Chapter 58: "Harry's New Companion"
"Harry's New Companion"
After leaving the simulator, everyone split up to enjoy the park on their own.
Meanwhile, Stephen was strolling around, watching people have fun with a smile on his face.
"Brother!" A small voice called out from the distance, catching Stephen's attention.
When he turned around, he saw a very cute little girl running toward him.
"Brother Stephen! It's been so long!" the girl said, hugging him affectionately.
"Hello, Gaby. Didn't we see each other just last week?" Stephen replied with a smile, patting the girl's head.
Gabrielle Delacour, Fleur's younger sister, was a cheerful little blonde girl who enjoyed teasing her older sister.
Behind her, her parents and Fleur approached, both smiling at the sight of Stephen.
"Hello, Stephen. We came to see your amusement park. Thank you for the tickets," Madame Delacour said with a warm smile.
Meanwhile, Fleur's father still looked at Stephen as if he were an enemy, but he kept it to himself to avoid being scolded by his wife.
"Hello, uncle, aunt. And you too, Fleur. I hope the trip wasn't too rough," Stephen said with a grin.
"No. This time, we took a plane. Dad doesn't like Apparating long distances," Gabrielle said cheerfully.
"He gets motion sickness easily," Madame Delacour added with a teasing smile, glancing at her husband, who tried to act unfazed.
"Alright, Gaby. Go play. Let your brother show your sister around," Madame Delacour told Gabrielle with a knowing smile and a wink, which the little girl quickly understood.
"Have fun," Madame Delacour said as she and Gabrielle dragged her husband away, leaving him no room to argue about leaving his eldest daughter behind.
Stephen and Fleur were left standing there, surprised at how quickly everything had happened.
"Haha, your family is as lively as ever," Stephen said, glancing at Fleur.
That's when he noticed how beautifully dressed Fleur was. She wore a blue dress that matched her eyes, and her hair was tied up in a ponytail with a ribbon. Her ethereal beauty needed no makeup, momentarily stunning Stephen and reminding him of the little girl he had seen with the headmaster, Rosi. That thought embarrassed him, making him look away.
"Ahem. Come on, I'll show you some of the attractions," he said, a little nervous. ("Damn, now I'm acting weird because of those kids.")
"Sure," Fleur replied with a smile, following Stephen.
After a few minutes of walking, Stephen regained his composure and no longer felt flustered.
"So, what do you think of my park?" Stephen asked with a smile.
"It's amazing. I can tell you put a lot of effort into it."
"A lot. Maybe too much," he said, glancing at the roller coaster disappearing into the clouds.
"Haha. At least you've matured a little. You used to love pranking people. Now you make them happy," Fleur said with a smile.
"Hey, my pranks made some people happy… more or less."
"Making yourself happy doesn't count."
"In any case, you've matured too. You used to be all violent and aggressive," he said, trying to defend himself.
"That was because of your pranks," Fleur said, a little embarrassed as she recalled how she used to be, especially around Stephen.
Of course, Fleur had changed over the years, particularly since Beauxbatons had etiquette classes—one of the reasons Perenelle had wanted Stephen to attend that school.
Seeing Fleur embarrassed, Stephen smiled victoriously.
"Are you hungry?"
"What?" Fleur asked, slightly surprised by the abrupt change of topic.
"If you're hungry… Well, I've been running around all morning and haven't eaten yet. Want to join me?"
"Sure," Fleur replied softly with a smile.
As they walked, people couldn't help but stare at the pair—a handsome young man and a beautiful lady drawing attention wherever they went.
"By the eternal Vishanti!" Harry shouted as a bright light burst from him, expanding a few meters.
"Well done, little brother. You reached two meters; now the enemy will have to do this to hit you," Stephen said, tossing a pack of candies at Harry's face, distracting him and causing his spell to fade.
"And by the way, why do you have to shout the name of the spell? You're way too used to Hogwarts magic."
"It's easier to focus when I say the name," Harry defended himself. "And why am I even training this magic? You said it was unlikely I'd need it," he asked, a bit tired.
"Unlikely doesn't mean you won't use it. This magic can expel dark creatures, which you normally can't harm," Stephen explained calmly.
"Is this the magic you used on Voldemort when he turned into a ghost?" Harry recalled, referring to their first year when Stephen had saved him.
"Exactly. It's purification magic; it doesn't do anything to ghosts since they aren't dark creatures. But you'll run into some immortal pests that are quite annoying, and this magic will help. Oh, and it also works on vampires, werewolves, and demons," Stephen added, sitting down in one of the patio chairs where his grandparents were enjoying their afternoon tea.
"Are those things going to be at Hogwarts?" Perenelle asked, looking displeased.
"Hmm, they should be careful with those things," Nicolas said.
"Well, our great and benevolent Minister had a brilliant idea. It won't last long, though—I already have a plan with Amelia," Stephen explained.
"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, not understanding.
Before his grandparents could respond, Stephen spoke up.
"Some bugs, like mushrooms. They're supposed to be guarding us because some idiot escaped from Azkaban," Stephen said nonchalantly as Misty handed him a cup of tea.
Looking at Misty, Stephen suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, right, I still haven't given you your welcome gift," Stephen said, standing up with a smile.
Seeing that smile, Harry had a bad feeling.
"No, it's fine—" but before he could finish, Stephen interrupted.
"It's fine. I'm your big brother now, and this will be fun. Misty, follow me. I need your help," Stephen said, running off to who knows where.
Harry looked to his grandparents for help, but they just smiled.
"It's alright, Harry. Even if your brother is a little crazy, he's happy that you've joined the family," Nicolas said with a smile.
"In the meantime, how about I teach you Expecto Patronum?" Perenelle said with a smile.
"Expecto? What does that spell do?" Harry asked, unfamiliar with it.
"It's one of the most powerful defensive spells and also helps protect you from dark creatures," Perenelle explained calmly.
"Isn't it like By the eternal Vishanti?" Harry asked, confused.
"No, Harry. Expelling is not the same as defending; one is the sword, and the other is the shield. It's best to have both," Perenelle explained with a smile.
"Alright," Harry agreed.
While Harry trained with Perenelle, Stephen and Misty arrived at a dark alley filled with trash.
"Are you sure it's around here?" Stephen asked, puzzled.
"Yes, young master. Misty set up a tracking spell to make sure it wouldn't come near the new young master Harry again," Misty explained.
"I told you, Misty, you don't have to call him 'new young master.' You can say 'young master number two,'" Stephen said with a grin.
"Oh! There it is!" Misty said, spotting something moving in the trash.
"Great, grab it and let's go back," Stephen said cheerfully.
When they returned, Stephen saw Harry training with Perenelle.
"Oh, Expecto Patronum, good spell," Stephen remarked, noticing the faint mist coming from Harry's wand.
"Harry learns quickly. Not many can even produce mist the first time they use this spell," Perenelle said happily.
"Then you must be very proud, Harry," Stephen teased, making Harry a little embarrassed since the happy memory he had used was their family photo session last week.
"Alright, Harry, here's your gift," Stephen said as Misty dropped a sack onto the ground. It started squirming, making Harry take a few steps back in fear.
As the sack wriggled, a creature Harry knew very well emerged.
"Dobby!"
"Harry Potter! Dobby has found Harry Potter again!" Dobby cried as he ran to Harry and hugged his leg.
Harry, not understanding, turned his gaze to Stephen.
"House-elves need work, so I went ahead and hired one for you," Stephen said with a smile.
"But I don't need…" Harry started to say but stopped when he saw Dobby beginning to look depressed.
"Seriously. There are four of us in the family now. Do you want poor, adorable Misty to work herself to exhaustion for all of us?" Stephen said, lifting Misty and holding her up in front of Harry's face.
"Misty doesn't mi—" Misty didn't get to finish because Stephen covered her mouth.
Then, he walked a few meters away with her.
"Misty, if Dobby joins Harry, you'll be in charge of training him and will become the head house-elf. That means he'll work for you too. And just imagine if our family keeps growing," Stephen murmured while Harry and Dobby watched them in confusion.
"Misty, head house-elf? A bigger family?" Misty said before she started imagining something, smiling. "Yes! Misty wants to be head house-elf to take care of young masters' babies!" she said cheerfully, leaving Stephen stunned at her thoughts.
A moment later, Stephen and Misty returned—Stephen looking bewildered, while Misty was delighted.
"Your elf will have to train with Misty before serving Young Master Number Two," Misty declared.
"Young Master Number Two?" Harry asked, confused. "Just Harry is fine, Misty," he said.
"Young Master Harry?" Misty repeated, leaving Harry unsure of what to do. He glanced at his grandparents, who gestured for him to let it be—Misty could be quite strict about these things.
"Alright, Misty will train you. Are you sure about this, elf?" Stephen asked after composing himself.
"Be Harry Potter's servant? But… Dobby is a free elf," Dobby said, uncertain.
"It's fine. You'll have the same mark as Misty, so you'll be free to choose your own master," Stephen explained gently.
"Really? Then… Dobby wants to!" Dobby said without hesitation, remembering when he had seen Misty's mark and how envious he had been of belonging to such a family. And most importantly—he could serve Harry Potter!
"Great. Good luck with your training, Dobby. And you too, Harry," Stephen said with a teasing smile.
"I…" Harry started, but seeing how happy Dobby was, he decided to stay quiet.
"Come on, Harry, let's continue your training," Perenelle said, watching everything with interest.
"By the way, Stephen, Dumbledore told me something interesting that Misty just reminded me of," Nicolas commented with a smirk as mischievous as the one Stephen had given Harry.
"Damn… that old man doesn't understand the butterfly effect," Stephen grumbled, eyeing his grandfather warily.
"Don't worry too much about it. Besides, haven't you noticed that your grandmother isn't bothering you as much to call Fleur?" Nicolas added with a grin.
"Oh, that's true. I can't wait to meet her. Would it be possible to create a reverse time-turner?" Perenelle said with a wide smile.
"Don't mess with time, Grandma. I have things to do," Stephen said, embarrassed, before quickly making his escape.
"Should I start buying clothes now?" Perenelle asked her husband.
"What are you talking about, Grandma?" Harry asked once again, completely lost.
Looking at Harry, Perenelle smiled again.
"We already have three Harrys, and we still don't know if Stephen will have just one or more. I'm going shopping with Misty," she said cheerfully, quickly standing up. "You teach Harry the Patronus," she reminded Nicolas.
"Yes, yes. Go ahead," Nicolas replied as he watched his wife dash off.
Meanwhile, Harry was even more confused than before.
Thank You for Reading
Dear readers,
Thank you for joining me on this literary journey. If you're enjoying my novel and would like to continue reading, I invite you to support my work through Patreon and Ko-fi. Your contributions will allow me to keep creating and sharing more exciting chapters.
I hope to have your support and continue bringing you unforgettable stories!
☕ ko-fi.com/yodarki
📖 patreon.com/c/YoDarki