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With Voldemort finally defeated, for good this time, it felt very much like time began to slow to a crawl. It was a new feeling for Harry after everything that had happened in both his lives. It had been so long since he had gone to bed and felt like a whole day had passed him by instead of a whole week.

Of course he made full use of this.

There was a subtle part of him that took great enjoyment in watching the Champion selection this time around. Seeing the light in Krum and Fleur's eyes as they were chosen and walked off. Then, when Cedric was chosen, Harry was one of the people to cheer the loudest. This time, the friendly Hufflepuff Champion would not meet his end at the hands of a sniveling coward like Pettigrew.

Day to day, week to week, month to month, Harry watched the world around him as his life moved on. He showed up at every task and cheered for their Champion, while also subtly helping Cedric by dropping subtle hints about what he needed to prepare for. Cheating was, after all, as much a tradition as the weighing of the wands ceremony.

Then there was his schooling, and what he intended to do with it. Obviously he would continue his apprenticeship under Albus, there was much to learn from him yet, and he half expected the old man was grooming him to be his successor here at Hogwarts… honestly? Now it didn't sound so bad. But there was unfinished business at the school still. Namely in the shape of the two people he had originally planned to kill.

Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley.

Yet when he looked over to the Gryffindor table and stared at the two, he found that familiar feeling in his stomach. He didn't feel like killing them. Not because he didn't still hate them, oh no, he wouldn't help them if they were on fire and he held the last bucket of water on the planet. But he didn't feel the need to kill them anymore.

Of course he was still going to hurt them, oh hell yes they were going to suffer at least somewhat for what they both did.

Hermione… well she was the easiest one to figure out what to do with. She cherished her academic strength more than she had cherished anything else in her entire life. So that is what Harry would take from her, at least in one way.

Over the year, he slowly rose to the top of every class. He made a big show of upstaging Hermione at every turn. Whatever project she did, he did either bigger or better. For every answer she gave, he added something unto it that she had forgotten. It drove her to the very edge of her sanity as it was clear that Harry had just held back the last three years. But he wasn't done.

When he had overtaken every class, he turned his sights on Vanessa and tutored her through every class, used old forbidden spells to share knowledge between their minds, and in general done everything to make sure that when everything was said and done, Vanessa would be the second best student in the entire school. Granger would just have to settle for third place. Even lower in some classes as the previous number two, Daphne Greengrass had been nabbing at the bookish Gryffindor's heels every year.

Hell, Harry had offered Greengrass a chance to study with him and Vanessa if she wanted to rip Granger apart even further. She had politely refused, she knew that with the work the two were doing, Granger would rip herself apart come the end of the year, leaving the number three spot ripe for the taking.

Slytherin through and through that one, Harry respected that.

Then, when their time at Hogwarts was up, he'd destroy her chance of ever working in the Magical World. A few well-placed words and money in the right hands, and the name Hermione Granger would mean disaster in the magical community. All in all, this was a much more fitting punishment for the annoying brunette. This way she suffered her entire life, not just the few moments it would take for Harry to grow bored of torturing her before killing her.

Then there was Ronald Bilius Weasley.

Harry didn't know what to do to the youngest male Weasley just yet. Mostly because after looking at him over the course of a month, it was clear that without Harry as his friend, Ronald was worth nothing in Gryffindor. He was a pariah for his insane views and bullying tendencies, not to mention his horrible manners at the dinner table. A few subtle inquires with Misters Gred and Forge let him know that little Ronnikens was also in the shitter back home, his lack luster grades and general laziness was grinding at both their parents.

This required a wait and see approach. Maybe Ron would destroy himself without Harry needing to interfere. He would be content just watching from the sidelines as the red-head tore his life asunder with his idiotic approach to everything.

So life went on for Harry at Hogwarts. Each year a little brighter than the former. His knowledge blossomed under the sharp tutelage of Dumbledore and by the time the seventh year rolled around, Harry and Vanessa were the only two real choices for Head Boy and Girl. They might have, might have, abused the private rooms they had been given with the positions just a tad.

Their graduation ceremony had been… normal. Like every year before it. And Harry wouldn't trade this for anything in the world. Just standing here, his hand in Vanessa's, smiling at the younger years as they prepared to depart Hogwarts for the final time today. He was… excited, more than he thought he would be. Now he would get to try out a life as a proper Wizard instead of a wanted man for the first ten years of his adult life.

Not one to break tradition, not when he finally got a chance to be a part of it, Harry and Vanessa both took the separate train for graduating seventh years and participated in the party to celebrate their entries into the Wizarding world. This was also where Harry got a good taste of Pureblood Politics for the first time. He wasn't a fan, that's for sure.

Daphne had found him during the party and asked what he was planning to do with the Potter seat on the Wizengamot. Of course he was going to take it up and spearhead some change in this stagnating society, but he couldn't very well reveal his plans to her this early, could he?

No, he couldn't.

So Harry dropped vague hints and spent a great deal of time discussing the future of the wizarding world with Daphne as she was the next heir to the Greengrass seat. The Greengrass family was an old one, almost as old as the Potters. If they worked together… there would be a lot of pull between them. Food for thought for the future.

Harry practically jumped off the train at Kings Cross and embraced his godfather in a manly hug as the two laughed. It was all finally fucking over, now they could just enjoy being a family again. Of course that now also included a certain Bellatrix Black. She was with Sirius on the platform. Her and Harry's hug was more muted, but Harry was looking forward to getting to know this Bellatrix. It had taken Sirius a few years to push through the bill that allowed Azkaban residents a second chance at redemption, though they needed a family member to vouch for them and grant them shelter while they were out. And as many men would tell you, freedom had done Bellatrix a world of good.

Harry would probably never admit it publicly, but as the years rolled on, Bellatrix became the mother figure he never had in his life. When he was lost or needed guidance that his godfather couldn't provide him, he went to her. Bellatrix was always ready to help, and she had no problems with publicly referring to Harry as the son she never got to have. Much to Harry's embarrassment and hidden joy.

Then came the post Hogwarts years. There was one word that described it all perfectly for him… amazing. With his apprenticeship under Dumbledore still standing strong, the two became a force of nature in the Wizengamot and just in their world in general. They reworked the entirety of the Hogwarts curriculum, bringing back long forgotten classes like Enchanting and Fencing, much to the joy of many a Pureblood who could remember their days of youth where Fencing was a lesson much enjoyed by them.

Their greatest achievement though was their inclusion of what the ministry labeled as "beasts" into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In the year 2002 the first non-human student set foot, or hoof as it was, in Hogwarts. A young Centaur from the clan in the forbidden forest had joined them, and she looked to be one of the greatest students to pass through for many years. The years after would see more join, the first Goblin was in 2005, the first Harpy in 2006, the first full Veela (with some heavy, heavy training in control) in 2007 and in 2008 the first open Werewolf attended.

Of course there was one other major event in 2002, namely the marriage of one Harry James Potter and Vanessa Weaver. It wasn't the biggest of ceremonies, much to the pleasure of both parties. In a small magical forest, they had found a clearing where they had set up a tent for the reception and party, and near the edge of the clearing stood a white arc decorated with flowers. What little family that had was present, with Sirius standing as Harry's best man and Luna, sweet dear little Luna, stood right behind Vanessa with the biggest grin on her face Harry had ever seen. Dumbledore had near demanded to be the one to wed his two favorite students, surprising both of them that he was even allowed to. Their "Yes"es had been near a whisper, but everyone heard it and cheered when Dumbledore pronounced them husband and wife.

The reception afterwards was filled with moving speeches and any and all embarrassing story that Sirius could remember about baby Harry. Of course Harry also held a speech, a speech where he thanked everyone for all they had done for him over the years and how he was looking forward to knowing all of them for many more. This was when Vanessa had interrupted her husband and stood up.

"As many of you know, I have always had a… knack… for surprising my husband here," a ripple of laughter spread, oh if that wasn't the truth, "So why wouldn't I have one more for him today?" There was plenty of catcalls and wolf-whistling at that, mostly from Sirius, as Vanessa removed a small box from under the table and placed it in front of her Husband.

"I know you have all brought some amazing gifts, but I got a feeling that I might win with this one." Vanessa said cheekily as she struck a small pose to the laughter of the audience.

A quick kiss to his wife and Harry was slowly opening the small box. The baby blue ribbon was gently removed and placed aside, the lit gave a small pop as it came off and the treasure within. Harry pulled out the smallest set of shoes he had ever seen, they were a striking sky blue color, and he was halfway into a laugh when it turned into a muffled sob as tears fell from his eyes. In the years to come, Harry would refuse it fiercely, but he had cried for all but a moment, then collapsed in on himself like a doll with his strings cut. The previously stunned audience had come back to life when Sirius had begun roaring with laughter, proclaiming his new goddaughter-in-law to be a true Marauder.

It was the 21st of August 2003, that little James Potter-Weaver came into the world, crying and screaming at the top of his lungs. He was named for his grandfather. To carry on his spirit. Sirius was asked to be his Godfather and the older Wizard had only just stopped sniffling long enough to accept before engulfing his godson in a hug. James Potter-Weaver would go on to become just as energetic as his mother, something Harry claimed would lead to his prematurely graying hair.

The 8th of November 2010 would forever be known as a day of mourning to the Wizarding World. It was on that day that one of the greatest heroes, inspirations and teachers that anyone had ever known, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbleodre, had passed away silently in his sleep. He was found, perhaps by a twist of fate, by Harry when his friend hadn't showed up for their usual meeting. Harry had found the old Headmaster looking more serene than ever before, a vague little smile on his face as if he had just pulled the greatest prank on everyone.

On his office desk laid a note addressed to one "Harry James Potter, my friend and greatest student."

I move on now to my next great adventure and to rejoin my loved ones. I will not have you sitting around and moping my passing, Harry, and neither do I wish for the world to do the same. Mourn not my death, but celebrate my life, this is my last wish. And to you, Harry, I leave a little something in my desk that I think you will find most excellent, as well as a few parting words –Albus Dumbledore.

Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!

The announcement had been made as public as possible, much to the growing sadness amongst the world's residents. Those who had had the honor of meeting the man knew that he had passed on his terms, else death would have had a fight on his hands. So they all did what he asked and partied, long out into the night and onto the next day did the parties go.

The funeral would go down in history. Witches and Wizards from all over the world came to Hogwarts to help honor one of the greatest men they had ever known. His grave was neither grand nor ornate, it was a simple white stone coffin that Professor McGonagall had created in accordance with Albus will. "One last time I must ask you to assist me, dear Minerva." Those were his words and McGonagall had done it gladly with a sorrowful smile.

Harry stood as his student, the honor of the eulogy had been his, again in accordance with the will. This was a time that Harry would not hide that he cried, because much everyone else did too. He spoke of the man he knew, and the amazing teacher that he had observed. They had lost a great man, but he left behind a legacy that would never be forgotten.

As for the gift Harry had been left?

It was an egg, red and charred. Harry recognized it as a Phoenix egg. So Fawkes had been a female this entire time? Harry wondered how Albus had reacted to that particular little fact after years of referring to Fawkes as "him" … it was an amusing thought. The egg had burst into flames when he touched it and a small phoenix hatchling had stared up at him and begun to sing… now he had his own companion to grow senile with in this office.

In the end, Albus was proven right. Filius Flitwick decided that with the death of his greatest friend, his time as a teacher would come to a close. He had spent the last few years grooming a successor, much like Albus had done, and she was more than ready to take over after him. So it came to be that Vanessa Potter-Weaver became that newest Charms teacher at Hogwarts, as well as the head of Ravenclaw House.

Harry had joined his wife at Hogwarts not long after, the position of Headmaster had been left open for him, once again in asking by Albus through his will. His one final trick was to ensure that Hogwarts was left in the best hands possible. And wouldn't you know it, Harry had, as a joke, asked McGonagall if she also wished to retire. Never before had Harry seen so many stinging hexes in such a short amount of time. No one opposed his placing as Headmaster, the Boy-Who-Lived teaching the next generation? What a PR dream!

Of course life also has its dark spots. This was only painfully obvious as 2014 crept around and Harry, alongside Vanessa, took to quiet deliberation on what the future would hold for their son. Harry knew that he would have to hand him over to Amorpha soon, and he would also free the little rascal moments after, but he still feared what the woman could do this his sons mind in the time they had together.

So they had sat James down and spoke to him. Everything Harry knew about the Dark Elven lands was imparted in his young son while his mother repeatedly told him to be careful and watch out for himself. Harry had taken his son aside for a day and come clean with his past with the Dark Elves and why it was that James had to leave in the first place, though the details about what Amorpha had done was left out… for now. Safe to say the kid hadn't been pleased, but he was his father's son so he understood and would honor the agreement.

So it was that on the day 21st of August 2014, James' birthday, that Harry took his son by the hand and apparated both of them to the Dark Elven lands. They had landed in the forests surrounding the capital and walked the rest of the way. At the entrance of the city stood hundreds of guards, waiting for their future king. Each knelt as they passed, wordlessly offering up their loyalty to the one whom would marry their Queen. Harry had spoken with Drulel over the years and picked the Dark Elf's brain on whom they could trust within the city, it was scarily few.

They reached the grand Citadel and surprisingly it was Harry that needed a moment to collect himself. The last time he had been here… it hadn't been pretty and he was still angry. There was even a chance that if Amorpha spoke out of line, he might actually end up physically hurting her.

She was waiting for them when they entered. She was smiling kindly at the younger Potter, so happy to finally being able to see her future husband in the flesh rather than through hazy visions of the future. Her greeting was… respectable, as much as she could handle anyway, towards Harry. She had stuck with a handshake with her future husband in fear of retribution from Harry if he had done anything else.

As for what happened next? It was never, and never will be, a secret that Harry took the utmost pleasure in what transpired.

He turned to leave, giving his son a final hug and kiss on the forehead, promising him that they would speak again soon and that he should take care of himself. Then, just as he reached the door, he snapped his fingers and loudly exclaimed that he knew there was something he had forgotten. In one smooth motion, he turned and flicked an envelope into his son's hands, the younger Potter stared at it and grinned, it was his Hogwarts letter.

Amorpha's face consorted into one of primal rage as realization slammed home with her. Harry filed it away mentally for future viewing on a rainy day. An even better expression replaced it moments later and Harry had to fight not to laugh. The Queen had gone ashen as she came to the starting realization of what the Herald had just done to her. Now she knew, she understood just how her husband would also be part of her punishment.

Harry had vanished with a pop after that, telling his son that they would see each other again soon enough.

And so they did. The 1st of September 2014, James Potter-Weaver walked into the Great Hall of Hogwarts for the first time as a student. He was grinning and waving at both his parents sitting at the Teacher's table and smiling at him. That day he had been sorted into Ravenclaw, and so seven years began and seemingly ended within the blink of an eye.

It was… a disturbing thing for the two parents. To witness their son all through the year as he excelled at school and made friends, laughed and played. Only for him to vanish when summer came around to go back to place where neither of them could protect him if anything went bad. They both remembered the day he had returned from that first summer, they feared that their greatest horror had come to pass. The way James carried himself after that first summer was… different. He behaved more like a warrior than a child, much to the fury of Harry. That night, they had dragged their son to their shared chambers and demanded an explanation.

Thank Merlin he was still their son. He was still happy-go-lucky and a ball of energy. But after a full summer with the Military Enclave he had learned to stuff it away for when he had to meet important people. Now it was just a matter of skewing the habit until he returned to that place at the end of the year.

Their boy had one hell of a rollercoaster of a schooling. Every year James managed to get himself into some sort of situation. His father came to the startling realization that this was how he must have looked when he was first a child. It was amusing to watch his son maneuver the social scene when he was, for all intents and purposes, already married to someone.

It was sometime during James fifth year that Harry had to accept the fact that his son was sleeping with Amorpha. It made him… sick, very much so even, at the idea of it. He would never forgive her for what she did to Vanessa, and to this day he was waiting for his chance to punish her. Her death… it would be the slowest one he had ever caused, and he was going to enjoy thoroughly.

As the seventh year of his sons schooling began turning towards its end, Harry and Vanessa brought him to the roof where Harry had met his Goddess all those years ago. Then the hardest two hours of their lives had begun. They had explained everything in painstaking detail to their boy, everything his wife had done to them and just how much they well and truly hated her.

It hurt James to hear it, even more so since he could hear the truth in their words and knew that it wasn't a lie. He couldn't reconcile the two images in his mind, the one that his parents had just given him, and the loving caring wife that he had gotten to know over the past seven years. She had waited for him, patiently, every year and when he had returned for the summers she had done her utmost to always make him comfortable and make sure that he was happy. Then, when they had begun sleeping together, James had slowly let the idea of remaining with her for the rest of his life settle into his mind, and he had actually liked the idea.

But now?

Part of him was calling for the head of his wife to be placed on a pike and paraded around the capital for all to see. But he also knew about their laws, he knew that what Amorpha had done hadn't crossed any Dark Elven lines, only human ones. Lines that James had tried to make Amorpha follow as well. He had looked pleadingly at his parents, silently begging them to somehow free him from this terror. Vanessa had kissed his forehead and then left silently, the memories were getting too much for her.

His dad stuck with him and they talked. Just talked. James spilled his heart, his confusion and doubts, in the vague hope that his father had the answer. He hadn't. But knew someone who might.

James would always remember the first time he met the Goddess here on this roof, how she descended from the stars and joined them. She had taken him away, embraced him and carried him into the heavens. She had spoken with him, revealed him to the grand tapestry of time and promised him that he could leave once his future daughter was ready to take the throne from her mother. He had refused, he would stay with his future daughter and guide her. He had asked about Amorpha and what was to happen to her. The Goddess had revealed that despite Harry's wishes, it was on James's shoulders to decide that was to happen to her.

It hadn't soothed him, but he had thanked her none the less. She had promised that they would meet again on the day of his daughter's coronation and then they would speak further about what was to happen with his wife.

A week after that night, James graduated with honors from Hogwarts and was preparing himself to return to the Dark Elven kingdom. It had hurt to say goodbye to his parents once again, and this time he knew that it wouldn't just be a few short months before they saw one another again, it might very well take years for that to happen.

That turned out to be true. Two years passed with silence from the Dark Elven domain. Harry was too scared to go there, he feared to meet his son and face down what he had potentially become. Vanessa didn't wish to go, she refused to ever lay eyes on Amorpha again unless it was to spit on her still warm corpse. But then a silver owl had flown through their window, carrying a letter from their boy. James wanted them to come, to see his daughter and to let her meet her grandparents. They had fought over it at first, both arguing that they should and shouldn't go. In the end, the wish to see both their son and granddaughter had won over.

They were met by a battalion of guards, all bowing to their Herald. They had been guided inside the royal nursey and met their son. The embrace had been like medicine for Vanessa. Two years without seeing her baby had been harsh on her, but being able to hug him again sent it all away again. Harry had subtly inquired about Amorpha and James had told him that he had ordered her to stay away for the duration of their visit, he didn't want them to fight in front of the little one.

Speaking of the princess. Vanessa had been wrapped around her pinky from the moment that little bundle had hit her arms. Defying every case in history, the princess had one red eye like her mother, but also the same stunning emerald that both her father and grandfather had in the other. Proof that part of her would always be human. The family had enjoyed the day together and getting to know their grandchild. They had left with the promise that she would be allowed to visit them in the human world on occasion. Of course it wasn't always with her parents' permission that the little princess snuck away from her realm and found her way to her grandparents' home… and the cookie jar they hid there.

Each time she showed up, Harry sent a silent thanks to his Goddess for protecting the little one as she had stumbled her way over. He never got a verbal reply, but he knew that it was her protecting the little one.

It was many years later that Harry had come rushing home, panting and sweating. Vanessa had been worried until Harry had told her what had happened. Their granddaughter was now the Queen of the Dark Elves, she had apparently bested Amorpha in a Trial of Combat for the throne. Vanessa had been ecstatic, thinking that Amorpha was dead finally. Though that didn't last long when Harry told her what their son had told him.

Amorpha was still alive, and she was being punished now for her misdeeds. It grated a little at Vanessa that the bitch had survived. Months later, she realized that her son was living up to what he had promised. They had gotten a… gift… from him. The letter had told them to open it privately and warned them that the gift was messy.

It was Amorpha's ears. They had been cut off at the base, and it was clear that it had been painful. At least if one was to believe that messy way the cut looked. It somehow disturbed them that their son could have done this. But they didn't know just how much he had changed in the years leading up to his daughter taking the throne. Every so often they would get a letter from their son and one time there was a picture with it. Harry had looked at it once and vowed to never look at it again, lest he not be able to retain his lunch that time. The picture had been of what remained of Amorpha.

She was chained to a wall, cuts and bruises all over her body, or what remained of it. Fingers, toes, ears, part of her nose and breasts. She had been cut to pieces, and yet it was still obvious that she was alive. Their son had kept her that way. Vanessa had also seen the image, she hadn't laughed, cried nor smiled. She had instead sent a letter to their son that downright demanded his presence.

He had shown up confused, only to be consumed by a hug with his mother whispering comforting words in his ear. Words of how she wanted him to stop. He was ripping his soul apart piece by piece for each thing he did more to Amorpha. James had been confused, wasn't it was she had wanted? When he had asked, Vanessa admitted that it was… satisfying to see the image, to know that the bitch was being punished for what she did to her, but she couldn't stand to see what it had done to her little boy. Harry had agreed, James's eyes were dead and devoid of life. Both of them had requested that he stopped, just stopped and began looking after his little girl again.

James had promised them that he would before leaving. He had also said that they were both invited to dinner in the royal palace sometime this month. Of course they agreed. Any excuse to see their granddaughter again.

He had barely left when Harry had held Vanessa close to him and promised that their son wasn't lost yet. But he was their son, and they had both proven that they were just as bloodthirsty as he was proving to be. They had gone to bed that night, holding one another and dreamed of the future now that their worries about Amorpha could begin to heal.

Deep within the Dungeons of the Royal Citadel

James walked with determined steps through the stone corridors. Opening the familiar oak door, he stepped inside the cell of his wife and stared at her hanging on the wall. Most of her body had begun regenerating once again. The royal magic was strong in her despite no longer being queen. A month or two and she would be without a single scar again.

"Here to harm me some more, dear husband?" Amorpha's voice was hoarse from disuse.

"Not today. I came to tell you that my parents wanted me to stop this. They think they I'm destroying my soul by torturing you." James explained as he drew over a worn out chair and sat before his wife.

Amorpha lifted her face and grinned, a morbid sight with what she was missing.

"Are you?" she teased.

"No." he said with finality. "Your punishment isn't over, and it won't be for at least another fifty years."

Amorpha's face dropped again and she fell limp in her chains. For that one brief moment she had dreamed that she would be free from these shackles again and be able to embrace her husband. She turned on him again, eyes filled with the one thing that brought conflict to James heart.

"Why do you still love me?" He pleaded as he rested his elbows on his thighs. "I have torn you apart over and over again, brought you to edge of hell and rubbed your face in the ashes. You have screamed for mercy more than anyone, and yet you still look at me with those eyes…why?"

"I love you. What is there to explain? I waited for hundreds of years for you, now, finally, I have you. Though you have hurt me and tried to make me hate you, I will endure it so I may hold you again in the future. So that I may see our girl again." Amorpha explained softly.

James flinched at the mention of their girl. He hadn't let them see each other since Amorpha was placed down here. Mostly for his sake. He didn't wish his daughter to see just what he was capable off, and he didn't want her to see her mother like this, to tarnish the image of perfection she knew her mother to be.

Drawing a deep breath, James spoke again, "Despite my best attempts, despite having done all of this to you, despite the roaring hatred I feel for you so deep in my soul… I still love you as well."

He chose not to look at her, he couldn't handle the expression she must be showing. And indeed Amorpha had a smile on her lips, it was small and almost unnoticed, but it was filled with hope. Hope that there might actually be a future for her still.

"In fifty years, I'll free you from those shackles. If, by then, we still somehow still love one another, I'll let you back into our daughters and my life. We'll try again, see if we can't make it work like it did when I was still at Hogwarts." He explained, his voice betraying the hope he too felt.

"Best not tell your parents?" Amorpha joked, having acquired a bit of a humorous side since being chained.

"No, best not." James replied with a grin and finally looked at her again.

They would try when he felt her punishment was sufficient. She had hurt his mother; she would pay for that. But he also loved her, so they would try again. He just hoped that his mother and father would forgive him when they find out what he plans to do.

But honestly? Now, now he was just waiting so he could take another trip around the bend with his wife.