Time Keeps on Slipping - Chapter 6

Lunch was nice. The selection of dishes was indeed quite tasty. Hannah had been too busy to stop by to talk. They hadn't been all that close, so it was mostly a general curiosity. After all, strangeness around Harry was the standard and taking care of her customers was more important.

"Is Louis a Veela?" Harry asked as they waited for dessert.

"Non." Fleur shook her head. "There are no male Veela. Any daughters he has will be a half-Veela. They will not have the allure but will still be beautiful."

"Humble too?" Harry teased.

Fleur pouted.

"Unless the mother has any Veela blood." Vic added. "All their kids will be girls and full Veela."

"Hm." Harry nodded.

"Are you set on going to Hogwarts in the fall?" Fleur asked.

"I think so." Harry nodded. "I don't know what else I'd do. It would be nice to finish school too."

"You sound like Aunt Mione." Vic chuckled.

"It's a good plan." Dominique chided.

"You just want him to be at school with you." Vic teased.

Dominique glared at her sister but didn't say anything.

"How many monsters and dark wizards should I prepare for?" Harry asked with a crooked smile.

"Don't joke about that." Dominique gasped. "That isn't funny."

"Yes, it is." Vic laughed.

"Only because you graduated." Dominique pouted.

"We are mostly in a time of peace." Fleur cut in before her daughters could get started. "There is the occasional wizard that thinks they are the next dark lord. The auror department is well funded and Nymphadora does a wonderful job."

"That's good to know." Harry smiled at her. "Less than four then."

Fleur and Vic laughed while Dominique glared at the trio.

"We should be getting back." Fleur said after a moment. "I'm sure Hermione will work herself into a tizzy if we are out for too much longer."

"That sounds like her." Harry nodded.

That got a giggle from bother younger Veela. Harry arced an eyebrow at them.

"She's the Minister." Fleur offered. "Even the family has a certain distance when discussing her."

He frowned as he rolled the statement around in his head. That didn't sound good. Hermione would never admit it, but she needed someone close to remind her to breath.

"What about Ron?" Harry braced himself for the answer.

Fleur gave a little sigh. She shrugged but didn't speak. They weren't a good match. He would have never put the two of them together. Hell, it was Ron who caused Hermione to be in the bathroom when the troll arrived. Where his loyalty was fickle, she was steadfast. Where Ron was happy to coast by, Hermione was driven.

Harry nodded.

Vic and Dominique watched the silent conversation with a mixture of emotions. Envy of their mother for the connection as well as a bit of trepidation. The memories of silent conversation between their parents were few. There was a natural ease when Fleur and Harry were around each other.

"It was nice getting to know you, Harry." Vic said as she stood from her seat. "You should come visit our place next time. We've got a stretch of land that's perfect for flying. The weather is great too."

"That sounds nice." Harry gave her a smile.

"She wants to give you a tour of her bedroom." Dominique rolled her eyes.

"That too." Vic shrugged. "Eventually."

Harry blushed.

"I'll take Harry back." Fleur said. "You two head on home."

The two didn't look happy but did as they were told. They walked over to the Floo as a group.

"May I have a goodbye kiss?" Dominique asked cutely.

Harry leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. She blushed brightly.

"I meant on the cheek." She squeaked a moment before she hopped into the Floo.

"Oh." Harry looked over to Fleur and Vic with a distressed expression on his face. "Tell her I'm sorry for me, please."

"Don't worry." Vic laughed. "She'll be fine. You just made her day."

Vic strolled over to him. She held out her arms for a hug. Harry took the offer. He jerked in her hold as she pinched his bum. She gave him a wink before she too hopped into the Floo.

Fleur sighed as she shook her head.

"Does the hop help?" Harry asked once he got his blush under control.

"It may." Fleur strutted over to stand beside him. "You can try if you'd like. Or, if you prefer, I could land on you again." She nibbled on his ear. "I promise this time will be much more pleasant."

Harry gulped. He nodded as his voice didn't want to work. Floo tossed a pinch of powder in the fire once the previous connection died. She gave him a wink before she stepped through. He took a breath to clear his head.

"Why not?" He mumbled as he hopped into the Floo.

For a moment it felt like it had worked. It felt like he was dropping instead of falling, which didn't sound like much of a difference, but it was. The brief flash of hope was dashed as he landed. His feet touched the floor for a moment before he felt himself pitch forward. Harry tucked his shoulder and rolled across the room. He thudded to a rough stop against a rather solid chair.

Luckily, only Fleur was in the room with him. She helped him stand then brushed the dust off of him. Her attention was mostly focused on his backside. Fleur let him go once he had been thoroughly groped.

"I would like to see you again." Fleur placed a kiss on his cheek. "Soon."

"Of course." Harry gave her a roguish smile.

"None of that." She playfully slapped him on the shoulder. "I doubt Hermione would be pleased if she found us coupled together."

"Is she ever pleased?" Harry asked, the words left his mouth before he realized what he was saying.

Fleur sighed. She left him in the entry room. There was an extra sway in her hips as she walked away just for him. He had to take a couple of deep breathes to get himself under control. Even without the effects of the allure she was a damn sexy woman.

She returned with Louis shortly. The sensual spark in her eyes had vanished in the brief period. Harry decided that now was not the time to delve into the issue.

"It was nice to meet you." Louis smiled at Harry. "Hopefully we'll actually get to talk next time."

"I'd like that." Harry replied with his own smile.

Fleur gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before the duo left via the Floo. He wasn't hungry but he decided to check the kitchen first. It paid off when he found Ron and the kids around the table. They weren't eating, but Molly was still cooking up a storm. There were at least five family sized dishes under a stasis charm on the large counter beside the stove. Hermione was absent.

Ron hopped to his feet once Harry entered. Hugo and Rose watched him approach with a mixture of interest and caution.

"Sit, sit." Ron waved him over to the table. "Hugo, Rose, this is Harry. Harry, my kids."

"We met." Rose stated.

"Yeah." Hugo nodded.

"Sorry about that." Harry sighed as he took a seat. "Did I hurt you?"

"Nothing I couldn't handle." Rose shrugged. "I'm not as fragile as poor Hugo here. He'll have nightmares for months now."

"Sod off." Hugo scoffed. "I wasn't the one jumping at shadows for the last hour."

Harry winced.

"Really." He aimed a bashful smile at the girl. "I'm sorry. Not my best first impression."

"I don't know about that." Ron slapped him on the back while and laughed.

"Who?" Harry arced an eyebrow at him.

"Malfoy." Ron counted off.

"That doesn't count." Harry added quickly.

"All of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang." Ron continued.

"That wasn't my fault." Harry countered.

Ron paused to think for a moment. He shrugged.

"I doubt Malfoy had a good first impression with his own mother." Harry grumbled.

"Fair point." Ron nodded.

"You mean Scorpius' dad?" Hugo asked.

"Who?" Harry cocked his head to the side.

"Scorpius Malfoy." Hugo clarified. "Ravenclaw. He's in the same year as me."

"And you're a…" Harry paused to think. "Third year. Right?"

Hugo nodded.

"Slytherin." Ron sighed. "Not sure where we went wrong with him."

Harry looked at Ron for a long moment. There was no humor in his voice or the look on his face. He turned his attention back to the younger two. From their expressions, this wasn't a new conversation.

"That is enough, Ronald." Molly chimed in. "Are you hungry, Harry? I've made some of your favorites."

"Thank you, no." Harry shook his head. "Fleur treated me to lunch."

Molly didn't seem to acknowledge the mention of Fleur. She turned her attention to the food.

"I'll make sure they're ready for you when you get hungry." She gave him a bright smile. "Then I'll be off. Arthur already headed home. The department keeps him busy."

"Thank you." Harry crossed the kitchen and gave her a tight hug.

Molly sniffled a little as she returned the squeeze.

"Harry." Hermione called from the door.

He turned to face her once Molly let him go.

"Let me show you to your room." Hermione waved him over.

He couldn't help but smile. The little motion gave him a flash of her in their first year. She led him back up the stairs to the room where he had woken up earlier. The signs of the small scuffle had been cleaned and there was a stack of packages near the closet.

"Your new wardrobe." Hermione motioned to the boxes. "We can go shopping for your school supplies when it gets closer to the start of term."

Her posture was stiff. She didn't look at him for more than a second or two. Harry walked over to her. He held his arms open for a hug. Hermione trapped him in a trademark squeeze that made his ribs ache. She started to shake against him.

Hermione stepped away. She wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Sorry." She huffed. "I don't mean to be so silly."

"Come on." Harry sat on 'his' bed and patted the spot beside him. "Talk to me."

Hermione sat without complaint.

"It just didn't feel real." Hermione leaned against him. "I was so afraid that this was just a dream that I didn't let myself accept it. You're back, Harry. Do you understand what that means?"

"I think I have some idea." Harry chuckled.

"Not just this." She waved a hand in front of her. "Everything. Your death was a major turning point in the war. The people rallied around and actually took a stand. All the changes we have made, I have made, come from that event."

"Oh." Harry drew the word out. "I thought you meant that I'd make things awkward at dinner."

Hermione laughed. It sounded like something she hadn't done in a long time.

"Your wit is astounding." She chuckled.

They sat in silence for a couple of moments.

"So…" Harry blew out a puff of air. "You and Ron. I never would have put you two together. How did that happen?"

"We held each other together." Hermione answered in a tired voice. "Your death, it hit everyone hard. Maybe Sirius felt it more than us, but just maybe. We helped each other through things. Kept each other strong." Her voice turned wistful. "You should have seen him. He was driven and focused like never before."

She held the memory for a moment. The time stretched until he could feel her tense.

"He asked me to marry him the day he got accepted to the Cannons." Hermione stated. "We got married the next month and I was pregnant the one after that. My career took a backseat while he was touring the world with the team. I just never saw myself as a mother before twenty-five, let alone twenty. Rose turned one, the Cannons made the Finals for the first time in years, and I was pregnant again a couple of days later. All the while I watched the world around us stagnate. He wanted more kids, I wanted to start my career. Now, he's a coach, I'm the Minister, and things are what they are."

Harry didn't know what to say, so he didn't say anything.

"It's not like he's been unfaithful." Hermione shrugged. "We've just drifted."

"I'm sorry." Harry squeezed her.

Hermione sat up. She adjusted herself, wiped her tears, and got to her feet.

"Enough of that." She forced a smile at him. " Come get me once you're settled. I'll give you a tour."

"Sounds good." Harry replied with a more genuine smile.