Chapter 152: 1-3
Finally, Harry and Maria's seventeenth birthday arrived. Harry took out his wand first thing in the morning and started casting spells left and right; Ginny just giggled at him.
"Aren't you going to do any, Maria?"
"I'll try if Harry's magic looks like it's going to get out of control. Like... that one."
Because a paper knife was mixed in among the things Harry indiscriminately cast Accio on, the very first spell I cast in my daily life upon the lifting of the underage magic restriction ended up being Protego. Ginny laughed, saying that was just like Maria.
However, a seventeenth birthday doesn't end with just happiness. An uninvited guest made an appearance.
"Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger. I would like a word with you privately."
Just as the highly anticipated giant Snitch cake was brought to the celebration table, everyone froze at the unexpected visitor. It was Minister for Magic Scrimgeour, who had a less-than-favorable relationship with Harry and Dumbledore. Because of him, Professor Lupin and Tonks had to Disapparate and leave the party, and Draco was forced to hide under the Invisibility Cloak I had brought out.
Scrimgeour led the three of them into the Burrow. They holed up inside, carefully casting a Silencing Charm over themselves. Deprived of one of its guests of honor, the garden party was enveloped in an awkward silence.
"Um... is it okay that you're not in there, Maria?"
"About what?"
"It must be about Harry, right? Did you see his face? There was absolutely no heart in his 'Happy Birthday' greeting! He has business with Harry, and Ron and Hermione were called in too... What about you?"
"It has nothing to do with me."
Ginny seemed shocked by my immediate reply. Then, looking somewhat lonely, she cast her eyes down.
"Nothing to do with you?"
"Nothing at all."
"I see... nothing to do with you."
A soft hand gently squeezed mine. Scrimgeour's business was about Dumbledore's will. The Snitch for Harry, the Deluminator for Ron, and The Tales of Beedle the Bard for Hermione. They were all clues from Dumbledore... rather malicious clues, though.
Leaning into Ginny's warmth, I rested my shoulder against hers. Ginny continued to hold my hand without saying a word. —I had to protect this hand, no matter what.
Until the other guest of honor returned, I closed my eyes, feeling the warmth of the person I would love for all eternity. —I pushed the greedy part of myself that felt like something was missing deep down to the bottom of my heart.
The following day, Bill and Fleur's highly anticipated wedding was held. Ginny and Fleur's sister, Gabrielle, serving as bridesmaids, looked radiant in their golden dresses. Above all, Fleur, adorned in her bridal gown and tiara, overflowed with a beauty that surpassed even a Veela's.
The same small wizard we had seen at Dumbledore's funeral stood before the bride and groom and waved his wand. He solemnly recited the vows in the traditional wizarding manner.
"—Then I declare you bonded for life."
A shower of silver stars cascaded from his wand, enveloping the embracing young couple. Explosive applause erupted, and birds bursting from balloons sang in celebration. The parents of both families embraced their children while sobbing loudly, as everyone stood up to offer their congratulations.
"No matter how many times you see one, weddings really are wonderful things."
"They're decent enough."
Beneath the marquee, now transformed with a buffet and a dance floor, we exchanged words while huddled in a corner. His blond hair, reflected in his glass, gleamed smoothly as it swayed with the ripples of the Firewhisky.
"How was your wedding?"
"I only remember that she was so exquisitely beautiful she seemed out of this world."
"Ugh... definitely don't make that face in front of Pansy."
"Mind your own business. What about you... Florence?"
I loosened my stiff dress robes and bow tie, took a breath, and looked at the man beside me.
"Of course... I only remember having the best bride."
Keeping eye contact, we tilted our glasses and took a sip of our drinks—just two men.
Two men indeed. Draco was a man to begin with, of course, but currently, I was also attending the ceremony as a fully-fledged man. Not cross-dressing, but an actual man. For better or worse, it was a given that the famous Harry Potter had to be disguised, but as an added precaution, I wasn't allowed to remain in my true form as Maria either.
Thus, the Polyjuice Potion, which had served us well countless times, made its appearance. We had popped down to the nearby village, borrowed a few hairs from a random red-headed young man, and essentially borrowed his appearance. Incidentally, it was Professor Lupin who named me. According to him, "Lily was planning to name her child Florence if it was a red-headed boy." Had I been born a boy with my mother's looks, I would have been Florence Potter.
I gave a good stretch and settled into a seat far from the food tables.
"I really am a guy, you know. Look, right now, I don't have to deal with Hermione lecturing me to 'close my legs!' It's the ultimate freedom."
"Of course you're a man. As long as you call yourself one, you undeniably are."
"......"
The response was far more serious than I expected, and I fell silent in spite of myself, toying with the empty glass in my hands.
"...Hypothetically, if I spent the rest of my life looking exactly like this, would you still say you like me?"
"Is there really any need for this back-and-forth now? Whether you are Maria, or Harry, or some unknown Florence... as long as it is you, I will say it as many times as it takes."
My glass was snatched away. No, that wasn't it. The hand holding the glass was snatched away. Fingers slid behind my neck, tracing my nape and pulling me closer.
Close enough to brush my ear... were his lips.
"I love you. Harry."
"...."
"I love you. Maria."
"Draco."
"I love you. Florence."
"Stop it."
"I love you. ...I love you."
"...!"
I stood up abruptly. The glass slipped from my lap and shattered with a light clink. It was an incredibly light sound of cracking glass.
"...Make sure you have a good wedding with Astoria."
I shook off the grip on my wrist and ran. I felt like I bumped into someone, but I didn't have the luxury to check. I slumped down behind the Burrow. The hustle and bustle of the reception grew distant. It felt as if my heart was in the wrong place, pounding furiously right next to my ears. My own heartbeat was far louder than the laughter or the music.
It wasn't because I ran. I know... I know... I shouldn't know!
"Ha... I'm crying again. What's wrong with me? Am I broken somewhere? Did I catch Hermione and Cho's crybaby tendencies? It's genuinely strange. This is just strange... Everything is strange."
"Maria?"
I looked up fearfully. It was Professor Lupin.
"What's the matter, did he do something to you? Ah, no—I didn't see everything, but..."
"Professor Lupin..."
"Here, here, use this. For you to be crying... he must have said something rather awful?"
He smoothly offered a silk handkerchief, like a true gentleman. As I took it, I saw it. ...A ring.
"...You got married, didn't you? With Tonks?"
"Ah... Did Harry tell you? I thought you were still in a coma from your severe injuries at the time."
Looking slightly embarrassed, Professor Lupin stroked the ring. His face oozed happiness as he thought of his future with Tonks. ...And then he closed his eyes.
"...Maria. If you don't want to talk about him, will you listen to what I have to say?"
"Professor?"
"Maria, you're truly accustomed to a boy's mannerisms—or rather, you were always very tomboyish. Even now, you don't look like you're acting at all. It's incredibly natural. Even during the Battle of the Eight Potters, I honestly had trouble telling which of you was the real Harry."
"......"
Clasping his ring, Professor Lupin sat down next to me. Seeing a grown adult shrink down to sit on the ground almost made me laugh despite myself.
"It's no good, I must admit I'm not very adept at subtle maneuvering. Surprisingly, Sirius was the one who was good at this sort of thing. ...I will ask you point-blank."
His green eyes, a different shade from Harry's, shifted their gaze from the ring to me.
"Maria... Did you learn the Patronus Charm from me?"
"...."
I felt as if even the faint remnant of my heartbeat had vanished from my body.
"No, that's incorrect. Let me ask precisely. I was, after all, your teacher, for what it was worth. ...You learned the Patronus Charm in your third year, and it was from a Remus Lupin who was not me."
And then, Professor Lupin stated his conviction.
"Are you... Harry?"
My voice wouldn't come out. I could neither deny nor confirm it; I just stared at Professor Lupin. It's because this isn't my body. I muttered such nonsense inside my head.
However, Professor Lupin... was smiling, as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
"It's alright. You don't have to answer. You are here right now, living as Maria. I was about to burden you with a terrible wish."
"Professor."
"I've kept this a secret strictly to myself. I haven't even told Dumbledore. I'm likely the only one who knows. ...Since Sirius and Dumbledore are no longer here."
Professor Lupin stood up. It was a face that had accepted everything. The same gentle face he had shown four years ago when he resigned from Hogwarts.
"My apologies. This was rather an inappropriate place for idle chatter. Come now—"
He offered his hand. There was the ring. The brand-new ring, asserting his love.
"...Your child,"
I took his hand and looked at his face. They looked so similar. That child had been born inheriting all the best qualities of both his father and mother.
"He is a truly kind child, a very good kid, who will become a Hufflepuff Prefect. He'll graduate Head Boy, a lovely boy beloved by everyone."
"...."
"He will grow up to be a very fine young man."
The hand wearing the ring clenched as tightly as it could.
"I see... I see... My child with her... will survive?"
"Professor."
"I see... That's all I need... That's all that matters."
I thought I saw tears in Professor Lupin's eyes, and because they looked like an entirely different color from the ones Harry showed, I reached out my hand without thinking.
"The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming."
"...!"
My back was pushed. I broke into a run. I turned around. Professor Lupin wiped his tears and shouted.
"Go, Maria!"
I ran. Harry was reaching out. Gorgeous dresses scattered in panic. Hermione and Ron grabbed Harry. Draco was there. Tables were overturned. Draco took Harry's hand. Harry looked at me. Draco nodded. ...Thank goodness.
"Have a safe trip, Harry. I'll be waiting at Hogwarts."
The figures of the four warped and twisted.
"—Maria!!"
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