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We didn't leave the room for most of the next day, enjoying each other's company. I talked about all my experiences and funny situations that had happened during my absence, and Fleur told me about her time here, alternating between training with Bernard and thinking about what kind of punishment I should be subjected to. We had no interest in the press, and were glad that no one had disturbed our togetherness, but sooner or later it had to end.

The first to give in, as expected, was Sebastian, who, through Ricky, demanded that we come down for dinner. Fleur lifted her head from my chest, where it lay, and tried to get up, but I held her against me, preventing any such opportunity.

- Harry," she twisted round and kissed my neck, "I don't want to get up either, but if we don't come downstairs, Daddy will come himself.

Realising she was right, I let out a sorrowful sigh, to which she smiled, and started to get up as well, gathering up my costume that was scattered around the room.

- Fleur," I walked over to her, showing her the shirt that had no buttons left. - Could you explain why this can't be handled by Reparo?

She blushed slightly, remembering the details of last night, and waved her wand, after which all the buttons that had been scattered around the room returned to their places.

- Someone needs to take care of the knowledge of household magic in addition to combat spells. - She stretched as she continued to dress.

- I thought we'd split up the duties. I'm better at destroying things than fixing them, after all.

- Look, Harry, when I beat you in a duel, I'll make you study the entire spell book for young housewives.

- That's too cruel," I twitched, "then if I win, you'll agree to two of any wedding ideas I have.

- Just one. And no dragons!

- I'll have to try to come up with something equally epic," I said disappointedly.

- I guess I should be more specific. - Fleur was trying to sound serious, but I knew she was enjoying the discussion, even though it was a year and a half away. - No creature that could maim or swallow a guest whole should be present at the wedding.

- Fleur! - I never realised you were so cruel. I don't know if I could live with a girl who wouldn't even let me invite a tiny family of acromantulas to my wedding!

All I got in response was an elbow in the side. We reached the hall, where not only Sebastian was sitting at the table, but Apolline as well.

- Mum!" Fleur hugged her mother, and then I went to her for a hug.

- Apolline," I decided to say what I was going to say right away so I wouldn't forget. - I'm sorry you had to move because of me. I hope it didn't disrupt your plans too much.

- Come on, Harry," she smiled disarmingly. - 'I know what you've been through and believe me, it's the least we could do. Besides, I heard there was some conflict at our gate recently. So it's a good thing Gaby wasn't there. I sent her to school, so she's fine. Besides, you did well and it's over. We can breathe easy.

- 'Yes, Harry,' Sebastian continued her thought. - 'On behalf of our family and all of magical France, I want to thank you for what you did. You prevented a war that threatened our country and rid the world of the Dark Lord. I've looked over the official reports and I was amazed at the way you fought. But tell me, I saw your training with Bernard, how did you defeat Riddle? There's no specifics in the reports.

- I didn't engage in open confrontation, operating mostly from beneath the invisibility cloak. - I was pleased with his praise, and I realised that they had more to tell than what was written in the Prophet. - In fact, I defeated the Lord himself almost without a fight, using a move he didn't expect. Fenrir, the werewolf leader on Riddle's side, was much harder. He almost killed me. It took us a while to heal my shoulder from his spell. And at one point he started turning into a wolf.

I shuddered at the memory. Sebastian and Apolline were stunned silent, and Fleur clutched my hand, which she continued to hold in hers even as she sat at the table.

- You should know that those reports weren't entirely accurate," I continued. - Amelia had helped me and kept my actions secret so that the British mages wouldn't brand me a dark wizard again. However, my actions were far from harmless.

- I understand, Harry, but this is war. And we won't blame you for using the enemy's methods. How are you feeling, how's your shoulder, is it okay? - After waiting for my nod, Sebastian continued: - I spoke to our Minister about the possibility of awarding you some sort of order, but unfortunately he refused, claiming that most French mages would not understand rewarding an English wizard for killing an English Dark Lord.

- No big deal. - I smiled, fully accepting the Minister's position. That would indeed be strange. - I'm afraid I've already received the greatest honour France has to offer.

I squeezed Fleur's hand, and she blushed again, while her parents smiled, not commenting on such a simple compliment.

Dinner was spent in leisurely conversation and discussion of future plans. I told them that I had a few more things to settle, after which I wanted to take Fleur away and go on a trip where I could rest from all my worries. And only after that would it be time to plan the rest of my life. My fiancée was thrilled with the idea and immediately started talking to her mother about where to go, while Sebastian and I discussed the political events that had taken place since a notorious phoenix had kidnapped me from the courtyard of this house. Father Fleur handed me a fresh batch of letters that had arrived at the manor during my stay here, and I felt a little irritated.

I hadn't read three of yesterday's yet, and here were new ones. Once Harry Potter had shown his good side, everyone immediately felt the urgent need to write to him. After thanking everyone for the wonderful dinner, I left Fleur to talk to her mother and went up to my room, determined to get this over with. Asking Dobby to fetch the letters from the flat, I took the first of them and began to read.

A mysterious stranger who was no longer mysterious at all.

You, Harry, have stirred up the whole of Hogwarts with your actions. Now no one remembers the missing professor. Now all anyone talks about is the fact that you're alive.

Yes, despite your failed conspiracy, hardly anyone knew that. But now those who thought you were guilty are just as fiercely defending your honour to all doubters. I've seen two Harry Potter duels already, and the Prophet only came an hour ago! What's more, a senior Hufflepuff girl claims she didn't believe you because of the influence of brainiacs. I'm going to be friends with her.

If you're wondering about the reaction of your former friends, they're rejoicing over the Dark Lord's death, and Ronald seems pretty sure he had a direct hand in it. At least, he claims that without his help, you could never have done something like this. Tell me, just because you and I sat on the same bench and are DOLBOEG members together, does that mean I also made an invaluable contribution to the victory? Don't thank me, I did it for the public good.

No professors in sight today, they seem to have better things to do than supervise a few hundred kids, some of whom are picking their noses with a chopstick right now, right in front of my eyes.

I want to thank you again, Harry, for saving us all from this nightmare. I'm going to Hogsmeade now, like I do every Sunday, but I know you won't be there today. You're probably sleeping now, or nursing your injuries, after all, if the newspaper is to be believed, it's only been seven hours since your triumph. Anyway, if you want to chat and find out more details about how the Nargles helped you defeat your enemy, you know how to find me. Now I must go - Neville has promised to show me something special. I hope it's a devil's head, but then we should be very careful.

Your mate, Luna.

We'll have to try and visit Luna in Hogsmeade next Sunday and take Fleur along to introduce them. The shrewd girl was thinking again about things that no one else had thought about, and I felt a pleasant warmth spread through my chest. Luna didn't care exactly how I'd won or what I'd done, but she did care that I was probably hurt. And Weasley didn't seem to have learnt anything. Perhaps I should teach him another lesson a little later.

Putting the Ravenclaw student's letter aside, I picked up an envelope from Lucius, who, as always, was quick to respond to any events that occurred, even when he was in another country.

Lord Potter

Obviously, you were being sly when you said you weren't worth believing in. Not even a month ago, you were able to do what everyone else has been unable to do for years. My family and I are deeply grateful to you for ridding the world of this maniac. I'll admit I once liked his beliefs, but I was disillusioned before the end of the first war. I consider it my greatest victory that I was able to save my wife from being tagged. Had it not been for you, not only she, but my son as well, would not have escaped that fate.

My House elf told me that you travelled to my estate and met people you never expected to see. Well, I'm glad you had a happy ending. I hope you've been comfortable and comfortable for the past few hours.

Given the current state of affairs, I plan to cut short my sudden holiday and return home. There is an urgent need to get my financial affairs in order, but I won't burden you with unnecessary details. I realise that this may seem indelicate of me, but do you have any ideas on how to facilitate my return without me immediately being thrown into Azkaban? As you may recall, I've been there before, and I'd like to avoid another visit. For my part, I guarantee my full support in all matters, as long as they do not contradict common sense, and assistance if you need it.

I await your reply

Lord Lucius Malfoy.

This letter no longer gave me the same pleasant emotions as the previous one. I was grateful to Malfoy, at least for his foresight, because if it hadn't been for his housekeepers, who knows how things would have turned out. But I didn't want him among my close friends at all. You never know what to expect from someone who might try to throw Avada at a twelve-year-old at any moment. On the other hand, I could talk to Amelia about his status, and I had a couple of requests for him in return.

After sketching out a response, I went up to the owlery in the attic and immediately received a tangible peck on the head. Why do all the women I love always hit me? I totally deserved it, though.

- I'm sorry, girl, for leaving you alone and not visiting. - I tried to pet Hedwig, who looked mortally offended. - You know I've had to move. Have you ever felt my location change? Imagine if I had to carry you around with me all the time. And here, look at this: warm, dry, comfortable, flying through the woods, catching mice, and everything's fine.

I guess she was convinced by my arguments, because she sat on my shoulder and rubbed her head against my cheek,

- It's good to see you, too. I'm not going anywhere now, I'll just get your place ready in our flat and I'll pick you up right away, okay? - I felt that she might not understand the meaning of my words, but she understood their message, which she immediately confirmed with a loud whoop. - That's good. Now I have a job for you. Can you deliver this to Lucius Malfoy?

Holding out her paw, Hedwig waited for me to tie the letter and then flew out into the dark French night, carrying a message that could help several people at once. And not just people.

Back in the room, I grimaced as I realised that the next letter was from Granger. After checking it for possible poisons and portals with Dobby's help, I pulled out the folded sheet inside and began to read.

Harry!

You didn't reply to my previous letter, but I don't take offence as it seems you've had a lot on your plate. I can't believe you killed He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named! Ron thinks you're definitely a murderer now and will soon be the new Dark Lord, but I'm not so sure. I don't know what's happened to you, but you need to come back to us right away so we can help you sort things out. What were you thinking, going off to fight him alone? You could always call us, your friends, so we could help you. I realise we've had our differences, but do they matter when the peace of the magical world is at stake?

I've recently learnt how to perform spells non-verbally, and I'm sure it would be of great use to you. And if you'd come and tell us right away, we could have persuaded Professor Dumbledore to come with us, and then...

Crumpling the sheet in my hand, I tossed it aside, not bothering to finish reading this nonsense. Granger still lived in her own tiny world, where she was the smartest and most capable and the authority of adults was the size of Mount Everest. I regretted killing Riddle so quickly. Maybe I should have let him go one-on-one with the stuck-up girl to see how he couldn't do anything about the non-verbal spells and capitulated by raising the white flag. And she was quite seriously surprised that I hadn't responded to her letter, by which, among other things, Dumbledore was able to find out where I was. How badly does she not understand what's going on?

Realising that the mood was ruined, I decided to end it all by reading the rest of the letters. Most of them were from members of the Order of the Phoenix, who managed to intersperse congratulations on my victory with exhortations that I was too young to be hanging around on my own and that I needed to report to them right away. Then they could help me cope with all the glory that had come with it, and protect me from the possible aggression of the Lord's supporters who were still out there. I'm teary-eyed. Not from that noble concern, but from laughter. I didn't read the Weasley and Lupin's mother's letters for that reason. If Amelia could help me, very soon I might be able to shake their blind faith in the Headmaster. Not destroy it, no, because that's impossible, but open someone's eyes.

Harry

I've been thinking a lot about what you said to me earlier, and I realise more and more each time. I was blind. I realised what you were shouting in my face then. I listened but didn't hear, certain that you were just a copy of the Dark Lord. Now it's obvious how wrong I was. You were right to curse me then. You should have killed me.

I can't tell you how much I regret everything I did to you. You trusted me, you finally saved me from the Dementors, you let me avoid going back to Azkaban, and I did nothing to protect you from unfair accusations. What's more, I agreed with everything you were accused of, I watched with interest as you were led away from the courtroom by the guards, and I didn't even realise that that was how I had once been led away myself. I didn't scream or try to prove my innocence. I was so shocked by what had happened that I couldn't do anything. And I recognised that look on your face at that moment. But I only recognise it now, when I'm sitting at home practically alone, drinking firewhiskey and revisiting old photographs.

I'm sorry, I'm an old dog and overly sentimental, but now that I don't have wise Dumbledore over my head whispering in my ear exactly how to think, I can make a sober assessment of what happened. And if I'm right, and you and I really are alike, then I know you'll never be able to forgive me for what I did.

I don't dare ask that. I just hope that you'll be okay. If I ever see any mention of another Harry Potter feat in the paper, or a small article about your wedding to that French witch, or anything else that says you're doing well, you know I'll be truly proud of you.

I'm sorry I let you down. I was a shitty godfather and I'll answer for it to James and Lily when I see them.

Sirius

Putting the letter aside, I thought for a long moment, not knowing how to respond to this. Sirius had hurt me the most, but could he be excused for being basically a confused man who had been alone with the Dementors for too long? If I let my feelings get the best of me, I'd forgive him immediately and run to hug him happily, but would I want that? Probably not. My trust isn't something that can be trampled on and then regained. Although, I'll admit I was pleasantly surprised that not everyone was still zombified by the old man. Perhaps my scheme wasn't as much of a failure as I'd previously thought.

After a quick glance through the ten remaining letters from unknown wizards, I realised that I couldn't escape the public glory. Almost all of them congratulated me on my victory, claimed that from the very beginning they believed in my innocence and invited me to visit, opaquely hinting at their young daughters, nieces, sisters and other relatives, whom I just had to meet. One letter was very different from the others, though, in which a woman who'd said she'd seen the Grindelwald Rebellion claimed to see right through me, even though we'd never met. She told me that I needed to confess my crimes, that I needed to be punished for them, that I was not human, but an inferi who had risen from the dead. Shaking my head, I set the letter aside with the others so that I could burn it in the fireplace later.

I didn't notice Fleur enter the room, sitting down next to me and resting her head on my shoulder. She smiled and shook her head as she looked at the amount of paper she'd written.

- Let me guess: everyone suddenly thought they were always on your side. - She stretched out, not looking at the letters.

- Yeah," I sighed, leaning back and pulling her to me. - There are some surprises, though. For example, someone named Christine Red is convinced I'm an inferi. I don't know how you didn't notice that before.

- Fool. - She sighed, slapping me on the shoulder. - Inferi, by the way, unlike you, are very docile. Maybe I'll get a couple when I get tired of you.

- Bored, huh? - I fake furrowed my eyebrows and rushed to tickle her, which made her shriek and laugh. The tickling ended quickly when my hands began to just caress her body and my lips began to cover her neck with kisses. Fleur wrapped her legs around me, pulling me close, and ran her hands through my hair, tilting my head more and more, giving me more access. When my hands were already under her jumper and up to her breasts, we were unceremoniously interrupted by Ricky, who appeared in the centre of the room. Fleur let out a frustrated sigh, sensing that my hands were no longer giving her pleasure.

- Harry Potter sir," Ricky pretended as if nothing had happened. - There's a letter for you.

- No, no, no. Thank you, Ricky, but I've had enough letters for one day. I've got more important things to do.

- I'm sorry, sir, but this was delivered by an elf right to the gates of the manor. It may be urgent.

I wondered who I knew who might have sent a letter with an elf, and I was wary, thinking it was from Dumbledore, but then I realised that the old man would have used Fawkes. Thanking the housekeeper again, I picked up the letter and saw that it was from Amelia. Looks like there really is something urgent here.