September first came at last.
Harry didn't bother apparating at King's Cross, choosing not to go through the whole student body and press, crammed on the platform. He detested the thought of being swarmed and questioned about his plans or asked for autographs.
Instead, he was waiting at home for the train to arrive at the school. He would simply phoenix-flash there.
Currently, he and Fleur were taking residence in a summer cottage he owned in Wales. The house, which needed quite a bit of work to become livable, had become their retreat from the world.
No one, except a few friends, knew their whereabouts, and they preferred it that way.
Fleur had cut off all communications with her family, except her sister, of course, who was given a one-way magical mirror that was connected to Fleur's and was able to call on her whenever she liked. Fleur still thanked Sirius for the idea whenever they talked.
Harry took his OWL exams a year early, which wasn't too hard and was now trying to get the theory behind his NEWT exams. That would take almost half a year, according to his estimations.
Fleur took about a month to study the differences between the English and French magical curriculum and had taken her NEWT exams in the ministry, along with Harry.
Predictably, the ministry tried to stop her, or at least make her life as difficult as they could until she managed to get through all the bureaucratic roadblocks they placed in her way.
Being a part-Veela in Britain wasn't easy, but Fleur's determination and Harry's growing influence eventually forced them to relent.
She passed her exams with flying colours—all O's—much to the Ministry's chagrin.
Last but not least, the couple entertained a few guests over their time in the cottage, Sirius being the most regular visitor.
He would bring news from the outside world, not that they weren't keeping up to date, sometimes accompanied by Remus, and their presence always brightened the home with laughter and stories of the Marauders' school days.
Other than the two adults, Hermione and Neville had also passed by a few times.
They also planned for Fleur's little sister to come by, in secret, but that would have to wait for a bit.
Overall, that's what the couple did during the whole summer.
"What do you want to eat for dinner, love?" Fleur murmured in his ear; she was hugging Harry from behind.
"You know I don't mind. You can cook whatever, and I'll most probably enjoy it," he said with an eye roll.
Thankfully, Fleur didn't see it.
There was a loud crack in front of them, and suddenly, Dobby stood before them with tears in his eyes, his large ears drooping sadly. He was wringing his hands together nervously as he shifted from one foot to another.
"When does Dobby be's preparing food for Mr Harry Potter Great Sir, and Mr Harry Potter's Great Lady?"
Fleur raised her eyebrows, ready to dismiss the little elf, but as she watched his eyes growing larger, she sighed, knowing there was no other choice but to admit defeat.
"Fine. Dobby, you can prepare whatever you want today," she said in a very low tone, hoping the elf didn't hear her.
Much to her chagrin, Dobby heard exactly what she said and flashed a smirk at his master.
'Did he just trick her?' Harry wondered amusedly.
Fleur also saw the smile and realised she had just been played. "BUT! Tomorrow's breakfast is on me," she added smugly.
Harry watched dumbfounded as his girlfriend and house-elf sized up each other, admitting each other's competence.
'Someone obliviate me,' he thought, needing to unsee what had just transpired in front of him.
Seriously, who fought for the right to cook a meal?
'I don't know about making you forget, but I could make you stop breathing,' an excited voice sounded in Harry's mind, reverberating with hints of a hiss.
'Yes, because killing Harry and dying with your master is such a wise thing to do,' Fawkes, not one to miss a chance to make fun of Ash, said sarcastically.
'Did someone ask your opinion, fried chicken, or is it simply impossible for you to stay out of other people's businesses?' Ash asked, his thought-voice dripping with venom.
One of these days, he was hoping to teach his older sibling a lesson in humility.
"Excuse me, everyone," Harry suddenly called loudly and stopped all arguments, both in the real world and in his mind.
"I'll be going now," he continued, turning around and kissing Fleur passionately.
"Hmpf," was all she managed to let out before Harry took a step back and disappeared without a trace.
'Merlin, was that getting out of hand,' Harry thought as he appeared outside Hogwarts. He didn't want to leave earlier than he had to, but the circumstances… allowed him no choice.
For some reason, Harry felt a foreboding sense wash over him as he finished that line of thought.
'The circumstances allowed you no choice, huh?' Fleur's voice sounded in his head, making chills run down his spine. 'Guess who's sleeping on the couch tonight.'
Harry could only manage a resigned sigh, hoping his girlfriend wasn't being serious.
'What to do, what to do? I guess leaving home without thinking about it first wasn't smart, huh.'
Pondering on his next course of action, Harry went back to his reason for returning to the school in the first place.
'I could go find the old coot and talk to him. I bet he'd love that, too.'
Coming up with a plan to kill time and a way to alleviate his boredom, Harry walked inside the castle. Talking with Dumbledore was bound to be interesting, if nothing more.
'It's about an hour until the train reaches school. That means, he's probably in his office, right?'
Having no better ideas, Harry started walking in the eerily empty corridors towards the third floor.
Of course, if he had remembered to fetch the Marauder's map, that would have made a few things easier, but alas, he had totally forgotten about it.
Having reached the floor, Harry headed towards the Gargoyle Corridor.
A minute later, he found himself standing in front of the gargoyle that would step aside in response to the correct password.
'Huh. That's annoying,' Harry noted with a frown.
A moment later, he smirked and disappeared, reappearing at the top of the moving staircase.
He immediately noticed an alarm ward triggering, sending its signal into the office.
'So that's how he does it.'
Just as Harry was about to knock on the door, Dumbledore's jovial voice called out from within, "Come in, Harry. I've been expecting you."
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Chapter 131: It's Finally Over