Dinner at Ron's house was everything he'd imagined dinner at the Burrow would have been when Ron and his siblings had been much younger- only involving even more Weasleys as Ron's family was bigger than the one he grew up with. With nine children in all and one on the way, the large table was full of boisterous activity as the kids interacted with one another and laughed at a joke or embarrassing story about their father that Harry told. Not to be outdone, Ron also told a few about Harry.
It was the best night Harry could remember having in a long time.
As Ron was putting the younger children to bed and one of Ron and Padma's twin daughters was talking to Hermione about a book she'd started reading, Padma took the time to talk to Harry alone.
ôYou know... I'm a bit jealous of you three,ö she admitted.
Harry gave her a startled look. ôHow come?ö
Padma sighed, there was a hint of worry in her expression, ôIt's just... The three of you are so close. You've been gone for all this time and yet when you showed up... It was like you never left.ö
Harry smiled. ôThat's because I don't think it's quite hit us yet.ö
She gave him a confused look.
ôI don't think it's really settled into our minds that the 'Golden Trio' doesn't really exist anymore- at least not as it used to. Hermione's got too many responsibilities and Ron's got too much to risk for me to be dragging them off into one form of trouble or another,ö Harry explained. ôThat was in the past and we're all different people now. We're not exactly eighteen anymore.ö
Padma's expression changed to one of guilty relief. ôI don't think you guys have changed all that much.ö
ôDeep down... Maybe not... But times change and people change,ö Harry replied, ôOnly time will tell how well we've adapted to those changes.ö
ôIt's good to have you back, Harry,ö Padma told him.
ôI've been hearing that a lot,ö Harry cheekily responded. More sincerely, he added, ôIt's good to be back.ö
ôParvati is going to be jealous she missed you tonight,ö Padma stated.
ôHow is she, by the way?ö Harry inquired, ôHermione mentioned she works with you and Ron, but I haven't really heard anything else.ö
ôShe's doing well. She's visiting Lavender while she's still in the country,ö Padma informed him. ôThey'd have both probably been here tonight, but Lavender gets... Irritable... Around the full moon and isn't always the best of company.ö
Harry vividly remembered the reason why, as he'd seen her being mauled by Fenrir Greyback the night that Voldemort had been defeated.
ôWhat's Lavender doing these days?ö he asked.
ôShe works for the Ministry of Magic in the Department of Werewolf Affairs, she's their top liaison in the ICW,ö Padma stated.
ôReally?ö Harry said, genuinely surprised. ôI always figured she's grow up to be... An actress or something.ö
ôMaybe without her scars. She had a really tough time dealing with them after the war,ö Padma told him.
ôSounds like she's doing better now, what happened?ö asked Harry.
ôShe ended up adopting a little girl named Tessa, whose parents abandoned her because she was bit by a werewolf,ö Padma sadly replied. ôSeeing how much worse that little girl had it stirred something in Lavender and she's been fighting for the Rights and Fair Treatment of Werewolves ever since.ö
ôAmazing how times and people change, isn't it?ö asked Hermione from the stairway, joining Harry and Padma in the den.
ôHow much did you hear?ö asked Harry.
ôEnough. You know you don't have to be alone anymore,ö Hermione said in a slightly troubled tone. Harry walked over to her, placing his hands on her shoulders.
ôHermione, when the chips are down and the cards are on the table, at the end of the day, I'm never alone,ö Harry assured her.
Hermione smiled. ôI know... It's just... You're back and I think that fact is just settling in for me. I keep expecting you to be gone again the next time I turn around.ö
ôWell, I'm not going anywhere for the foreseeable future,ö Harry soothed.
ôGood. Now that, that is settled and the kids are all tucked in, why don't you tell us what you've been up to these last few years?ö said Ron as he joined the others.
ôAnd here I thought I could put off the interrogation for at least another half hour or so,ö Harry said with a smirk.
ôYou did promise answers when we got here, Harry James,ö Hermione stated taking Ron's side.
ôActually, I said I didn't want to tell you without telling Ron. I never actually said I was going to tell you guys anything once we got here,ö Harry corrected, ignoring the way Hermione was glaring at him.
ôYou do remember she's got one of the meanest right hooks we've ever seen, don't you?ö Ron reminded Harry with a smirk.
Harry shot Ron a smirk of his own. ôKnow that from personal experience do you?ö
ôErr...ö Ron eloquently replied as he lost his playful smirk, opting to look at a rather interesting spot on the floor- his face heating up in a spectacular blush. ôI thought we were talking about you!ö
ôWell there isn't much to tell, really,ö Harry said as they each took a seat in the den. ôI traveled around a bit, lost myself for a while and then finally found something to focus on. When I started putting my life back together, I started bringing Teddy, and sometimes Andromeda, with me to wherever I happened to be at any given time.ö
ôThat doesn't really tell us anything,ö Padma pointed out.
ôLike I said, there isn't really much to tell,ö Harry reiterated. ôI did make a few interesting friends while I was abroad. There was this one dwarf who practically lives at this tavern called 'The Hanged Man' over in the states that is probably the greatest storyteller ever. He could make even the most mundane events into epic tales of the struggles of good and evil. His connections are actually what got me access to my money after I left Britain.ö
ôTethras,ö Hermione said suddenly, at Ron and Padma's confused looks, she elaborated. ôHarry, you must have befriended a member of the Tethras family. Ron and I had been having some difficulties dealing with Gringotts until they stepped in on our behalf. I did a bit of research and found that the Tethras family is one of the more important families in the Dwarven Republic's Merchant's Guild.ö
Harry shrugged off their astonished looks. ôActually, Varric is the head of the family- at least since his brother disappeared.ö
Ron snorted. ôNot much to tell, Harry?ö
ôIn my defense, I had very little to do with any of that. I didn't even know you guys were having any problems with Gringotts,ö Harry replied defensively. ôVarric told me he knew some people that could switch my accounts from Gringotts to Norkral if I was willing to do my banking through the dwarves and I accepted. Everything else was him or someone he knew.ö
ôSo how did you end up meeting and becoming friends with one of the most influential figures in the DR?ö asked Hermione. Ron and Padma were also curious, doubly so when Harry blushed.
ôUm... Err... A bar fight actually...ö Harry stuttered reluctantly. Padma was looking amused, while Ron had to fight to hold back his laughter.
Hermione was looking mildly bothered as she shook her head and sighed. ôOh, Harry...ö
ôIt's not like I started it,ö Harry said defensively, but didn't quite meet their eyes. ôBut I would have finished it, if not for this one guy I swear was a half giant. Tossed me half way across the room, over the bar and through at least two tables.ö
ôAt least two, Harry?ö Ron snickered, ignoring Hermione's glare.
ôWell, I wasn't really in position to count and most of the tables had been demolished by that point anyway,ö Harry said in a chagrined tone. ôBut that's when I met Varric, still sitting at his table drinking the house ale. After I took down the half-giant who happened to really be just a really big man, the Aurors showed up. Needless to say, I was in no position to do anything but get arrested, but he put in a good word for me, paid for the damages to the pub and then took me to a healer. After wards, we bonded over a couple of pints.ö
ôSounds like this Varric isn't the only one good at story telling,ö Hermione said skeptically.
Harry shrugged. ôIt's the version you'd likely hear from Varric- only his version would be far more embellished and have me looking like mix between an expert martial artist and Merlin, taking on the entire room with nothing but a paperclip, a book of matches and a piece of chewed bubblegum. Blindfolded. And having people actually believe that's what happened.ö
Hermione was still looking skeptical, but Ron, however, was intrigued.
ôThink he'd be interested in a job as a scriptwriter?ö asked Ron.
ôAnd give up the freedom of being his own boss?ö asked Harry incredulously. ôThe only thing less likely to happen is finding out the true story of why he named his crossbow Bianca.ö
ôHe named his crossbow?ö Padma asked.
However, before Harry could answer Hermione interrupted, getting the conversation back on track. ôAs interesting as that is, you still haven't told us really anything about your time away.ö
ôAnd like I said, there isn't really all that much to tell. The most exciting parts of my time away were spent with Teddy, anything else I don't like to think about. The earlier years, I pretty much wandered and when I was feeling particularly sorry for myself, I'd get drunk and look for trouble. I was in Mongolia when I finally got in over my head,ö said Harry, not looking at the others, ôHonestly, I don't know what I was thinking at the time and I still haven't figured out exactly all that happened- as I was half delirious, either from the alcohol or from the many blows to the head I took when they finally brought me down- but apparently I impressed this old sorcerer. So instead of being thrown into jail or just dumped in a dark back alley somewhere, I was taken to his compound and nursed back to health.ö
Harry was so lost in his memories that he didn't notice the mixed looks of guilt and horror on his friend's faces.
ôThe price, of course, was that I would become his apprentice,ö Harry smiled as he continued. ôSince I really was in no position to argue, I accepted. The old man was a local living legend. I doubt more than a dozen people knew about him outside of his little corner of the world, but he pretty much ran everything within his little chunk of it. I learned a lot from him. It's also where I first started dabbling in MagiTech- not that it was called that then, seeing as the ICW was still months away from relaxing the laws on using magic on muggle items.ö
Hermione was about to speak when Harry interrupted her.
ôYes, technically, it was illegal, but you can't honestly believe that anyone worth their weight in mithril actually adhered to those laws,ö Harry said. ôEven that Deluminator in Ron's display case over there bends, if not outright breaks, several of the Parisian Accords.ö
ôActually, Potter, I was going to ask what sort magic you learned and what type of MagiTech you enchanted,ö Hermione responded, though the half smile on her face betrayed the annoyed tone in her voice. She knew she'd never live down her law abiding attitude from her school days, especially since she was head of one of the more elite law enforcement organizations within magical society.
Harry blinked. ôOh... Sorry... Old habits and all... ô
ôI'll let it slide for now...ö Hermione mock threatened.
ôThanks,ö Harry replied gratefully. ôUnfortunately, my oaths keep me from talking about most of my training. But I can tell you that I enjoyed my time there and managed to work through my issues and get my head put on straight. However, the old man and I didn't see eye to eye on a couple of issues, and I ended up leaving.ö
Harry paused for a moment, as if considering something before continuing. ôI went to Beijing from there and took the International Floo to Hong Kong. From there I contacted Andromeda and arranged to spend some time with her and Teddy. Between the gold I'd had with me from Mongolia and my freelance work, I didn't really have a need to access my vaults until long after Andromeda and Teddy left. By that time I had been in the U.S. for a couple months. It was actually luck that I'd met Varric when money was starting to become an issue. From there, I switched from the Goblins to the Dwarves to handle my finances since the Republic, unlike the Goblin Hierarchy or the Gnomish Union, hadn't tried to double deal in any way.ö
ôTo be fair, Harry, I don't know what happened between you and the Gnomes, but it's not like we were being totally honest with the Goblins over the whole Lestrange Vault/Sword of Gryffindor thing,ö Ron pointed out. ôNot to mention we did take one of their dragons and demolished a good portion of their London Branch.ö
ôTrue, but I didn't actively try to kill any of them either,ö Harry rebutted. ôThey sent two teams of hitwizards after me before falling back on their 'mythic' Praetorian Guards. The Goblins learned not to fuck with me after that. As for the Gnomes... Less said there, the better.ö
The vehemence of his statement, with the added profanity shocked them all. Ron and Hermione counted themselves lucky that the Goblins hadn't gone after them like that. Padma clutched onto her husband afraid that it might still happen.
