Halloween - The Aftermath: Chapter 7 (Patreon)

The sun was glaring down at them. Despite the snow-covered valley providing a slight chill, sweat poured down their bodies. Their ivory skin had gained a slightly reddish tint, a testament to the fact that they had been under the sun for quite some time.

James Potter grinned maliciously at the broken and battered body of Lucius Malfoy. The cunt had been way too smug earlier, and James had no problem taking his time to break him. But his final remark struck too close to home. That was when James decided to say ‘Fuck you!’ to patience.

The blood boiler had been a starter. The main course that followed saw him spill Lucius’ guts out before freezing the area entirely so the asshole didn’t bleed out.

Lucius’ screams were so cathartic. James had never thought he would ever enjoy torture, but this piece of shit had managed to bring out the worst in him. He had followed through with his actions and cut off Lucius’ arms and legs with a precise ribbon cutter which saw the wounds get cauterized.

Lucius screamed. Having already lost his ability to make out a coherent word, let alone a sentence, he could only cry out in agony and whimper piteously. Had it been someone else, James might have felt pity, but for this one, he didn’t have even an iota of sympathy.

His wife’s and his son’s faces flashed through his mind for a moment. How would they feel about this, he thought.

Voldemort had been handled by those responsible, and his son had been raised in a time of relative peace. He had lived a pretty normal life, far away from the horrors of war. He had a normal school life full of pranks and girls and had a successful Quidditch career which seemed to only improve if his new contract was any indication. Harry had never had to think about fighting for his life, or protecting his family, not as James did.

Narcissa, on the other hand. James sighed when he thought about her. She had been raised as a proper pureblood lady. What that meant was that she had been raised to be a bargaining chip for any alliance. Feelings? They didn’t matter as long as those pureblood supremacists got what they wanted. However, she had risen above. Left her family, cast her name away, choosing to be a no-name instead of being shackled to someone she didn’t want.

He still remembered how proud Sirius had been when he had told them of her absconding. It had taken Voldemort’s death for her to return to Wizarding Britain – only because the death of that megalomaniac had left the Ancient and Noble House of Black down to only three surviving members – Sirius, Andromeda, and Narcissa. Andromeda was happily married to her husband, and they already had a spitfire of a daughter, an adorable little metamorph who they all adored. Sirius was happily single, frequently switching between whoever caught his fancy. James couldn’t judge his best friend. Sirius had always been a free spirit, and given how much he loved his two cousins, it was no surprise. That left Narcissa. She had left Wizarding Britain for what they later came to know as muggle Italy. Only when the news of the fall of Voldemort came did she return.

James had never thought he would ever find someone after Lily. He had loved her ever since he had seen her. They had envisioned a long and fulfilling life ahead, but fate had something else in store for them. She was taken away from him. Harry was still a toddler when it happened, and James had been beside himself with grief to properly care for his boy.

If Andromeda hadn’t come forward to help him out with Harry, he had no idea how he would’ve managed. She had raised his boy alongside her daughter, and James was proud of how his boy had turned out. Graduating Hogwarts with the best marks the school had seen in years and with several honors, including the title of Head Boy in his final year as well as the longest-serving and most successful Quidditch captain in the history of Hogwarts. Yes. James was proud of his boy.

It had taken him years to finally agree with Sirius, and after years of pestering, Sirius had whooped in joy when James had relented. He introduced James to Narcissa, who used to switch countries frequently since her freedom, and they had started dating soon after. It didn’t take long for things to change, and they didn’t take long to get married.

However, things didn’t stay smooth for long. It was during an assignment regarding this very group that James caught a Cruciatus targeted at his lower body. He had recovered from his ordeal fine, but not everything was alright.

Narcissa had been so supportive, and James loved her all the more for it. However, it didn’t take him long to see how much she was repressing herself. They got intimate pretty frequently, and there was no lack of passion between the two, but there was only so much his mouth or fingers could do. They had tried using those toys the muggles loved so much, but after the first time, Narcissa had told him she didn’t like them and it didn’t feel intimate to her.

It took all he had to tell her that he had no problem if she took someone to bed to satiate her unfulfilled urges since he couldn’t do it. The only thing he asked of her was to be discreet and to bind the arrangement with an oath so that it didn’t leak out to the public.

Narcissa had taken his admission with wide eyes. However, she had never taken him up on his offer, not once in all these years. It made him admire her even more, but more than that, it made him feel even more unhappy.

He loved her so much, her and his son, and he would do anything to keep his family safe. If someone so much as threatened them, he wouldn’t hesitate to take their threats back to them and shove those up their asses.

Lucius Malfoy had gone too far. And he deserved all he was getting. James had developed a ruthless reputation, and had the full trust and support of his auror squadron. Silencing a few mouths had been a routine job for them, and this would be no different. Only a few hours of torture, nothing more.

“It’s a pity, Lucius,” James muttered as he sat upon a large rock right in front of the pest. The pest in question couldn’t even move, only whimper in silence.

“We could have so much fun together, you know? Ugh. Not that kind, you pervert. The good kind. The kind where I get to tear you apart, limb after limb... oh wait... I’ve already done that. I get to break you... I’ve done that too. I make you beg for death... oh that’s pending. No matter, we can do that now.”

James hopped down with a grunt and straightened his robes, still pristine, and shook the snow off his boots. He walked forward until he stood in front of the scum and squatted down. With his wand tucked under the blonde peacock’s chin, he tilted it up, frowning when he saw his tear-stricken eyes, red and barely open.

“You look almost dead to me,” James muttered with disappointment, “can you speak?”

“Hey? I asked you a question. Can you speak? You were running your mouth so proudly not even an hour ago. What happened? You looked like you were really enjoying yourself back then. What did you say? You’ll make my son watch as you broke my wife. Well, sorry but I played the reverse card on you. The only difference is that you don’t have a son who I could force to watch as I broke you, you slimy cunt!” James snarled.

Lucius couldn’t even form a coherent thought. His mind was drowned in pain, and it was a surprise that he was still conscious, albeit barely.

“What happened to that pride, Malfoy? You, the wizard of proper standing in our society, right? The quintessential pureblood! You thought you were so great, didn’t you? How does it feel now?”

Malfoy only heard some sound in the distance, and his pain-ridden mind couldn’t even bother to make out what it was.

“Hey, answer me. Don’t you have any manners? Is this what your mother and your cunt of a father taught you?”

James scoffed before he spat on the broken and battered body of Lucius Malfoy.

“Oh, would you look at that!” James exclaimed, mockingly looking at his watch, “It’s already lunch time. I should finish this up soon. Would hate to be late for dinner. After all, there’s nothing like a good meal with people you love, you know?” James grinned.

“Oh how foolish of me!” He exclaimed mockingly.

“How could you? You don’t have anyone you love!”

James looked around the clearing. The entire area was devoid of any form of life, only the two of them present. And one of them was going to die anyway.

“Looks like this is the end of our journey, Malfoy. I’d say it was a pleasure knowing you, but we both know it would be utter bullshit. Goodbye, Lucius. Know that there would be no one who would mourn you, and your life has been meaningless. The only thing you managed to accomplish was increase the burden of the world.”

One cutting curse to the throat was all it took, and James looked on dispassionately as the asshole choked on his blood and died with nary a sound.

A small and focused Incendio took care of his carcass, and with a sigh, James Potter holstered his wand and turned around to walk down the cliff. The curse breakers would be coming to break the pesky wards in the evening, so walking a few miles it was.

“Expecto Patronum,” James whispered.

The shiny form of Prongs materialized in front of him, and James spoke in a clear voice, “Tell Proudfoot that the trash has been taken care of and that I’ve gone home. I have decided to take my well deserved holiday as well. Also tell him to file the report with suitable adjustments. I’ll be back after the holidays.”

The Patronus bowed briefly before galloping away.

XXX

By the time James reached the bottom of the hill where the ward line ended, it was close to sunset.

“Damn. That trek down the hill surely took a lot of time. But then, it was close to 2 when I started my way down.”

A violent displacement of air prompted him to look ahead sharply. He started before relaxing when he realized who it was.

“I guess you’ve come to take the wards down?”

“That’s right. Although the wards would’ve come down on their own, the minister wants to get rid of them promptly.”

“Totally understandable,” James grinned at the leading curse-breaker, a son of the Weasleys by the looks of it.

“Don’t mind me. I was just taking care of the final issues we had over here. I reckon you’ll find the ward stones on top of the hill in a clearing. You and your team have my sympathies for the trek you’re about to make,” James chuckled, and the red-haired wizard grinned.

“Oh that’s not an issue by any means. My team and I are used to the physical work.”

James looked over at the assembled witches and wizards and his eyes zeroed in on one of them in particular.

“Excuse me miss, you seem slightly familiar. Have I seen you before?”

The woman in question turned toward James and smiled.

“You’re James Potter, right? Harry’s father?”

James was surprised.

“You know Harry?”

“Very closely,” the witch smirked, and it felt like he was missing a hidden meaning there.

“Is that so?”

“Oh yes! We met a few years ago, and have stayed pretty close over the years. He might have mentioned me, I believe. Does the name Fleur ring a bell?”

James’ eyes widened a little bit in recognition.

“Fleur Delacour, right? If I recall correctly, you’re the Triwizard Champion from a few years ago. I remember Harry telling us how much you helped him out when he first moved to France. It’s really good to finally meet you, and thanks a lot, you know, for helping out my boy,” James grinned, and Fleur chuckled despite herself.

“Oh Harry is a very good friend. I was happy to help out. And don’t mention it, Mr. Potter. Harry made sure to pay me back very generously.”

James laughed.

“That’s my boy. Never shies away from helping lovely women who need it,” he grinned.

“Trust me, Mr. Potter. Harry is anything but shy,” Fleur smirked.

Bill was watching the interaction with a slightly bemused expression on his face. Fleur had joined their team temporarily for a month as a part of the Curse Breakers’ Transfer Program, and he had thought of wooing the young veela. However, it seemed the woman had her sights set elsewhere.

He was not an idiot. He had read enough about Veela to know that they would show no mercy to anyone who came between them and their chosen mate. Having known that, he knew it was a wise idea to back off. So he did only what he could at the moment. He grinned outwardly while cursing a lost opportunity on the inside.

“That I can wholeheartedly agree with,” James quipped, and Fleur smiled.

“Say, Mr. Potter,” Fleur began with a coquettish look on her face, before looking slightly surprised when James cut her off.

“Call me James. You’re a friend of Harry’s. You qualify,” he grinned. Fleur looked surprised for a moment before letting out a tinkling laugh. Something broke inside Bill when he heard it.

‘Yeah, it’s my heart,’ he thought.

“You should call me Fleur then.”

“Sure. You were saying something?”

“Oh yes. I wanted to ask you if you knew where Harry was. I went to his house in Marseille but it was locked. Blink told me Harry had gone to England for a few days before he went on his vacation. I am slightly put out with him because he came here without meeting me or saying his goodbye.”

James chuckled when he saw the pouting witch.

‘Well son, you’ve surely bagged one hell of a witch, and a veela to boot. Your dad’s so proud! But getting a veela angry? Now that’s something I would hate to experience,’

“Why don’t you come over someday? I’m sure Harry would be happy to see you again.” James remarked with a gentle smile.

“Really? I’d love to. And I’m sure Harry would be more than happy to see me,” Fleur grinned.

Bill looked at her smile and felt a shiver go through him.

‘Yep! Definitely staying away from her now,’

“Alright then. I assume you know where our house is?”

“Oh yes, Harry told me about it,” Fleur nodded.

“Perfect then. Come by whenever you want. Harry will be at home this week at least. Any plans will be either next week or even later,”

“Alright then. I’ll finish my assignments and come over once I’m done.”

James nodded with a smile.

“Don’t let me keep you people, then. Good luck,”

That seemed to shake Bill out of his stupor and he smiled.

“Thank you Mr. Potter. We’ll take care of this now.”

“Alright. It was nice meeting you, Fleur.”

“You too, James,” she waved, and with a nod, James apparated away with a quiet pop.

For the entire assignment, the remaining members of the curse-breaking team observed something different. Bill Weasley was keeping his distance from the new girl. However, they didn’t pay it much mind and focused on their work.

Roughly three hours later, their work was done, and once cleared, all of them apparated away.

The eldest Weasley child was thanking his lucky stars that he had pulled back in time, else he had no idea what might have happened to him. He also cursed Harry Bloody Potter for bagging the hot bird for himself, before sighing self-depreciatingly as he nursed his pint of firewhiskey.

Fleur Delacour stepped into the bathroom of her hotel room and dropped her clothes. Naked as the day she was when she and Harry had first had sex, she stepped into the mildly hot water of her bath and immersed herself until only her face stayed above the surface.

With a sigh, she closed her eyes and reminisced the night she and Harry had spent together when Harry had caught his first snitch for the Drones. Her finger reflexively sought the feeling of her wet folds and she lost herself in the moment.

The only thought in the mind of the alluring young veela was that she was going to claim her mate, and it was going to happen during these holidays. There was no other man for her. She would get her man, no matter what.

And if anyone dared to come in between them, well, she had no qualms about getting her hands a little bit dirty.

With a shudder, the silvery blonde goddess came from her ministrations, all the while recalling how heavenly it had felt when her beloved’s perfect cock had taken her in multiple positions throughout the night.

‘Oh yes,’ she thought, ‘I’ll show you mon amour. We will be together, until the end of our days.’

XXX

Inside the Potter household, Harry and Narcissa were cuddled up together on the sofa as they watched the TV when a small crack echoed outside. Given the fact that only family members could apparate on their property, it was clear just who it was.

Slightly startled, Narcissa looked at him and saw Harry nod at her. With a small kiss on his lips, she detached from his embrace and made to get up. However, it seemed Harry had other ideas as he snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her back on his lap before kissing her hard.

Narcissa moaned slightly before they heard the approaching footsteps. With a final kiss, Harry squeezed her supple arse before spanking it lightly in a gesture of ‘alright, go on then' and Narcissa shook her head with a chuckle before she started to walk away, all the while aware that his eyes were glued to her sashaying backside.

Harry simply leaned back and turned back to watch the movie. His dad was back home, and now it was time to face the music. This will either go smoothly, or it will break their family apart. Harry sighed. Only time will tell.

As he saw his father enter the living room, his arm wrapped around Narcissa’s waist, Harry steeled himself before standing up. No use delaying the inevitable.

“Dad, there’s something we need to talk about.”

XXX

To be continued...