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  This chapter was edited by Gdiusx. Check his works on HP and ASOIAF, I highly recommend them.

  Saturday, 26th of June.

  Greengrass Manor

  “How do you find the tea, Harry?”

  “Spectacur, Mrs Greengrass. I have yet to try a spicy blend before, and I think I might have acquired a taste for it.”

  “I will let Mary know once she returns with the girls. She grew that blend in her garden and only allowed Tracey to know her recipe.”

  “I will have to ask Tracey for it then,” Harry smiled at the beautiful matriarch of the Greengrass family. Or, cn, as he learned through researching the family he hoped to ally with, for the family had roots and branches all over Magical Britain.

  It was not particurly rare; all the pureblood families were reted, but the Greengrass connection has the distinct advantage of being alive. In the war twenty years ago, the Greengrasses pyed both sides, not precisely neutral, but enough for neither side to accuse them of being their enemy.

  Except for two of their most shameful members, one in Azkaban and the other… Well, it was a good thing Daphne and her sisters weren't born when he died. Harry would have to thank Eleanor again for allowing him access to the family’s records. Having friends in such pces was crucial to ascertaining the reputation of certain people. Harry would not have trusted Apollo and Estelle enough to visit their manor if it weren't for the girls.

  If he had to endure Mrs Greengrass' eccentricities, so be it.

  Jon was no stranger to marriage alliances, and Estelle Greengrass’ not so subtle attempt to py matchmaker with her stepdaughter would have worked if he was a normal thirteen-year-old. He could respect the political acumen in using every opportunity to spread their branches, but Harry could only feel exasperation and awkwardness. Couldn’t she have waited for another year or two, or when he wasn’t in a retionship?

  “So… where are Tracey and the rest?” He was confused when he was greeted by Mrs Greengrass alone when he arrived earlier; his letter was specific about the time.

  “An emergency with Mary's parents, I fear. Apollo and the girls had gone with her to help.” Estelle Greengrass’ bright amethyst eyes lost some sheen, and Harry could sense regret and sadness. “They might not be as old as I am, but muggles age so quickly, and our potions do not work as efficiently on their bodies due to the ck of magic.”

  “You have my sympathies. Do you mind if I ask what ails them?”

  “I am not overly familiar with muggle maledictions. Still, I recall dear Mary mentioning they worked as some sort of chemists and dealt with dangerous substances that are unsuited for their health.”

  They were not dead yet, so condolences would be remiss. Unsure of what to say, Harry remained silent, and his gaze wandered. Jon may never have met a Targaryen in their prime, but with Estelle's silvery hair, ethereal features, and amethyst eyes, she could easily be compared to the portraits of famous Targaryen queens he had seen. With how magic worked here, he wouldn't put it past her being able to ride a dragon.

  All she needed was a Valyrian Steel bde and a crown to become Visenya Targaryen reborn.

  “Took a good look, dear?” Estelle’s amused voice shook him out of his stupor.

  “Quite,” Harry admitted, pushing down his flush and trying to hide his face by taking a sip of tea. “You are very beautiful, my dy.”

  Her smile widened further. “What a charmer. In a few years, you’ll have all the maidens wrapped around your finger. Now, Harry, we still have a long while until dinner. I recall you mentioned something about enchanting Goblin Wrought Silver?”

  “You recall correctly,” Harry, gd she graciously changed the topic, pced down his teacup and rummaged in his mokeskin pouch. After a moment, he retrieved Gryffindor, sheathed in its simple scabbard. Estelle's eyes widened as Harry pced the silvery bde atop the table, her gaze fixed on the Old English runes etched on the bde.

  “Could that be…”

  “Indeed it is.”

  The woman's violet eyes roved over the enchanted bde, easily ignoring the gaudy hilt with its rubies. “May I?”

  “Help yourself, but be careful,” he added quickly when Lady Greengrass moved to touch the bde. “The tip is imbibed with basilisk venom.”

  Estelle's eyes widened as she carefully avoided the tip and held the sword close to her eye with surprising ease. She suddenly stood and motioned for him to follow her. Harry obliged as she led the way out of the opulent drawing room through the long hallways of the massive manor that was easily thrice as rge as his own. Their steps echoed on the dark wooden flooring, and Harry used this opportunity to appreciate the manor itself.

  It was easy to tell the age and wealth of House Greengrass by virtue of the amount of portraits he had come across. Many ancestors of the Greengrass family greeted him as he passed by, many of them from all sorts of families who married into House Greengrass. There were Abbots, Bones, MacMilns, Bcks, Crabbes, a Pucé, and even a Potter dy who could have been Henry's great-aunt if he remembered the family tapestry.

  They reached their destination as Mrs Greengrass stopped before a rge door made from a single granite block. She pointed her wand at a small square in the middle of the wall, causing a golden thread to connect to a nearly invisible rune that shined bright green for a heartbeat before dimming. The door melted into the wall, and Estelle Greengrass ushered him into a strange octagonal room with dark walls made from a mysterious, smooth material. There were bookshelves on one side, crates full of materials on another, an anvil and furnace, and many other things.

  His attention was caught by a strange table made from dark blue wood inscribed with runes. Estelle Greengrass pced Gryffindor on the table before turning to him.

  “Welcome to my atelier. Here, we shall learn the secrets of Godric Gryffindor’s legendary bde.”

  The woman's excitement was infectious, and Harry swiftly joined her when she beckoned for him and listened attentively to how she did her work.

  .

  .

  .

  “A summoning charm?”

  “Indeed. Considering the circumstances behind your acquisition of the bde, I can safely assume the sword can be summoned by,” Estelle paused as she read over what her enchanted quill had scribbled on a roll of parchment. “Anyone whom Godric Gryffindor’s hat, Gaston, believes in espousing the traits of his house.”

  He failed to stifle his unbidden snort. Gaston? Harry shook his head, “Well, this won't do. I won the sword fair and square, and I would rather not have some random bloke summon it from my wall just because a ratty old hat thinks he's worthy.”

  Estelle's melodic ugh had him smile sheepishly. It had been an hour since the master enchantress had begun studying the sword, giving him first-hand experience of the esoteric art of enchanting and smithing. Harry was embarrassed to admit that he expected the talented witch to pick up a hammer and start beating on the sword like a muggle bcksmith. Instead, it was all done with her wand and the enchanting table that disabled the sword's protection.

  Estelle was loath to tamper too much with the bde, for the Sword of Gryffindor had far too much historical value intact than any enchantments it may get. Instead, she merely removed the pommel and the hilt and installed a grip that matched him better without altering the sword itself, before returning them in pce. Its gaudy rubies remained, for Godric Gryffindor himself had encrusted them, but at least they weren't useless ornaments. Harry learned that the rubies could be used as power stones or anchors for certain spells, things that he would learn soon in Hogwarts, and they retained traces of magic from their maker.

  “The summoning charm is an impressive piece of magic, far different from the modern summoning spell,” Daphne’s mother concluded. “It is closer to a reverse port key, but those have never been successful in their implementation. Some ancient artefacts and tombs have simir charms or curses, but it's rare for anyone to get the chance to study them. Those who do hide their findings jealously.”

  The older woman looked at him with a gaze that reminded Harry of Sansa requesting an additional serving of lemon cake from her mother.

  “I suppose I can leave the sword in your care,” Harry conceded. “But I must be informed of all of your findings and teach me what you could about the process.”

  “Of course,” Estelle Greengrass beamed at him in a way that made her eyes shine like amethysts. Harry had to remind himself that the seemingly young woman beside him was nearly seventy years old. “I'm sure I can include you in my daughters’ lessons. You are taking Arithmancy, correct? Tracey will also take it as well.”

  Once more, the woman’s attempts to pair him with Tracey was both amusing and awkward. Harry was committed to Susan now, and Tracey had lost her chance with her games.

  Suddenly, a white spectre of a hawk flew in through the walls, and Harry gawked when the Patronus spoke in Apollo Greengrass’ voice, “Finished with the matter. On our way back.”

  “Splendid, give me a moment to store the sword away, and we can go greet them by the Floo.”

  Harry watched as the master enchantress stored his sword and led him out of the chamber. His thoughts trailed towards Gryffindor and what they discovered.

  The sword itself had proven to be almost a disappointment from a magical standpoint. A well-crafted masterpiece of Goblin Wrought Silver, one of the earliest examples of the metal, but cked any additional enchantments, aside from the imbibement of basilisk venom. A good bde with a storied history, but not functionally better than anything else galleons could buy. It still had some mysteries to uncover, such as why only the tip was imbibed and not the edges, but Estelle assured him she could discover them in due time.

  Harry would find it more difficult to purchase a spell-forged sword tempered by an alchemist and enchanted by a master enchantress. Such a sword would make Gryffindor pale in comparison. The only boon the sword had was the recalling charm, which was bound to the encrusted ruby by Gryffindor. Harry could see many uses for such a spell - his attempts at apparition had seen limited success; Chiara had to heal him more than once when he inevitably splinched himself. Not to mention, there may come a time when he may need the sword and being able to summon it instantaneously would be an unpleasant surprise for any foe.

  A*L*S*M

  “So, Tori has not had any side effects at all?” Harry gnced at the excitable girl as she talked her mother’s ear off, who was trying to have her not help in the kitchen and join her father and Daphne in setting up the dining room.

  They were cooking dinner, as the Greengrass house-elf was forbidden from working in the kitchens for some reason that no one was willing to share. Harry had insisted on helping and Mary Davis simply shrugged before assigning him his tasks, cutting then marinating the meat. Tracey was nearby chopping vegetables, her blonde hair tied in a ponytail, and pcing them in a muggle mixer before turning it on.

  It was a surprise when he learnt the Greengrasses had muggle appliances in their home, using magic to power them instead of electricity. They even had a ndline to a telephone he found, courtesy of Mary and a Greengrass retive who worked in the Muggle Liaison Office who knew a squib who knew a muggle electrician who knew about magic from his witch niece and agreed to do the job.

  The Greengrass cn’s connections truly were expansive.

  “None, but the extra energy she had received from your blood had finally started to abate two days prior.”

  Harry gazed at her bnkly before pointedly turning to the girl in question getting manhandled by her mother out of the kitchens. Mary chuckled as she stood over the stove, an antiquated thing that ran on some sort of magical fuel made from red dust that he saw the dy chuck inside a compartment, instead of wood. Mary then set a grill on one side of the fire while she checked on the several pots and pans of stew and other dishes on the stove, her wand flying all over the kitchen to summon ingredients and animate kitchen tools.

  Harry took this chance to inspect Tracey’s mother. The woman was short, barely an inch taller than her daughter, with blonde hair that normally fell in curls to her shoulders but was now tied into a bun. She had a soft, heart-shaped face, a well-endowed figure, pale skin, the same mole as her daughter’s and brown eyes that gave her a calcuting look with their perpetual furrowed brows.

  “Yes, she was even more excitable than that. We took her to Saint Mungo’s for Head Healer Tonks to check on her, and he cleared her of any issues. He did ask that we keep an eye on her and note any change in behaviour or energy levels for him to cover on the next visit.”

  “I see.” Once he finished cutting the shank into steak-sized pieces, he accepted the diced vegetables from Tracey and added them into the marinated mix he set aside, then thered the meat deeply into them. He was not by any means an experienced cook, as Petunia Dursley rarely let him cook anything aside from breakfast, yet following Mary Davis' clear instructions was simple enough. “Will you be in need of my blood today?”

  “Most likely not. However, I would certainly appreciate an emergency vial or two nearby in case Tori repses.” Mary’s shrewd brown eyes softened as she turned to where Astoria and her mother had left, “I am not a healer by trade, yet I know of muggle methods well enough. Healer Tonks was kind enough to teach me his transfusion method, just in case.”

  Harry nodded as he finished drowning the meat in the marination mix, while Tracey brought a rectangur container with strange runes etched on it and pced it on the counter, where she motioned for him to pce the meat inside. “Shouldn’t we leave the meat for a few hours to properly marinate?”

  “Only if you’re a muggle,” Tracey snorted as she closed the container, then tapped her wand on a certain rune that had it shaking for a few heartbeats before letting out a chime. Harry noticed that his blonde friend shared her mother’s furrowed eyebrows, though hers seemed to be from concentration rather than perpetual. The girl opened the container, allowing an aromatic smell to explode to his senses, then picked the meat slices to pce them on the grill.

  “Fascinating. I assume Mrs Greengrass enchanted this contraption?”

  “You assume correctly, my dear. Estelle is a rare breed in that she is a savant in enchanting but profoundly understands the method behind it. She has taught me all I know.” Mary’s lips widened to a fond smile as she checked on a pot of rice. “This is The Marination Mixer 3.0, as she calls it, and don’t ask about the first two editions. You’re better off not knowing. It is something she created on a whim when Murdock, Apollo’s elf, attempted to help us cook once.”

  “Ah, elf troubles? I thought I was the only one with a half-mad elf.” Harry chortled as he took over the grill from Tracey while the girl brought over a cart to pce the food on.

  “They can be such helpful dearies, but it’s rare for elves to be masters in every household craft.” Mary sighed as she filled the cart with their meal. “Murdock has a green thumb and is good at cleaning, yet he fears fire and struggles with animation charms. I know Estelle had entertained the idea of procuring another elf, but Apollo would not hear of it; he loves his elf, fws and all.”

  “I see,” Harry lifted the cooked meat onto one of the ptes before taking the next slice. “On a separate note, I heard your parents were not in good health. I wish them a speedy recovery.”

  “Thank you, dear. They had dabbled in chemicals and radioactive material that gave them complications in their advanced age. Thankfully, our potions worked this time. Tracey and I visit them on a weekly basis in summer, and they are always ecstatic to hear about her adventures in school.”

  “Mom, please; all the adventures I had are nothing compared to this troublemaker’s casual Tuesday.” It was the first time that Harry heard Tracey speak so casually.

  “What can I say? I believe I was blessed with an interesting life.”

  They chuckled genially as they loaded the cart with food and drinks before making their way to the dining room. Harry’s stomach was already rumbling and demanding its due, and once they started eating, he was gd he helped, for the food was wonderful.

  .

  .

  .

  After dinner, Harry had requested to speak in private with the Greengrass lord. The man had brought him over to a terrace overlooking the cliff the manor was built on, the sea waves crashing onto the rocks below, but the sound was dampened thanks to a muffling ward.

  Estelle had spoken with her husband and sister-wife in hushed voices before dragging Mary with her to her atelier, presumably to start working on his sword. Astoria id on a floating carpet that looked softer than his bed and pyed with an assortment of adorable and fluffy animals.

  Tracey, however, had been acting oddly, and even now, as his eyes settled on her, Harry found her frowning at a copy of Witch Weekly. Daphne had given her the magazine, but not before grinning at him with a knowing look after speaking to her father and going back inside the manor.

  Satisfied that his conversation with Apollo Greengrass would be private enough, Harry moved closer to the man, who looked amused, if nothing else.

  “Say, Mr Greengrass–”

  “Please, call me Apollo, Harry.” The handsome lord lightly rebuked as he gnced at him from over the newspaper he was reading with the same eyes as his daughters, puffing on a smoking pipe. “What burdens your mind?”

  “I am sure you know of the wildnd in my territory which is a newly formed one and unexplored. The ministry had notified me that a team from the DCRMC would visit soon to commence an expedition into the mountain.”

  “Oh? I know the matter of your wildnd had been a hotly debated topic, for the ministry had kept a tight lid on its existence until you brought it to the spotlight. What seems to be the problem now?”

  “The issue is that the DCRMC has failed to show, and every letter I sent was ignored. The amount of magical creatures migrating through my nds into the wildnd has increased exponentially.” Harry avoided mentioning that he suspected it was due to the heart tree. Its roots had dug deeper and deeper, straight into the leylines, and even the magic in the air had thickened considerably.

  “I see,” the older man changed the page of his paper and took a deep puff from his pipe before exhaling a smoke dragon that flew into the afternoon sun. “Have any of the beasts caused any trouble for you?”

  “Nothing that I could not handle, and most of them stayed out of sight of the muggles. Rather, I am rethinking my stance in allowing the ministry access to my nds. I believe I can benefit much more by partnering with someone of influence and power to benefit us both.”

  “Smart,” Apollo grinned as he pced the Daily Prophet away and gave him his full attention. “So, what do you have in mind?”

  “Well, I have a potential mountain of gold waiting for an intrepid adventurer or two to explore. Mayhaps certain craftsmen or potion masters would be interested in any flora or fauna that calls that mountain home. Unfortunately, the only entrance is through my nds, for even when I flew on my broom, I found myself mysteriously changing directions.”

  The man leaned forward, undisguised interest written all over his face. “And it would be foolish to allow any random witch or wizard access to your nds just to enter the wildnd. However, if you charge them an entrance fee and provide them with certain amenities that they would find helpful once they inevitably exit the mountain, tired or wounded, yet den with treasure, I'm certain that many would flock to your nd.”

  Harry had to fight the urge to gawk at the older man's business acumen. He honestly had not thought that far ahead, only thinking about his personal power and wealth. The Potter lord had entertained the idea of gathering a team of like-minded individuals to explore the wildnd and reap all the rewards for themselves. Apollo Greengrass' proposal, however, made a lot more sense, especially since he would be far too busy with school.

  Before he could reply, their attention was caught by Tracey standing abruptly and walking towards them. The eldest daughter of Apollo Greengrass had the magazine clenched tightly in her hands as she stood before them. Harry could sense frustration and determination coming from the girl as she threw the magazine on the table.

  “Father, may I have permission to use your training room?”

  “Daphne is already preparing it, I believe,” Apollo chuckled. “Harry, I am most interested in this matter you mentioned, but how about you go ahead with Tracey and get some magic practice in? We shall discuss more ter. Tori, do you want to join them?”

  Astoria gnced up at the sound of her name, a pygmy puff held above her head as she cooed and cuddled to it. “No, I wanna stay with you, Daddy.”

  The girl yawned, causing Mr Greengrass’ lips to widen. “That's my girl.”

  Harry thought it wouldn't be too bad to do some duelling practice. He had yet to acclimate to his new wand. “If Tracey doesn’t mind, then certainly. Lead the way.”

  As he stood from his seat, he paused as his eyes fell on the Witch Weekly. The cover dispyed a picture of him and Susan walking hand in hand in Diagon Alley.

  “The Boy-Who-Loved…?” Harry groaned in annoyance. “What in the seven bloody hells?!”

  Apollo seemed to find his reaction very riveting, judging by the amused puffs of his pipe.

  Tracey’s face had turned into a frosty mask, and her arms were crossed as she waited for him. “Shall we?”

  .

  .

  .

  The two teens stood a dozen feet apart, their shoulders squared and their wands drawn. The boy looked rexed, yet his eyes were narrowed in anticipation, while the blonde girl gripped her wand tightly.

  Daphne had volunteered to referee and stood in the middle. “Okay, I want a nice clean duel. Daddy might have allowed us to use his duelling room, but that does not mean we get to make a mess, or else we will have to clean it up. And I'm sick of cleaning things up, so no Transfiguration!” The dark-haired girl grinned, seemingly enjoying the anticipation of the coming duel, before backing off swiftly. “Begin!”

  “Rictusempra!”

  Harry Potter sidestepped the tickling jinx easily, the spell flying at the speed of a thrown pebble, yet to him, it looked as if it was going through mosses. His blonde-haired opponent jabbed her wand again, sending jinx after hex at him, but he easily dodged them all while advancing towards her. After a few minutes of him dodging and his opponent tiring herself out, she let out an uncharacteristic growl.

  “Stop dancing and start casting, Harry!”

  “Now, Tracey. Dodging is an essential aspect of fighting. If your opponent is too–” He calmly dodged the sickening yellow curse and smirked at his incensed opponent. “As I was saying, if your opponent is too easily provoked, then you're better off conserving your energy for one critical attack.”

  He emphasised his statement with a silent Expelliarmus that ripped Tracey's wand from her hand and grabbed it from the air. Harry crossed the st few feet to stand before the defeated girl and returned her wand.

  “Fight is over, Harry wins!” Daphne sent colourful sparks from her wand at the two of them, but Harry had eyes only for her blonde sister.

  “Good duel, but you need better control over your emotions.”

  Tracey accepted her wand but did not look satisfied, causing Harry to sigh. The girl might have requested the duel under the veil of training, yet he knew it had to do with him now dating Susan.

  With Witch Weekly’s test edition, now everyone would know about it. The sheer amount of drama they were spewing drowned out the perfectly entertaining piece of writing that Luna wrote for the Quibbler about his experience in the ministry. He would have thought someone was targeting Lovegood's papers if not for him suspecting it was a way to drown out the drama with Malfoy. The magazine had been covering conspiracy theories on Malfoy and his predation on girls, and how for young witches to protect themselves from simir creeps.

  And wasn't that a surprise! Lucius’s death had him wanting to dance a jig, but he realised the fool wasn't worth it. His letter to Narcissa offering his condolences was returned with curt gratitude. Harry didn't bme the woman, for she knew of his personal feelings towards her husband. Still, it was only polite to reach out after all the help she had provided to him.

  “Yeah… good duel.” He could sense the surprising honesty in Tracey’s frustrated words as she looked everywhere else but him.

  “Okay, my turn.” Daphne’s amused voice made him tense. “This is vengeance for my sister, Tarantallegra!”

  Harry barely had time to jerk away from the purple hex that sailed just beside him. Spinning around, his wand flung a tickling jinx that Daphne dodged, a wicked smile on her face.

  From there, they duelled in earnest, and while Daphne was as skilled as her sister, she was not as athletic. Still, Harry was surprised by the cool control the normally vivacious girl had compared to her frustrated sister. Daphne’s dodging form was excellent, there were no unneeded or exaggerated movements, and her chanting and wand motions were lightning-quick. It turned into a fun game as Harry continued with flinging charms and hexes to see how far Daphne could handle them.

  Yet after a few minutes, the girl was puffing like a horse after a race. Finally, when Daphne dodged a simple stinging hex, the Greengrass heiress tripped over her feet and stumbled into the softened ground. Harry was about to disarm her when he heard a muttered Petrificus Totalus behind him, causing him to fling himself away from the petrifying charm and throw a disarming charm blindly. Tracey had long since moved from her position to stand behind her sister, a cheshire grin on her normally cool face.

  “Attacking from behind? Have you no honour?”

  “My honour is to my family, first and foremost.” The blonde girl helped her sister as they aimed their wands at him. “What’s wrong, Harry? Is taking on two witches at the same time too much for you?”

  “A decent taunt,” Harry admitted, pushing down his annoyance and looking at Tracey who was obviously trying to buy time for her sister to catch a breather. “Daphne can rest for five minutes, and then both of you can come at me together.”

  “Quite arrogant,” Tracey clicked her tongue but did not refuse.

  “You can think of it as such, but it would be harsh of me to not allow you a smidgen of a chance to defeat me.” Harry snarked back, the blonde girl narrowing her eyes.

  They remained silent for a few minutes, Daphne gulping air as if her life depended on it, both girls twirling their wands and gncing at each other. Tracey took a step back, allowing Daphne to hide her wand arm and the dark-haired girl grinned at him.

  “Well, you certainly have the right to be arrogant, but you must also be tiring after two duels.”

  “I assure you I can take twice as many and still prevail. The question would be; How long can you st? I can do this all day and more.”

  “Oh, that's a challenge we have to see. Now–”

  Harry interrupted Daphne with a lightning-quick disarming charm that forced both girls to scramble out of the way. Words were useless, and if they wanted a fight, he would give them one.

  He did not allow the girls a moment of respite, for several minutes, he bsted hexes and jinxes at them, while moving to keep them both in the same line of fire. Slowly but surely, Harry pushed the two girls together, as both were far more exhausted than he was.

  After another minute, Harry stopped for a heartbeat to catch a breath - silently casting so much magic was not as easy as he made it to be. The sisters gnced at each other, Daphne grinning victoriously while Tracey smiled in defiance. A silent conversation seemed to pass between them in that instant before they suddenly jabbed their wands at him.

  “Incendio/Ventus!”

  Harry's eyes widened at the sudden combination spell. It was aimed in a way that would force him to dodge to his left, but the attack was so wide that for a couple of heartbeats, he would be blind for another attack. He could barely hear one of the girls dashing to where they expected him to dodge, and Harry had to hand it to them. It was a smart pn, except for one minor detail they forgot.

  He had been holding back heavily so far.

  “Protego.”

  The massive shield sprung up from his weirwood wand, and he jabbed forward, causing it to meet the fming spell head-on and disperse it. Daphne's wide eyes only had a second to register their spell failing before his silent petrification hit her square in the chest.

  Harry sidestepped a nasty yellow curse that would have given him an annoying rash and sent a barrage of jinxes and hexes at the ft-footed Tracey. The spells were all minor and alone would not pose any danger. But the sheer amount he sprayed at the girl had her dancing in an attempt to dodge them but to no avail. Within seconds, Tracey joined her sister on the ground, and Harry picked up both of their wands, grinning smugly as he stared at his defeated foes.

  “Good pn, but you were simply faced with the wrong opponent.” He silently cast Finite at them, causing them to groan as they stood and rubbed the bruises from the duel. “Here, and for the record, I do not look kindly on such cheap shots, Tracey.”

  The girls accepted their wands, with Tracey looking at the ground in shame at his cold tone. Still, Harry respected that the girl was willing to taint her honour for the sake of her family. He held her chin, raising it to face him, and noticed they were the same height now.

  “Don't be morose now, you backed up your sister no matter what. That's good.” Tracey's cheeks flushed, and Harry frowned inwardly as he let go, realising this could be mistaken for flirting.

  “And we nearly got you too!” Daphne jumped in, grabbing her sister in a side hug and pulling out her tongue at him. “Just, how do you have so much power? Silent casting too? And that shield charm, that's a fourth-year spell!”

  “I read ahead, and I did say I can keep going all day,” Harry frowned when both girls' cheeks reddened but assumed it was the exertion. “You did well, Daphne. Might need to start exercising more, as you tired out far faster than Tracey.”

  “Ugh, not you too! Mary said the same thing during my punishment. I got the perfect partner here to back me up.” The Greengrass heiress hugged her sister tighter, Tracey smiling lightly as they rubbed each other's cheeks. “Such a good sister, isn't she? Far more reliable than other people.”

  Both sisters truly were very close to each other, and it reminded Jon of his retionship with Robb. Despite having different mothers, they were as close as twins.

  Still, Harry was tired of their constant games. “Okay, what gives?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You know what I mean, Daphne. Your parents were showing off Tracey to me like a prized mare for an auction.” Both girls winced and their eyes widened in shock, “I'm sure you learned from Witch Weekly, but I'm dating Susan now. I already agreed to help Astoria with her curse problem, so there is no need to cosy up to me by disrespecting Tracey in such– why the bloody hell are you ughing?!”

  The girls’ shock had since turned into amusement as their lips quivered and their bodies shook until Daphne guffawed as she held her sister for support. Tracey barely held in a snort as she giggled as if he just told them the funniest joke ever. Harry was both peeved and confused; was he mistaken? Did he arrogantly believe Tracey was interested in him and her family was setting him up for a honey trap?

  Finally, Tracey took pity on him and let go of her sister, who theatrically fell on the cushioned floor but continued giggling. The blonde girl approached him with a glint in her eyes as she gazed at him, her eyes drinking him in without shame.

  “I don't care one whit if you date Susan or any other girl for that matter. I have dawdled in my interest, and that's my fault. I lost that coin toss, and that's also my fault. However,” with every word, Harry felt more and more confused until Tracey pced both of her hands on his shoulders. “I have decided to no longer hesitate, nor shall I hide my interest, nor will I give up. Girlfriends can be fleeting, and here and now, I am decring my interest. The future is not set in stone, and know that I will be waiting.”

  Before he could reply to this utterly ludicrous confession, Tracey kissed him. So shocking was the kiss that by the time Harry was grabbing the girl’s shoulders to push her, she had already let go of him and skipped back to her sister with a sly grin. “This is but a taste for when you change your mind.”

  For a moment, Harry wondered if Tracey and Daphne were pranking him with Polyjuice, for he never expected the blonde girl to be so audacious. But no, as Daphne wolf-whistled and Tracey’s face gradually turned a fiery red, as she seemingly realised how brazen she had acted, Harry had only one thought in his mind.

  What the actual fuck?

  Finally, the visit to Greengrass manor. Once again, this chapter went for longer than I pnned. We learn more about the Sword of Gryffindor, and Harry appears to have found another business opportunity.

  Most importantly, at long st, Tracey has found her guts and goes all in with no doubts. I hope you enjoyed the duel. Spell casting is more difficult to write than regur fights.