How It Should Have Been (3)

7 Advanced chapters on Patreon: Fiction Haven

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"Ah, young Harry. It has been some time since we last met," Ollivander the wandmaker greeted Harry as he scooted over.

"It has been some time indeed, Mr Ollivander," Harry greeted back with a smile.

"Hi, Harry," Fleur greeted as she flanked his side.

"Hello, Fleur. Having a good time at Hogwarts so far?"

"I have had better."

Harry chuckled at the response. He almost forgot Fleur was still an insufferable bitch in her Seventh Year. Lily entered the room, joining her fellow judges. After exchanging a few pleasantries with Ollivander, the ceremony started. Viktor's wand was the first one to be examined. Ollivander took great interest in it.

"10¼ inches, made out of hornbeam with a dragon heartstring core. Thicker than usual and quite rigid. It is one of the last wands sold by wandmaker Gregorovitch. A find wand you have there, Mr Krum."

Once Ollivander finished assessing Viktor's wand, he took Fleur's wand. He was not as impressed but still paid it with a decent interest.

"9½ inches, made out of rosewood with Veela hair core and inflexible. A unique wand you have there, Miss Delacour."

"Why, yes. My grandmother personally gave me her hair for the core."

"Right."

Returning Fleur's wand, Ollivander looked at Harry eagerly. Harry handed over his grey-coloured wand and let Ollivander examine it in earnest.

"I know this wand. I made this myself, customed solely for one young Harry. 12¾ inches, made out of yew wood with Thestral tail hair core. Unyielding but not rigid. A fine wand it is indeed. Took me an entire month to create this one."

Ollivander returned Harry's wand and announced the weighing was finished. Ludo Bagman immediately urged the Champions to take photos. They posed before the camera, trying out a lot of poses and formations. Harry looked magnificent in each photo and it took everything out of Lily not to blurt that out. She didn't want to embarrass the young man.

When the photoshoot was done, Harry and the others got out of the room. Lily wanted to pull Harry aside, but Fleur snatched him first. Lily could only look at the girl in resentment as she dragged Harry to the Great Hall.

Lily waited until the end of the feast to approach Harry. Fleur was still on Harry's side, but Lily paid her no mind and stopped Harry. Fleur cowered slightly as Harry smiled faintly at Lily. The feisty redhead found herself enjoying the look of submission from the girl. She was glad the haughty witch knew her place. Mommy comes first!

"I guess you have something to talk about with your Mama. Don't let me bother you, Harry," Fleur excused herself with a smile. "Good night, Madame Potter."

"Good night, Miss Delacour. Thank you for your understanding," Lily replied in kind. After Fleur left, she quirked an eyebrow. "Fancy yourself a little Veela, eh?" She tried to sound teasing but sounded irritated instead.

"An interesting witch that one. However, we have nothing going on between us, for the moment at least," Harry waved his hand, ignoring Lily's accusing look.

"Are you sure it is not due to her allure?" Harry quirked an eyebrow at her remark, causing her to scold herself inwardly. "Sorry. I was just trying to look out for you."

"I am quite a decent Occlumen, you know," Harry supplied in amusement. "Why don't we resume our talk while we walk?"

Lily immediately brightened up and walked beside Harry. Their hands were brushing against each other. Harry knew Lily was dying to hold his hand but pretended not to realize. He didn't mind acting chummy with her, but she had to be the one who initiated it. She needed to bear the ramifications of her debacle, after all.

"What do you think about going to Hogsmeade at the end of the week?" Harry asked.

"That's a great idea!" Lily accepted.

"Don't you have any plans with your son?" Harry said curiously.

"Well, I do now that he asked me to go to Hogsmeade," Lily responded cheekily.

After deciding on the meeting time, Harry took Lily to her quarter. He spent his time in the Chamber of Secrets until it was time for the nightly patrol. Harry found no one sneaking out of their house, although he found a couple of Prefects snogging in empty classrooms. He would have let them enjoy themselves if they weren't tasked to patrol. So, he had to ruin their fun.

When he finished his patrol, he got into his room and slept. Morning came in the blink of an eye. He spent the day studying independently, sometimes chatting with Lily when they met. During the evening feast, Fleur spent her time with him. They found a secluded place this time and practised the French courtesy.

The next few days were spent in the same manner. Harry would sometimes visit Lily's class and have a light chat with her afterwards. In the evening, he and Fleur would have a snog if Lily didn't manage to intercept them. Just like that, the weekend came and so did the date with Lily.

Lily found herself dressing to the best of her ability. She was wearing a V-neck cream blouse and a grey side-slit skirt that extended slightly below her knees. Her black, high-heeled boots accentuated her round bottom, adding more charm to her appearance. A date with her estranged son made her as giddy as if it was her first date.

Once she was satisfied with her looks, she came out of her quarter. It was much to her surprise that her stunning young man was leaning on the wall outside. She found herself incapable of talking when his shining emerald eyes looked her up and down.

"Looking good, Lily. James will be jealous if he finds out his wife dresses this good for another man."

Waking up from her daze, Lily looked around in faux confusion, "What man are you talking about?"

Deciding to tease the redheaded witch, Harry pinned one of her hands into the wall and huskily whispered, "This man." He greatly enjoyed Lily's red face. Taking her hand beside him, he led the red-faced witch. "Now, let's go before the weather disappoints us."

The weather disappointed them. They had only spent a few hours in Hogsmeade when rain washed over the village. The rain didn't ruin their clothes thanks to magic but ruined their date. Harry was quite apprehensive when Lily suggested taking shelter at Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. The pink theme of the shop repulsed him instinctively.

Harry's reaction made Lily more eager to visit it. Harry shrugged and let her have her fun. It was much to his surprise that the shop was not that bad. The served tea was decent and the atmosphere was great for relaxation, that was, if you could ignore the couples who couldn't stop smooching each other.

"Wow… they have gotten bold," Lily remarked uncomfortably as she looked around.

"Teenagers. They have been like that since the olden days," Harry supplied with a shrug.

"Are you saying you are no different?" Lily frowned.

"It depends." Harry leaned forward. "As I see it, my partner is not going to suck my lips like a Dementor."

"H- Harry…"

Harry snorted as Lily swatted his arm. She was surprisingly strong, he noted. They talked about mundane things while waiting for the rain to stop. Lily's cheeks were red the entire time. She looked like she wanted to burst out of the shop at any moment and Harry enjoyed it greatly. She needed to taste the ramifications of her actions.

When the rain stopped, Lily urged Harry to get out of the shop. He did it slowly, earning a scowl from her. She was mad that he found the time to bother someone's girlfriend. Well, the witch had been the one approaching him, but it was the same thing for Lily.

The day passed in the blink of an eye. It was not a perfect date but an enjoyable one regardless. Harry had been a little distant but a great date still. When they were back at Hogwarts, Lily asked Harry if he would like to have another Hogsmeade weekend with her. Much to her delight, he agreed.

"Mate, is your brother trying to ward off girls by spending his Hogsmeade weekends with your mother?" Ron asked, recalling how often Harry and Lily were hanging out the last three weeks.

"They are catching up…I guess," Charlus answered uncertainly. There was a growing pitch in his stomach every time he watched Harry hanging out with his mother, but he was too embarrassed to spend time with his mother as Harry did.

Ignoring the strange looks Charlus and Ron sent their way, Harry brought Lily inside the Three Broomsticks and ordered a private room. Harry ordered a bottle of Firewhiskey for the two of them and drank it when it arrived. The warmth from the alcohol made their body relaxed. They talked and Lily became emotional the more she drank.

"I realized I did something very wrong. I knew I shouldn't have left you behind…but I was afraid. I was afraid of losing you or Charlus. Even if it hurt you, I prefer you to be alive. That's why I left you alone. But then, I couldn't help it. I could no longer be content with hearing about you from Bella. And so, I came. But you were so cold…"

Lily sobbed. Harry smiled wryly at the situation. Of course, he was gentlemanly enough to comfort the woman. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, lending his shoulder for her to cry on. Lily had a different idea, however, as she mounted him and peppered his face with kisses.

"Oh, how I wish I could riddle you with kisses every night. But I know you won't like it, so I will bid my time…"

Lily's red face and tear-stricken eyes were an amusing combination. Harry found himself chuckling, forgoing the resentment he had toward the woman.

"You can do it now."

Quest Complete!

"Really?"

"Of course."

With a bright smile, Lily kissed Harry, the French way.

Attained Charms Mastery and the Forbidden Fruit!

Enjoy your Mum!

It was not about the Devil Fruit all along.