off of the table. He placed the hilt of the knife in the middle of the bowl, with the blade pointed up, dropped his other hand on the blade to cut open his palm rather deep and then left the knife edge inside of his palm without any visible discomfort. He continued to look completely unaffected as his blood ran down the sides of the knife to collect inside of the bowl.

Goblin Silverclaw was clearly impressed as all Hell, but that wasn't really Harry's intention. In reality, Harry needed the wound to be kept open or it would heal too quickly for what they needed, and he was using Occlumency to negate the pain. The bowl filled quickly and soon enough it began radiating a green light throughout the room. At Goblin Silverclaw's direction, Harry pulled the knife away and the cut was instantly healed by the knife's magic (it also appeared to have a self cleaning function).

Turning towards Fleur, Harry empathically projected to her his desire to be in the warm sunlight of southern France. Along with a smile and a nod, she sent him back her desire to buy him more and better clothing. While he wasn't necessarily an avid shopper, Harry didn't mind being made trendy if it would please his mate. Of course, when she caught that train of thought, he was peppered with dozens of kisses inside the bond.

Goblin Silverclaw took a moment to appreciate silent humans. It was such a rare occurrence.

When the green light in the bowl began flashing in a repeating pattern, Goblin Silverclaw put a large sheet of vellum on top of it. Red lines began crawling all over the page as they sorted themselves into small and neatly printed writing.

Harry and Fleur leaned forward over the paper as the writing finished forming.

.

Line Test Results

Name: Harry James Potter

Relatives:

Lilly Ann Potter nee Evans (deceased)

James Potter (deceased)

Titles:

Lord Potter

Heir Apparent Lord Peverel

Magical Power Level:

Unknown

Magical affinities:

Occlumency: Prodigy

Leglimency: Mastery Capable

Charms: Prodigy

Defensive Magic: Prodigy

Magical Creatures: Mastery Capable

Runes: Prodigy

Arithmancy: Mastery Capable

Potions: Mastery Capable

Transfiguration: Prodigy– Animagus Capable(rare)

Battle Magic: Prodigy

Potter Family Magics Unlocked in Grimoire

Peverel Family Magics Unlocked upon house Recognition in Grimoire

.

Turning towards Fleur, Harry saw that she was even more captivated with the test results than he was, which was really saying something because he was stoked. The fact that he had a Peverel heirship, a rare Animagus transformation and an aptitude for Battle Magic was all news to him and he was boiling over with excitement. Fleur on the other hand, was releasing clouds of both joy and relief, but for a different reason altogether. Apparently, his girlfriend had been brainstorming every conceivable way that she could prepare him for the tasks, but she hadn't even known where to start when they have so little time. Now that she had an outline of the things he was sure to excel at, she was already hard at work designing a training schedule.

In response to the intense cuteness of his girlfriend's thoughts, Harry sent her some loving through their bond. He really let her have it as he figured out how to react to this new news…

"I have two primary questions, Goblin Silverclaw." Turning back towards the very stiff and diligent Goblin, Harry found the man looking at him expectantly. "Why am I Heir Apparent to the Peverel Family, and how would I be recognized by that family?"

"Very good questions sir," Silverclaw allowed with a nod. "The answers are linked together. Every member of your family for a little under a dozen generations has been an Heir Apparent to that particular family, but upon checking the vaults they've been found wanting for entry into the family. There is some unknown... something, needed to be recognized by the family, and it hasn't been present for over ten generations now."

"No ideas?" Harry arched an eyebrow.

"Raw power would be my theory Lord Potter, but we Goblins don't deal in speculation." Silverclaw looked frustrated. He obviously didn't like the idea of a vault just sitting there, taking up space. As if to distract himself, he took a look at Harry's Bloodline Test and then promptly froze in place like a statue. A few moments later, when the Goblin finally turned back in Harry's direction, there was a light in his eyes that hadn't been there before. "Lord Potter... I don't suppose you can tell me why your magical power level has been recorded as... unknown?"

"Raw power would be my theory Goblin Silverclaw," Harry immediately replied with a subtly mischievous grin on his face.

While he did succeed in the end, Silverclaw looked as if he was really struggling not to smile this time. "Indeed, Lord Potter. I suggest we take a look at the Peverel vaults then. We shall go down as soon as you have your paperwork, debit card and the new key that you desired."

"Lead on then." Harry smiled at his account manager for the very first time.

As soon as Harry had the required paperwork and debit card in hand, they were ushered out of Goblin Silverclaw's office. It was hard to tell for certain, but Goblin Silverclaw just might have been having a good time, judging by his movements and enthusiasm alone.

Harry and Fleur were quickly escorted to a cart, where they were sent off at great speeds into the depths of the earth. Fleur was definitely not your average young lady, for she seemed to thoroughly enjoy the speed that the cart was moving at. When Harry conveyed to her the impression of flying quickly through the air, she smiled and shook her head. In return, she sent him images of riding a roller coaster. Grinning in amusement, Harry shook his head at the contradictions. It was a good thing that they could speak to each other empathically, because all they could hear was the sound of wind in their ears and the shriek of metal wheels grinding on metal rails. One thing was becoming increasingly obvious over time. The vault that they were headed to was very, VERY deep within the earth. Finally, after several minutes of high speed travel, they arrived in a tunnel that was very low, warm and dry...

Carved into the rock of the wall were three lonely words.

VAULT NUMBER SEVEN

"Vault number seven," Harry parroted, in an amused sounding voice. "I wonder if the vault's more secure because of its rather auspicious number."

Silverclaw nodded at first, but then he just shrugged. "The members of the family that commissioned this vault, also designed it themselves. We no longer allow anyone, no matter how important they are, to design their own security, because we learned our lesson with this vault. We don't know how it works, just that this is the most secure vault in the entire bank. Don't get me wrong, Lord Potter. We're definitely not in the business of looking for less secure. Still… I'm very interested in seeing if you can access this vault..."

When Harry's magic began vibrating within him, he turned to forewarn his girlfriend. "I'm uh. I'm getting that familiar feeling, love. My magic is compelling me to do... something, with this door and it may be... dramatic. Please try to remain calm because my magic's never let me down before."

After a single moment spent maintaining an air of calm confidence, Fleur suddenly bit her lower lip and fisted her hands at her sides. "While I agree with you 'Arry, I reserve ze right to completely freak out."

Looking at the two humans interacting with each other, Goblin Silverclaw began to realize that this wasn't going to be business as usual. He attempted to stop it from happening… and he failed. He started becoming excited.

After hugging Fleur close and kissing the side of her head, Harry slowly turned around and approached the vault. As he neared the almost completely featureless black wall, he extended out his magical senses to feel what he was working with.

The wall didn't feel like anything...

For all Harry knew, he could've been looking at a mundane wall on the side of a cliff face. Nevertheless, his magic was compelling him to move forward and touch the wall. It was all pretty unnerving…

Just in case, Harry compressed all of his magic back into his body as he continued to edge closer to the wall. Then, when he finally touched the vault door with the palm of his right hand, he sighed in long suffering at what he felt happening. His palm was now fused to the wall at a molecular level and couldn't be removed with anything short of amputation. Not only that, but his magical power was rapidly being drained through his hand into the wall, where it was being used to power up a... something.

Harry very carefully didn't curse out his own recklessness, as Fleur was watching and she needed him to be brave…

Over the next fifteen seconds, a Rune matrix of some kind began to appear on the wall, lighting up in a bright green and growing brighter by the second. Sweat started forming on Harry's brow, as his hand, the focus of his power drain, started noticeably warming up.

All of the sudden and so quickly Harry barely even caught it happen, the Runes completed a test to verify that he was family and then decided not to eliminate him. In the moment following that dubious bit of good news, he saw the Runes begin to layer upon themselves and evolve. As a captive audience, he continued to watch as the Rune matrix verified he was magically powerful, using a process that he'd never even heard of before. Then, once his strength beyond a certain cut off point was verified, the Runes began to evolve again and grow into an activation phase. New layers were added as the spell formation grew in complexity by the second.

A moment later, when the Runes started using Harry as the battery to start a very large process of some kind, he slowly turned towards Fleur and Goblin Silverclaw, and drew in a very deep breath. "I might end up quite tired when this is finished, Goblin Silverclaw. Could you perhaps send ahead for a Pepper-Up potion and a meal?"

By this point, Goblin Silverclaw was trembling from his head to his toes in response to the ambient power that was being released from the boy into the air, and he couldn't even believe that the teenaged wizard standing in front of him hadn't been drained to death several times over... He could only nod dumbly back at Lord Potter in his current state of profound shock.

While Fleur was still extremely worried, Harry's calm appraisal of the situation had helped her keep her cool. She briefly wondered if he was acting nonchalant strictly for her benefit, but then she shook her head. With their bond in place, Harry couldn't possibly hope to conceal manipulations like that from her anymore…

It was only as more and more time went by that Fleur slowly realized she wasn't receiving any emotions whatsoever from Harry through the bond. She wasn't used to the bond yet and had forgotten something important. Even with an empathic bond, Harry could still contain his feelings behind his Occlusion barriers. She could still observe his thoughts as his mind flew through Rune structure interpretations, energy conservation techniques and what his next move should be, but he wasn't broadcasting anything regarding his current emotional state.

Fleur bit her lip again and clenched her fists in rising amounts of concern.

After asking for a Pepper up Potion to be delivered, Harry immediately settled in for what he assumed was becoming an extremely dangerous situation. He turned his entire focus towards the Rune matrix, looking to see if he could focus his magic to aid in its completion. It didn't take long before he sensed a Rune designed to aid in data processing and information movement that wasn't activated yet. Harry funneled more power into it, causing the entire process to pick up both speed and efficiency. Galvanized by that success, he continued looking for more vital processes like that, in order to save himself strength in the long term. The problem was that eventually the Runic structures were purring along at peak efficiency and nothing else could be tweaked to speed up the process. This fact didn't comfort Harry at all, because all he could do now was wait and hope that he had enough power.

Over the next two minutes, the vault wall transformed from a blank slate of inky obsidian, into a spiraling mesh-work of complex geometric designs. As beautiful as it was to look upon, it was also stripping Harry of his life force at an astonishing rate…

Clamping down even harder on his Occlumency shields, Harry sought to keep his growing anxiety from being revealed in his features. He didn't want Fleur to pick up on his rapidly escalating fear, and do something unwise like try to save him. The defenses incorporated into the vault's Runes were frightening in the extreme and ridiculously aggressive towards so-called 'outsiders.' Long story short, if Fleur tried to use magic to save him… zap... dead. If Fleur tried to physically remove him, she'd be drained of magic and… just as dead. Despite all of that being the case and the fact that Fleur was a bonafide genius, Harry still feared that she'd try to intervene... She loved him... Gods... She loved him... She was bonded to him... With that obvious and yet terrifying moment of clarity, Harry realized that it wasn't just him who was in danger at the moment. Fleur… his Fleur, might as well have her hand on the wall right next to him!

As Harry's Occlusions staved off his rapidly growing panic, sparks and arcs of electricity started leaping from place to place along the wall. It was as if the Runes were forming a Tesla tower of sorts and it was discharging energy all along its length. The green current of power bordered a pitch black void that was growing in the middle of the Runes. Altogether, the Peverel vault was beautiful, ethereal, astounding and awe inspiring...

It was also taking far too damned long!

Simply put, Harry was running out of strength. At this point, he'd have been down on his knees if his hand wasn't attached to the wall. As the process continued, Harry looked within himself to see for certain how bad his situation really was.

Oh dear Gods, it was bad!

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Harry should've been dead several dozen times over by that point. Hell… If his survival had merely been a matter of how big his magical capacity was, then he'd have long since been snuffed out like a candle. It wasn't… What Harry hadn't been consciously aware of until right that moment, was that his core had been generating brand new magical power, to supplement his losses ever since the energy drain first started. No... Scratch that… Ever since he was an infant, his core had always had to fight for more, then more, and even more, every second of every day, until just six months earlier. His core was absolutely voracious and it was a fighter. Even as Harry added his will to the mix, his magical core was pumping out the juice with everything it had…

It still wasn't enough.

The energy cost that the vault was demanding was far too strong. Harry was only seconds away from magical exhaustion and death... While shakily running his free hand through his newly soaked hair, he desperately wracked his brain for options. One thing was for certain. He could not kick the bucket in this dark, tomblike tunnel. He wouldn't allow it! With the bond in place, he'd probably be killing Fleur right along with him! After mentally screaming in both frustration and rising terror, Harry poured his entire focus back into the problem. He wasn't going to give up. He'd take this entire damned place down with him if he had to! Casting out his senses in every direction, he desperately looked for something, anything that he could work with...

And that's the moment that he felt it.

He felt all of it.

As if the tendrils of Harry's outstretched magic were thousands of hungry little mouths, he desperately began leeching power directly out of a nearby reservoir of ambient energy. He ruthlessly yanked the power right out of its source material, in order to compress it into his core as fuel. With a care to avoid draining Fleur and Goblin Silverclaw, Harry robbed the earth below them of all the heat and kinetic energy that it contained. His core used this new energy, plus his will, as a focus, to improve its power generating efficiency by several magnitudes. The power being drained from him was still truly immense, but he'd slowed his approaching death to less than a quarter its original speed.

While he'd been busy both outside and inside of his body, the wall that Harry was attached to had begun radiating green light and crackling with raw power. That same green lightning as before was running back and forth along the Runic structures, as if it wasn't driven by magic at all, but rather some form of super-advanced future-tech. Finally, at long last, a black dot in the middle of the wall started widening into a portal. With that portal's arrival, the situation became a race to the finish between Harry's magical core and the ethereal, glowing door's completion. It was going to be very, very close. As if to make that point abundantly clear, Harry's legs suddenly went limp, causing him to hang from the wall by just his connected hand...

"Arry!" Fleur yelled out as she started towards him in her panic.

"Stop!" Harry's voice was just a gruff growl, but then, that was all he was currently capable of. "If y..ou to..touch m..me you w..will be drained of ma..magic and killed," he choked out, with a groan. "It's al…almost ov..over Love. I'll be, be f..fine." Harry had literally no idea whether or not that was true, but either way, Fleur would not come to harm.

Shaking her head back and forth, Fleur sent tears flying off of her cheeks before her eyes snapped back towards her mate.

Harry kept his eyes locked on Fleur's using the last vestiges of his strength. "F..Fleur... Love. I'm sserious… Sstay ba…"

BOOM!

In a single far too dramatic moment that arrived with no warning whatsoever, the Portal door exploded inward and then back out, launching Harry clear across the rock passage to land like a sack of potatoes. After bouncing hard off the stone of the tunnel, Harry continued rolling until he impacted Goblin Silverclaw's legs.

After managing to catch Lord Potter by his shoulders, Silverclaw lowered the... man into a lying position on his back.

When Harry coughed into his hand, he saw blood on his palm so he wiped his face and concealed his concern. The only recourse he had at the moment was to lay there, taking deep breaths and shaking from head to toe. He was dangerously low on power, and should really be dead several times over. Even now, his core was tearing into his surroundings with a will, devouring ambient power from the ground, for miles in every direction.

When Goblin Silverclaw fumbled out a Pepper-Up potion, Harry took it in both his hands, but struggled to get it into his mouth. That was the moment when he was suddenly engulfed in trembling arms and silvery-blonde hair. Fleur grabbed up the potion and eased it into his mouth, cradling his body like a baby. Soon enough, steam was pouring out of Harry's ears and he felt quite a bit better than the warmed over death he'd been before. Pepper-Up potions are designed to supplement a wizard's magical power for a short period of time, with the downside being that they'd crash extra hard a few hours later. Harry wasn't so sure he had to worry about crashing like someone normally would. Not with the new and unheard of skill that he'd just picked up. Even after taking the potion, he still felt his core siphoning off energy from deep in the earth below him. It appeared that his core would continue to do so until he was well within power levels that it deemed acceptable.

"Arry! What just 'appened?! 'Ow deed you survive eet?! No one on earth aas anywhere near as much power as was just taken eento zat Rune Structure!… 'Ow 'Arry?! Oh Gods!..." Fleur sobbed her relief as she clutched at her mate's chest. "Arry..."

Drawing in several very deep breaths, Harry took in the smell of his lover's hair to help calm himself down. Then, draping an arm around Fleur's shoulders, he shakily rose up to his feet and turned to regard Goblin Silverclaw. "My apologies, Goblin Silverclaw. I just did something a little out of the ordinary without your permission. I siphoned off ambient energy from the earth around us, to subsidize my own core power, because the Peverel vault was draining me to death. I hope you don't use that power for anything. It was mostly heat and movement energy below us."

At his use of the word death, Fleur's arms had tightened into a stranglehold around Harry's neck and she'd begun crying into his neck again. Harry officially didn't know who was holding up who at this point.

Goblin Silverclaw looked confused. "The only thing to be found below us are caverns full of magma, Lord Potter. The Goblin nation has been trying to bypass them for many centuries to get to the minerals below, but to no avail…"

"Well, I just drained away the ambient heat and kinetic energy from hundreds of thousands of tons of lava, as I was being drained of power by that damned wall." Harry shook his head in frustration and then grinned. "I imagine if you try digging down there now, you'll find cooling obsidian rock instead of magma."

Silverclaw tried, he really, really tried to stop himself. A wide toothy grin broke out on his face for several seconds in a row before he was finally able to restrain it again. "Lord Potter... I am certain that your rather incredible use of resources will be forgiven by the Goblin nation. Your safety is one of our priorities while you're in our care and yet this… was extraordinarily unsafe. We most likely owe you several favors, especially in light of your recent achievements. By which I mean opening both this vault and a new direction for mineral retrieval. Beyond the fact that Being your vault manager brings honor to my clan, there is an additional reason I'm being as forthcoming as I am. If, in the future, you can do something like this again on purpose, the Goblin nation will be very interested in having you do so..."

After just a few moments spent digesting Silverclaw's words, Harry nodded his understanding and smiled in relief. Goblin Silverclaw was right that this incident hadn't been his fault, but it was still for the best that he hadn't angered his current hosts. With that in mind, Harry thought up both an answer and an explanation to Silverclaw's unasked question. "I've never done anything like this before, but the Peverel vault was demanding several times more magic than my core contains to offer." Harry looked at Fleur and spoke softly. "I have good reason to hold tight to my life."

Turning back towards the goblin, Harry continued with his explanation. "Needless to say, I'll start developing this skill and then I'll get back to you... I'm curious though… How would any witch or wizard ever have had enough magical power to open this portal?... It would be impossible for any wizard, of any strength… Oh!... Goblin Silverclaw... Did the Peverels put the vault here specifically or was it at random?"

"I don't know sir. This Vault is millennia old and its history has become clouded..." All of the sudden, Silverclaw caught on and snapped his fingers. "You think taking in power from ambient heat or other outside energies would be a family skill? I'll readily admit that it's not an ability I've ever heard of before."

"That's what I was thinking," Harry admitted with a nod. "It would mean only a very specific type of Peverel would be able to get in here. James and the rest of my forebears weren't missing some vital virtue, they were... just wizards."

"Unlike you…" Goblin Silverclaw wasn't jesting when he pointed that out. He didn't think there was anything the least bit 'ordinary' about Lord Potter.

"So it would seem," Harry replied dryly. "Well shall we go in now, Fleur?"

After squeezing Harry a little bit tighter, Fleur shook her head into the crook of his neck. "Arry, zat portal ees very specifically full of your magic and approved of you only. I do not zink eet ees safe for me to enter."

Silverclaw nodded in agreement with the Lady Delacour. "I have never seen any ward scheme like this before. I don't even think the other side of this portal is present in this place, Lord Potter. I think we are looking at a gate to another location. Some rules are universal though… The wards have accepted you so I'm all but certain you're the new Lord Peverel. However… Until you two are married, the Lady Delacour will not be recognized by the wards."

Without a word, Harry continued to stare at the spiraling geometric portal, floating in front of them like a black hole to nowhere. He wasn't sure he agreed with Fleur and Goblin Silverclaw, but since that wasn't a conversation to get into here, he'd have to have some patience. Turning back towards his mate, Harry wrapped his arms around Fleur only for her to tighten around his waist like a boa. About a minute later, when he'd finally regained a sense of calm, Harry kissed Fleur's cheek, and cupped her chin so that he could look her in the eyes. "I'm not sure how long I'll be in there, Love, but I hope to be no more than an hour." Leaning even closer, he whispered the next part into her ear. "Be prepared for the bond to close for the first time, love. For all we know, I might be in another dimension or something. I don't want you to automatically assume the worst. Get me?"

Nodding into Harry's neck and collarbone, Fleur found herself inhaling his scent as she tried to pull herself away. Then, when she did manage to separate, she funneled huge amounts of love directly into her mate, as if he was standing in front of a furnace at full blast.

While returning fire with everything he had, Harry walked backwards until he was standing to the right of the portal. "There's nothing to worry about Fleur. I'm a Peverel after all. I'm going to have the tattoo and everything." Smiling casually, he gestured dismissively at the inky pool of perfect black floating over his shoulder. "There's no reason for anything in there to mean me any harm. I'll see you soon." With a small but honest grin on his face, Harry turned in place and stepped into the portal.

Fleur shivered as for the very first time since they'd joined together, the bond between them snapped closed. She hadn't truly realized until that moment how persistently Harry had been holding her in his warmth. She felt cold, lonely and completely abysmal, immediately after he was gone. She felt as if she could cry again, but she straightened her posture and willed herself to be strong. Her Harry was just on the other side of that damned portal. She could handle this... Fleur and Goblin Silverclaw were left just standing there in silence, looking at the beautiful glowing wall.

After a time, Silverclaw turned towards Fleur, with an expression that was a carefully controlled mixture of both humility and dignity. "Is there anything I should know about Lord Potter, Lady Delacour?"

Fleur never looked over at Silverclaw, because he was very far from being her primary focus at the moment. Thankfully, the man waited patiently, which won him some of her regard. When she suddenly did begin speaking, it sounded as if she was spilling an inner monologue, as her words were imbued with an unplanned sense of honesty. "Within ze last few months, 'Arry aas become aware zat ee aas been taken advantage of by some of ze people 'ee trusted most. Eef I was looking for a business relationship wiz iim, I would strive to be very 'onest wiz 'im. Lying to 'Arry about your motives or profeets ees a waste of time... 'Arry does not care about ozzer people making even 'uge profeets because of 'im, just so long as 'ee ees aware of both ze 'ow and ze why. 'Ee believes zat ze best arrangements are ones of large mutual gain. Exploiting 'im ees not necessary, for 'ee will be 'appy eef you may 'elp each ozzer succeed. On ze ozzer 'aand, 'Arry will react extremely negatively eef 'ee finds out 'ee ees being taken advantage of. 'Arry ees not normal, as I'm sure you 'aave come to understand. 'Ee breaks ze world just by existing een eet. 'Uge opportunities fall eento 'iis lap every two meenutes. Eef I were you, I would treat 'im wiz as much respect as possible..."

After looking from Lady Delacour to the portal and then back again, Silverclaw nodded his profound understanding. "Lady Delacour... I appreciate the insight you've provided me and I will send it to my superiors within a pensieve memory of this entire event. That is just how important this matter has become to the Goblin nation...

Just as Silverclaw finished speaking, Harry Potter himself walked calmly out of the portal, where he exhaled an enormous sigh of relief. Right away, he could feel Fleur's spirit rushing back into his chest where it belongs and it was like… well, no words would do the feeling justice. Over the next ten seconds, Harry caught up on what he'd missed and Fleur attempted to do the same. In the end Fleur's sleuthing ground to a halt, causing Harry to grin in amusement.

"As it turns out, the Peverel vault is extremely time compressed," Harry announced with a wink in Fleur's direction. "I was actually in there for a little less than five hours. I achieved quite a bit in there, but I suppose the most important thing is this." Harry extended out his hand where he now wore two House Rings on his fingers. "I am now the Lord of House Peverel."

Beaming up at her lover, Fleur felt a tear of relief running down her face, despite her best efforts not to cry.

Turning towards the portal, Harry pressed the Peverel ring against a subtle cluster of Runes to its left. The portal didn't completely disappear like before, but it did close, leaving behind glowing green Runic symbols and the house crest of a thestral inside of a triangle. With his newest belongings secured away, Harry returned to Fleur's side, to pull her into another tight hug. "Love... I think we should make good time to the Potter vaults, grab my family Grimoire and then get out of here. I think I'm ready to go for a walk in the French countryside."

With a small, happy nod of her head, Fleur turned towards Goblin Silverclaw.

"Yes indeed," Silverclaw immediately agreed. "If your Lordship Potter, Peverel is finished with this vault, then it's time to move on. Your requested items will be waiting for you at the next vault along with some food. I'm quite pleased to be the first to congratulate you, by the way. No one has ever done or risked more to earn a Family Lord status, than what I just witnessed."

Both Harry and Fleur could see that Silverclaw was being completely sincere, and in the end he was probably right.

Harry and Fleur held hands as they walked down a sun-dappled road, in France. They'd Apparated into the countryside, from which point they planned to walk into town for some shopping. Harry had a big fat smile on his face simply because he was alive.

Oh dear Gods had he been afraid down there in that tunnel.

Harry soaked in the sunlight and the warm weather, dispelling his nerves and experimenting with his core. His core could take in ambient heat as energy and convert it into magic faster than it would normally generate power alone. It wasn't as fast without something like lava present, but it was still pretty noticeable.

Fleur stopped her mate just before they entered town and pulled him close to her body. "Be descriptive 'Arry," Fleur whispered. "How bad was it?"

For a few moments straight, Harry just held Fleur tightly without saying a word. After a while, he took a deep breath and laid it all out there. "I was... Well, I was closer to dead than alive two or three times just an hour ago. My core power went below five percent before I even caught on, because that's just how fast it was happening. My core was creating new power at a rate I couldn't even believe, but it still wasn't enough. I was terrified behind my Occlumency barriers because it's not so easy being in danger anymore. I have you now, so I must not die. Not for anyone or anything. I will not be a brainless hero and hurt you. I was willing to tear the world apart to live. That's how I figured out how to steal power from the world around me..."

Harry sighed as he rubbed at his out of control hair. It was a nervous habit that he hadn't used in quite a while now. "Fleur... Later tonight, I'll probably struggle putting away some mental scarring, regarding dark tunnels and powerful fear."

"I will help," Fleur breathed out into her mate's ear, while kissing his neck. "I felt helpless today in that tunnel. I wanted to help you and yet I knew that I couldn't. I saw what would happen in my mind. I advance towards you, grab your shoulder to try to pull you away, promptly get drained dry of my magic and die. My bond to you is severed and you suffer. You live on as a husk if you don't just end it yourself. I saw it all and became frozen with indecision. I eventually realized that you are 'Arry Potter, so you would pull off a miracle for me. I was right... I'm so impossibly grateful zat I was right…"

Running his hands through Fleur's hair, Harry kissed her forehead where that big beautiful brain of hers resides. "I'm lucky that you have so much skill in Runes, because all of your predictions were exactly right. You, love, are a genius, and you saved us both by waiting. Don't punish yourself for doing nothing, when the alternative would've doomed us both."

Fleur proved that she was well on her way to reaching that conclusion all by herself, when immediately after Harry finished speaking, she started smiling and nodding her head.

Now that they'd moved beyond the heaviest part of the conversation, it was time for a fun distraction to save the day. Harry stepped back so that he could pull out a necklace with two stylized books hanging on it from under his shirt. "I have for us two very special books. We'll both be learning my family's Battle Magic over the next couple of weeks."

"'Arry I can't... I am not legally your wife yet." Fleur grinned, trying to decrease the disappointment of her words.

This again huh... Looking around the countryside, Harry spotted a particularly nice area nearby. Without a word, he pulled a very confused Fleur to a nearby tree and then leaned her up against it. He looked her in the eye while gesturing for patience and then crouched down to tighten his shoelaces.

As he finished re-tying his laces, Harry looked up at his girlfriend and then began to speak. "Fleur, Love... There's something I've realized in the last few months. I've come to understand that a huge part of magic is all just strong intent. Several times over the last few months, I've accomplished strong magic without either word or wand, because I had a strong need, desire, determination and or desperation. Those words are just replacement words for intent. Now... Tell me something Love. When a Veela bonds with a man, what does that mean in Veela culture?"

"Marriage," Fleur automatically replied. Then she froze. Fleur's face took on a stunned expression as she stared down at the man who was currently looking up at her from one knee. Her knees immediately started trembling.

"As a Muggle raised, I don't even know what a wizarding marriage is supposed to look like," Harry continued in a very casual tone of voice. "I don't know the spiritual, magical or dogmatic processes involved, nor do they have any importance to me. I wonder if my magic would think all of the common trappings of a structured marriage ceremony even mean anything... If intent is all that's important, rather than method... Fleur Delacour... I'm one hundred percent certain, with no doubts in my mind whatsoever, that we are already married. We are married through the only ceremony that actually means anything to me. When we bonded, it was the single most profoundly beautiful moment of my entire life. I knew that you love me, I love you, and we would always be together. I am the last remaining member and the Lord of both the Peverel and the Potter families. There is no other standard that matters but mine. What I truly believe, is fact, within my two families. When Harry next caught Fleur's eyes, his expression was deadly serious. You are my wife, Fleur, and the magic will work for you..."

Fleur felt her legs losing strength as a bright green light engulfed her, and then she was dropping into Harry's arms. She gasped as she looked down at her trembling left hand. On her ring finger were two, thin, engraved rings, signifying the Ladyship of Harry's two families... "Arry," she whimpered out, as she rapidly began to hyperventilate...

Harry could feel Fleur's intense love burning throughout the bond like a forest fire, which is why he wasn't overly concerned about her current lack of speech. On the other hand, his new wife did seem just a little bit overwhelmed, so Harry did what he could to help her take in oxygen. Rubbing Fleur's back, he held her close, as she slowly came back from nearly fainting. Then, when her breathing began to regulate again, he decided it was time to reduce her most obvious fears. "Fleur… I'll still be observing every courtship ritual that would normally happen between the heirs of two well respected families. I'll also be asking for your father's blessing before any formal wedding ceremony takes place."

Harry smoothed out Fleur's hair and whispered softly into her ear. "When it happens, our wedding will be a platform for your family, our friends and the world to celebrate with us… However... I will have you safe, and my family magic is the best way to do that. You're my family Fleur, and my mate… and… my wife."

"'Arry… always, always…" Drawing in several very deep breaths, Fleur tried again to speak. "You... always... overwhelm me 'Arry. Every single day I am reduced to breathless tears because of you. What you just did was too beautiful for words, 'Arry. You broke the world and all common sense again! You did it on purpose, and you did it for me."

Fleur gasped again and her hands flew up to her bright red face. "Ooooohhh Aarriiee! I am undone... It was the most beautiful proposal in history 'Arry." Fleur began crying again, but she also wrapped herself around her husband, with both her arms and her legs. It was very, very clear that she wasn't going to be letting go of him any time soon.

After slowly easing back against the tree, Harry pulled Fleur into his lap more comfortably. Hugging his wife to his body, he ran his hands through her hair and pressed his cheek to her temple. Eventually, Fleur started collecting herself and she turned around to lean back against his body. They sat there under the tree together for almost an hour, watching the long grass sway in the breeze, and it was a perfect fall day in southern France.

"Care to make me trendy for the first time, wife?" Harry gave Fleur a million megawatt smile as he softly ran his hand along her cheek.

Beaming back at Harry in return, Fleur just nodded at first because she was still a little choked up. "Sounds like a plan... my husband... I cannot have my spouse wearing clothing a size too small. It would reflect poorly on me."

Harry stood up and extended a hand, pulling his wife to her feet.

To Be Continued...

Author's Note:

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