I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.

His Last Curse

Chapter 1 – Welcome Home

The air felt wrong.

The whole area was drenched in darkness. The sound of dripping water echoed around yet no water could be seen. The air was thick and cloying, smelling of foul things. The stones felt neglected, forgotten. Everything had a definite feeling of unnaturalness that clung to everything like dust and regret.

A tiny spot of light entered the space. The source was a tiny ball of glass, floating in the air. It tried to drive the darkness back, making shadows dance. Broken columns and fallen rocks made eerie shapes in the light, their shadows had claws that grasped for the ball of light.

The man the ball floated over frowned slightly. He seemed unperturbed by the darkness, the odd feeling of wrongness. He felt the magic in the area scrape against his skin and he shivered lightly, but not from the chill. He lifted his wide brimmed hat to run his fingers through messy black locks, looking about with interest. His glasses shone with a faint blue light as he looked around, eyes following things only he could see.

"Hmmm, damn. Whoever drew those spell-lines was a piece of work," he muttered to himself. Through his enchanted glasses, he saw lines of magic all over. They ran along the stones and he followed, being mindful of where he walked. "Standard anti-intruder lines, physical trip lines, magical trip lines, what a paranoid bastard."

He slipped a hand into his bag and removed a hard candy, popping it into his mouth. "Let's see what else is there." He tapped his glasses with his wand. The lines of magic changed in hue as his lenses shifted. "There we are. Now, what am I working with." He knelt down, unbothered by the dust and debris around his knees. "Severing Charms, Cutting Curse, Cauterizing Curse? That's just rude. Good Lord, Anti-Coagulant Curse? What the hell. I don't even know what the hell that spell even does."

He whistled. "Going to earn my pay this time." He took out a small silver chisel from a pouch around his waist. The tip gleamed in the light and he started to draw runes around the cluster of spell-lines. As he finished each one, they glowed. The spell-lines began to unravel and he breathed a little easier with each one dissipating. "And…there. Got rid of that spell chain. Cut, bleed out, and burn the wound shut. That's messed up. What's this…blood boiling and freezing at the same time? Seriously, this guy was a prick."

He lost track of time, inscribing runes into the stone and carefully removing the layered magical defenses. He began writing counter-curses and opposing magical lines around the runes, slowly undoing the spells written into the wards. "Who the hell does a four layer line?! No wonder everyone hated you! And you must have known that if you had to protect yourself like this. Bloody hell. There!"

He sat back, satisfied. He finished the last of his work and he smiled when the entire ward cluster began to fade from his magical sight. "Beat you. Take that, wherever you are." The light began to grow instead of fade. "Wait, what?" He looked around, noticing that the lines of magic could be seen without his enchanted glasses. "What?!" He looked back at the ward cluster. "You bastard! A fifth layer?!"

An ominous rumble filled the air and he scrambled to his feet. He snatched the ball of light from the air, shoving it into a pouch and started to run, making sure his hat was secure. He flicked his wand, creating a shield around him. The stones were exploding out of the walls, shooting at him with malicious gouts of air. They impacted on his shield, shattering into shards.

He ran on, ducking under flying rocks and using his shield against the smaller ones. An Impediment Jinx stopped a particularly large boulder that hurtled towards him, giving him time to slide underneath it before it fell. A blast of wind stopped a swarm of needles from sinking into his flesh. He fought a rush of bile as skeletal hands burst from the ground in front of him. "Aguamenti! Glacius!" A stream of water burst from his wand to douse the ground in front of him, the water turned into ice, trapping the hands. He slid down the ice, ignoring the way the bones tried to wriggle free.

He swore as he saw an immense slab of stone sinking down, blocking the way out. It glowed with magical power and he knew that if he was trapped inside, he would not survive what would happen after. He aimed his wand and breathed in, marshaling all of his remaining strength. "Bombarda Maxima!"

A giant chunk of the slab was destroyed, a shower of dust and debris flew into the air. Large cracks ran up and down the slab and though light peeked through a few, the slab was still mostly intact. The man ran faster, using an Acceleration Charm to build up momentum and leapt for where he thought, hoped, the stone was weakest, and shot a Bludgeoner Hex.

He burst through the stone, landing heavily on his shoulder and rolling with a pained grunt, feeling his bones creak and crack under the impact. He came to a stop and curled up, pulling his hat off his head and holding it to his chest as he held it close. The ground shook and an almighty roar filled the air. After a while, things stilled and he cautiously uncurled, looking back at the hole.

Smoke and magical energy poured out of the hole. Once it cleared, the interior was remarkably intact despite impact craters and scorch marks. He looked down, inspecting the hat carefully, ignoring his physical injuries. He sighed with relief, finding the hat in one piece and in fine shape.

Two people came running up to him. "Are you okay Harry?" one asked.

Harry Potter leaned back. "Yeah, pretty good, thanks." He smiled. "Door's open."

-0-

Harry looked less pleased, wincing while the Healer poked him with her wand. "I think you're doing more damage than what the tomb did," he joked.

Padma Patil glared at him. "No, I'm undoing the damage the tomb did. Wish I could fix that damage," she sniffed, flicking him in the forehead.

"What happened to my head?" he asked worriedly.

"Pre-existing condition," Padma grumbled. "Utter disregard for personal safety, penchant for doing dangerous things, undoing all the hard work every Healer did to put you back together…"

Harry sighed. "It's my job to do dangerous things. It's literally in my job description as a cursebreaker."

She rolled her eyes. "Uh huh. Next thing you're going to say is that you didn't choose this job."

"I…didn't."

She looked at him, exasperated. "Uh huh, right."

He looked at her blankly.

"Wait, you're serious?" Her exasperation became confusion as his nod. "Don't cursebreakers choose their jobs or have some flexibility?"

"It didn't say that on my latest contract." Harry looked worried. "I've been going to sites and jobs when told."

"Oh." Padma felt incredibly awkward. She really did not like the look that Harry wore. "So you didn't know the danger level of this dive?" She suppressed a gasp at his bewildered head shake. "I thought all cursebreakers had to be told before they start a job."

"I thought so too," he said, troubled.

"Is that why you don't really work with anyone?" she asked, fearing the answer.

"I…no one was ever assigned to work with me." Harry felt lost and it showed on his face. "I've asked to join teams before but…cursebreakers usually work in teams…don't they? I just assumed it was part of the contracts if you were assigned to a team."

"So your last few jobs…" Padma gulped, "…did you know what the jobs were before you went?" She felt her insides twist when he shook his head. "Oh…oh no."

The flap to the Healer's tent opened and a tall dark skin man entered. He smiled genially at Harry and Padma. "Hey, good job Potter. I knew you'd open the door for us. Always bet on Potter, right?" he said, elbowing Padma and winking.

"Bet on me?" Harry asked.

Blaise Zabini nodded. "Oh yeah. There's always a bet on whether or not you're going to break open the site and crack the curses. Also what you had to do. Why do you think everyone wants to read your action reports?" He winked at Padma. "What did you have to fix up? I'm reporting back for the pool."

"You…you bet on how injured I'd get?" Harry's voice was barely a whisper.

Blaise and Padma recoiled at his face, at how vulnerable he looked. Blaise felt his good cheer evaporate as he looked at Harry with astonishment, at the glimmer of tears in the other man's eyes. "You…it's not how it sounds, honest. We all believe in you and it's in good fun…"

"I'm so sorry," Padma whispered, sickened.

Harry picked up his hat and held it to his chest, getting up woodenly. "Thank you for letting me know," he said tonelessly.

"Harry, let me finish the diagnostic check," Padma pleaded.

"I'm fine," Harry said, looking anything but. "I have to go."

"Aren't you going to stay and help document the tomb?" Blaise asked, worried.

"No. I need to go back to Gringotts." He put the hat on and started to leave.

"Harry! I'm sorry! For what it's worth, I'm really sorry." Padma said, her hand out as if she could keep him there.

He looked at her, his eyes empty. "I'll let you know one day, what it's worth." He walked out, leaving the tent and somehow, despite the witch and wizard within, it felt incredibly empty.

-0-

Ernie Macmillan looked up from his paperwork. "Say that again?"

Harry looked down at him. He was dressed in a dragon skin jacket, his hat on, a rucksack over his shoulder. "I'm leaving."

"Job's not done though," Ernie protested. "We still have to document the interior and inventory everything. Identification and all that. Tomb of this size will take at least a month."

"My contract doesn't specify identification and inventory. It apparently is only for cursebreaking and intrusion," Harry said flatly.

Ernie frowned. "Well, uh, I mean…kind of selfish of you to just break open the door and let us do all the busy work after."

Harry's eye twitched. "I was never asked to help with the inventory before. I was always told to drop it as soon as the site was secure and to move on to the next. My personal feelings of selfishness have nothing to do with it."

Ernie coughed. "That was a poor choice of words, sorry. I mean, where are you going?"

"Why do you want to know?" Harry's voice turned cold. "For the betting pool?" Ernie's face matched his tone. "I'm going back to London, back to Gringotts, to renegotiate my contract."

The air in the administration tent instantly felt hot and suffocating, everyone turning to stare at Harry. Ernie gulped. "Is…is that necessary?!" he asked weakly. "Is there anything I can do to-"

"I didn't come to ask for permission," Harry said. "I'm informing you of what I'm doing." He turned to leave.

"Harry! Wait!"

He did not.

-0-

Harry barely stumbled when he landed. After seven long years of international travel, he finally got the hang of Portkeys. People waiting at the Portkey point looked at him with surprise, seeing him arrive without losing balance. He ignored their looks, grateful for the hat that he wore. With it pulled low, it hid his scar, not to mention his apparently trademark messy hair, and created enough shadow to dilute the intensity of his green eyes.

He moved off the platform, showing his Gringotts ID to the travel Wizard. Luckily the IDs given by the bank for their employees did not readily identify the holder, but they were impossible to forge and were enchanted so that anyone else using them would suffer painful consequences. With this in hand, he was able to make his identity known to everyone around him.

Walking through the halls of the Ministry made him feel uneasy. Too many bad memories. His insides felt queasy and he knew it had nothing to do with the trip. In between Portkeys, he reread his contract and compared it to the general contract that all cursebreakers made with the bank. He had to admit that he was paid incredibly well for his services. However, he also lacked some of the benefits the majority of other cursebreakers had, namely the right to pick and refuse a job and the right to work with a team. He unfortunately did not have a copy of his very first contract, but he knew some things had changed between his novice cursebreaker contract and his current one.

"Harry?"

He stopped, recognizing the voice. If it was anyone else, he would have ignored them and kept on walking. This was the one voice he could not ignore, would not ignore. He tilted his head, a silent question, waiting for the speaker to speak again.

"Harry, is that you?" she whispered.

He looked up into the warm brown eyes of Hermione Granger. He smiled softly, shyly, feeling like a kid again for some reason. "Hey Hermione."

She gaped at him, her eyes popped open, her jaw dropped. With shaking hands, she flicked her wand and he felt the Muffling Charm and the Privacy Charm settle around them. Then she flung herself at him and he felt the life squeezed out of him, something he had sorely missed.

"Harry," Hermione said, her voice shaking. "It's really you. It's really you!"

"Yeah, it's me," he said tearily, shyly wrapping his arms around her. "It's really good to see you. You look good." It was true. She looked healthy, her busy hair pulled back into a ponytail, wearing fitted robes.

"You look…you look incredible Harry!" Gone was the skinny youth after the war, the one with haunted eyes and an air of guilt. Here stood a young man. The jacket did not hide his lean but wiry frame. More scars creased his hands and face, faint but visible. He no longer radiated guilt and shame, but he still had just the hint of melancholy to him. Yet beneath his hat, his hair was black and messy. His eyes were still deep green. "When did you get back?! What are you doing here?! Where are you staying?! For how long?!"

"Literally a few minutes ago," he laughed. He missed the way she fired questions without breathing, not even waiting for answers. "I'm here on business, sort of. Need to talk to Gringotts. I don't know how long I'm staying or where. I was thinking of renting a room at the Leaky if they still do that."

Hermione's eyes sparkled despite her tears, happy to hear him laugh. Then they narrowed as she processed his answers. "You can stay with me. Please say you will. I have a room for you,"

He was happy and worried in equal measure. "Uh, is it alright if I do? What would your partner say?"

"It'll be fine. It's an agreement we have. The room is for you. Please stay. I've missed you terribly. I have so much I want to ask and talk to you." She held his hands. "Please?"

He swallowed thickly. "I'd…I'd really like that. I've missed you too. As long as it's okay with your partner, I will. I can pay for it. I'll leave the second-"

"Let me handle that." Hermione's determination, a familiar sight, shone through. "I have to finish a few things here, where will you be?"

"I'm going straight to Gringotts and I'll wait in Diagon for you."

"You'll wait for me, right? You won't leave this time? Without saying goodbye?"

His heart ached at her tone. "I solemnly swear."

"If you do, I'll come hunt you down."

He smiled sincerely for the first time since leaving the tomb. "I know. I won't. I'll wait for you."

-0-

"Cursebreaker Potter, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Harry ignored the sarcastic tone. At least Ragnok was not smiling. Goblins only smiled to Magicals as a form of mockery. They showed happiness and pleasantness in other ways. Granted, he was not showing those signs to Harry right now either.

That was okay. The displeasure was mutual.

"I'm here to renegotiate my contract," Harry said bluntly.

"I wasn't aware you were unhappy with your contract," Ragnok sniffed.

"Because I wasn't aware of certain discrepancies."

"Your failure to read your contract is no reflection on Gringotts."

"I did read it and it seemed fair, until I was told about other contracts. Namely the standard one." He put both copies in front of the goblin.

Ragnok flicked them away with a long-nailed finger. "Each contract is unique to the person, even you should be aware of that."

"I am. What I wanted to know is why was I was denied a right to refusal? Why was I denied team placement?"

Ragnok frowned. "You never tried to work with a team before nor did you ever refuse a job before. It was deemed unnecessary to include in your advanced contract."

"That's not fair at all. I was working hard to become a good cursebreaker. I knew I lacked some of the classes at Hogwarts so I was learning on the job. I wanted to do my best!"

"Your current skills aren't a question. Gringotts has plenty of faith in you and we show it by paying you incredibly well. Your fee level is much higher than most." He smiled toothily. "Something senior cursebreakers are upset about. Are you upset about being compensated well for your services?"

"No. I'll tell you what I'm upset about." Harry took a deep breath. "Why am I never told what the job levels are?"

Ragnok's smile died. "I…was not aware you cared for such minutiae."

"Why wouldn't I care about knowing how hard the job will be? What to expect? Tell me, Sir, what were the classifications of my last five jobs?"

Ragnok swallowed. "They were…challenging."

"Tell me…Sir."

"They were deemed to be Onyx level," he admitted at last.

"And what's the most dangerous classification level?"

"…Onyx."

"According to the manual, Onyx level jobs should have entire teams working them. They should have multiple vanguard members and each cursebreaker and support staff must be told what they were and allowed to refuse."

"That is correct."

"What are mortality levels of Onyx level jobs?"

Ragnok looked over Harry's shoulder to avoid looking into his eyes. "Prior to the last five jobs you completed? Sixty percent."

"Why was I sent to five Onyx level jobs without sufficient cursebreaker support? Without being told?"

Ragnok coughed in the ensuing silence. "Perhaps, there was some miscommunication-"

"I don't believe that and neither do you," Harry interrupted. "I trusted you. I trusted Gringotts."

"Magicals never trust Goblins!" Ragnok snarled.

"I did!" Harry slammed his fist into the desk making the goblin jump. "I did! I trusted you! You gave me a job after everything, you gave me a chance! I thought I could make things right! I paid the price for breaking in and out of Gringotts. I paid every fee in full. I wanted to prove I could work hard and be a friend to the bank! Haven't I done that? Haven't I paid my debts and helped?"

He could not stop the tears from falling. "Haven't I proved myself?"

Ragnok looked incredibly uncomfortable. "You…have."

"Then why did you do this to me?" Harry asked with despair.

"I…do not have a satisfactory answer. Perhaps, there were still hard feelings against you when you first started."

"But that was seven years ago. Every year I did the jobs no one else wanted. Every year I worked hard. I helped the bank profit, I helped the bank grow. I get that you didn't trust me when I started but I worked hard for you, for seven years. Are you telling me that was worth nothing? Where I'm seen as someone expendable? Where people bet on me? On if I live or die? On my injuries?"

For the first time, Ragnok's eyes met his. "Gringotts has done you a disservice. We would be more than eager to renegotiate a fair contract with you."

Harry sighed, deflated.

Defeated.

"Maybe it's best if I resign my commission," he said hollowly.

"No, that will not be necessary," Ragnok said in a panicky voice. "We have done you wrong and we will repay our debt. You…you have accrued substantial vacation time in your seven years, yes? Please, take an extended vacation. I will authorize an increase to your bonus for this last job. When you feel ready to return, we will ensure your needs will be satisfied. You may trust us again, Cursebreaker Potter."

Harry turned and walked to the door of the office. "I may," he said softly, "but will I again?" He left without waiting for an answer.

-0-

Hermione hurried down Diagon Alley, looking frantically about. She had finished her business at the Ministry as fast as possible, something she normally did not do. However, with Harry back in England, she had no qualms with rushing and she had left as soon as possible.

She went to Gringotts first and could not find him. No one would tell her where he went so she went running back down the street. She checked Quality Quidditch Supplies, then Flourish and Blotts. She started to panic, looking wildly about before running into something very solid and stumbling back.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked, worried.

"Harry!" She scrambled up, clutching her nose. "There you are!"

"Uh yeah." He held up a small bag. "I was getting us ice cream to go. Sorry. You still like raspberry and peanut butter, right? Rum raisin for your partner?"

She teared up and it had nothing to do with the pain from her nose. "Oh yes, those are our favorites. You remembered."

He smiled shyly. "Yeah. That's not weird, is it?"

She shook her head. "Not at all. Do you need to get anything else?"

"Nope, lead on."

Her grip was like how he last remembered it: vise-like and made of iron. She did not drag him this time but she held tight, as if worrying he would disappear all of a sudden.

Again.

She led him to one of the apparition points and took him side-along. They reappeared at a cozy little townhome. The garden in front was tiny but the flowers bloomed beautifully and Harry took a deep breath of the surprisingly fresh scent. "Oh this is nice. Is this a Magical neighborhood?"

"Mostly, but mostly Half-bloods or Muggleborns that are used to Muggles. There's a lot of privacy spells woven into the wards surrounding our home and the garden has plenty of Notice-Me-Nots for apparating. Come in!"

He looked about with interest as he entered. The place felt nice to him, warm and inviting. The floors were hardwood with tasteful rugs of different colors and sizes. Vases and paintings dotted here and there, speaking of opulence and elegance. He smiled fondly at the living room; one whole wall was composed of bookshelves that were filled to bursting with books. The kitchen was modern, gleaming and clean.

Hermione looked nervous when she led him to a door down a long hallway towards the back. "It's a bit small," she said as she opened the door.

Harry looked around the room. It was small, a whole side of the room was taken by the bed but the bed looked very comfortable. The sheets were crimson and gold and a Gryffindor flag hung off one wall. It did not feel small when he stepped in however, cozy instead of cramped. He smiled when he saw his old trunk sitting against the foot of the bed, and he recognized a few photos and things. "This…you kept this room for me?"

She nodded. "Wherever I had a home, I kept your things at the ready and had a small space for you. Hoping you'd come back and visit. When we moved in, I made sure to keep it going. I hope it's okay-"

He hugged her. "It's wonderful," he said sincerely.

She whimpered happily as she hugged him back. "I'm glad," she sniffled. She reluctantly broke the embrace to hold him at arm's length. "Promise me that you won't leave without telling me first. Promise me you'll talk to me before you go. I can't handle it if you disappear again Harry. Please, please don't do it to me again."

His heart broke a little. "I swear. I promise. I regret how things happened before and it won't happen again."

She hugged him again, relieved. "Good." Her pocket meowed and she hissed, pulling out a watch and looking at the clockface. "Drat! I have to go get something. I can't put it off." She looked at him, torn.

He smiled. "I'll be here. I promise."

"You better! I'll be back soon, make yourself comfortable!" She ran out, then ran back for one more hug before rushing away.

Harry chuckled. "Same old Hermione." He felt better being here, seeing her. He had planned to get in contact with her after his business was done and thanked his luck that they ran into each other so swiftly and easily. He also thanked his blessings that she was not as angry as he feared she would be. She had every right to be, after what he did. However, she had treated him like the best friend she was.

The best friend he did not deserve.

He vowed he would make things up to her.

He took a shower and unpacked his rucksack, hanging his hat up on the hook behind the door. After poking through the kitchen, he found a lot of ingredients he could use and decided to make dinner. Soon the house was filled with the scent of spices, spices he carried with him on his travels. He hummed softly, stirring the curry on the stovetop.

The door opened. "Hey babe! That smells incredible. Where did you buy it because I know you didn't…make it."

Tracy Davis stared at Harry with shock. She stood in the doorway and looked him up and down, rubbing her eyes a few times as if confronted by a mirage.

"Hi Tracy," Harry said slightly awkwardly.

"Well well, Harry Potter, you finally came." The blonde-haired woman leaned against the door jamb. "I never actually believed you show up, no matter what Hermione said."

"I honestly didn't expect to either," Harry said.

"When did you get in?"

"A few hours today. I…hope it's okay that I'm here. I ran into Hermione and she insisted. I'll be fine with leaving and finding a different place."

"She'd kill you, and then me if you did," Tracy said. She shrugged. "I'm okay with it as long as you're a good guest."

Harry smiled. "I'll clean up and cook for us. I brought ice cream."

"That's a good start."

"I'll pay too."

She smiled. "Even better. No complaints here." Her smile died and she stared at him. "If you hurt her again, I'll make you regret it. You don't scare me Boy-Who-Ran."

He winced. "Is that what they call me now?"

"No, that's something I came up with. She was a mess after you left. Kept blaming herself and all. You do that again, I'll drag you back and do terrible things to you."

"Noted." Harry sighed. "I didn't want that to happen then. I won't let it happen this time to the best of my ability."

"Good." She quirked an eyebrow. "Any comments to make about me and Hermione being a couple?"

"Are you two happy?"

Whatever response she was expecting, it was clear that his words were not it. "Yes," she said confidently.

"You treat her well?"

"Yes," she said fiercely.

"Then that's all I need to know," Harry said. "Hermione's the smartest person I know and if she likes you and you like her, then that's what matters." His eyes narrowed. "If you hurt her though, I'll make you pay for it."

She shivered. "So that's what it's like," she murmured softly. She cleared her throat. "No worries there. I really like her, I'm not messing with her or leading her on."

He smiled. "Then I think we can be good friends."

She chuckled. "Don't get too ahead of yourself. Still, I'm pretty happy you're not reacting like her old Gryffindor classmates."

He noticed she did not say friends. "Well, some prejudices die hard sadly."

"Ain't that the truth." She sat at the counter. "That smells really good by the way. What is it?"

"A curry I learned when I was clearing a place in India. Hope you don't mind me using the kitchen and groceries."

"If it tastes as good as it smells, I don't care at all. You can buy the groceries for us and cook for us as part of you living here. We don't cook much, we eat a lot of take-away."

The door opened again and Hermione rushed in, stopping when she saw Tracy and Harry there. "Oh! You're home already! I hoped to warn you."

"Me or him?" Tracy asked with a teasing smile.

"Both," Hermione huffed. She rolled her eyes when Tracy pulled her close. She blushed when Tracy kissed her lightly on the lips. "Tracy," she hissed, nodding at Harry.

"Oh Potter doesn't mind, does he?" Tracy asked with a smirk.

Harry shook his head. "Not at all. It's your home after all."

"Stop that," Tracy said. "Being all reasonable and polite. You're making it difficult to dislike you." She laughed when Hermione slapped her on the shoulder.

Harry finished cooking and dished up large plates of rice and curry with a quick side salad. Tracy and Hermione devoured the food, asking for seconds from a bemused and flattered Harry.

"Were you always this good of a cook?" Tracy asked.

"I could cook a little before. When I started traveling for work, I learned more. It's fun to pick up a dish or two of the local cuisine."

"This is so good," Hermione gushed.

"I'm glad. Have to earn my keep."

"No you don't," Hermione said with a frown.

"Yes he does," Tracy said. "Just let him babe, you were saying we eat too much take-away as it is."

"But he doesn't have to earn his keep to be here," she argued back.

"It's okay Hermione, really," Harry said. "I'm happy to do it."

Hermione frowned a little but relented without further arguing and the trio enjoyed dinner, chatting and laughing as they got caught up. Eventually they sat together in the living room. Tracy reappeared with a bottle of wine and Hermione came back, holding Harry's hat and a small box with needle and thread and other little things.

"You've taken very good care of it," Hermione said as she inspected it critically.

"It's my most prized possession," he replied, accepting a glass of wine from Tracy.

"I recognize that hat," Tracy said. "Well, the style. It's a fedora. Where did you get it?"

"Hermione gave it to me. She said if I was going to be like Indiana Jones then I should look the part." Harry smiled. "I do like the hat a lot. Let's me run around without being noticed a lot."

"Oh yeah, that's where I recognized it. Love those movies," Tracy laughed. "Huh, you're right. He is basically a Muggle cursebreaker. Do you have a whip too?"

"Tried to use a whip once," Harry said.

"Oh? How did that go?"

He laughed ruefully. "Hit myself in the face with the lash and broke my glasses." He smiled as the witches howled with laughter. "After the swelling went down, I laughed too. Still do. I'm pretty good with the Flame Whip though to make up for it. Practiced a lot with that spell."

"That's a really difficult spell!" Hermione's eyes widened. "How do you use if for cursebreaking?"

"I can set off traps at a distance with it, illuminate the dark, hit torches from afar." He grinned lopsidedly. "Look cool. It's very versatile."

"Don't laugh," Tracy said at Hermione's snort. "That'd be why I learn it. So, Potter, what brings you back to jolly London?"

"I came back to renegotiate my contract with Gringotts." His good cheer dissolved. "I learned a few things about it that kind of…bothered me." With a sigh he explained the circumstances.

"How dare they! They can't do that!" Hermione shouted.

"Sadly they can, just like anyone who runs a business." Tracy shook her head. "Still, not very nice of them. Usually they are pretty good with their employees."

"Well, they probably still carry a grudge," Harry said.

"From what you did during the war? Makes sense. Goblins never forget a slight and you slighted them pretty bad."

"We did," Hermione said mulishly.

"I accepted primary responsibility," Harry said shortly. "It's fine."

"So you're in between jobs?" Tracy asked, cutting Hermione off.

"Sort of. I…don't know if I will keep working with Gringotts. I don't know if I can trust them again," he said frankly.

Tracy hugged a sad looking Hermione. "So, as a cursebreaker, you're good at breaking curses and making wards and runes right?"

"Pretty good I'd say."

"Wanna work for me? I'd pay you decent, since you're my girl's friend."

"Why do you need a cursebreaker?" Harry asked with sincere interest.

"I could always use someone good at making wards. Once in a while I'll find a property with some nasty curses that need breaking or wards need removing and redoing. If you're good at it, we can charge a premium. What do you say?"

Harry smiled. "I'll definitely consider it, especially if I leave Gringotts."

Tracy grinned. "Awesome. I've been needing a good ward maker for a while. So! Tell me, what are some of the nastier places you've explored? Bet you've seen some scary stuff out there."

"I'm sure Harry wants to talk about things that aren't work related," Hermione sniffed.

"Don't pretend you don't want to hear about some of the ancient magics he's seen," Tracy countered. She and Harry laughed at the sudden gleam in her eyes.

"I don't mind. A lot of it is pretty interesting after the fact," he said. "I've done dives in India, Egypt, China, the States. The last one I just did was the last of a series of connected tombs, all of them made by this one Wizard, way way back."

"Ooh, who?" Hermione asked.

"Don't remember. Really weird name. His symbol was V with the ouroboros through the middle of it, kinda like a wonky upside-down A. Veego? Viga?"

Tracy spat wine over the table. "Viego? You broke into Viego the Vile's tombs?!"

"That's his name. I thought it was weird."

Hermione looked at Tracy with wide eyes. "I've never heard of Viego. Why was he called that?"

"How the hell did you break into Viego's tombs and not die?!"

Harry shrugged sheepishly. "I'm a pretty good cursebreaker?"

"Someone tell me who Viego was," Hermione insisted.

"Pretty good?! You have to work for me. If we make it public knowledge that I have a survivor of Viego in my employ, we will rake in the money."

"Harry, tell me the kind of magic you saw in those tombs," Hermione said, her eyes narrowing.

"I, uh, it's not for polite company," Harry said evasively, regretting he ever brought it up. "It was pretty rough."

"I can't believe I'm hearing someone referring to Viego's magic as 'pretty rough'," Tracy snorted.

Hermione got up and stomped over to the bookshelves and started paging through a few books. With each failure to find the name she shoved the book back with increasing irritation. She started to growl, muttering under her breath as she continued to not find any references.

"Go to the basement, bottom right corner of the bookshelf," Tracy called to her. "You want the big one, you know, the one that looks extra creepy."

With a horrified look, Hermione dashed away and down the stairs.

Tracy got up and went to the liquor cabinet, coming back with a decanter filled with amber liquid and three tumbler glasses. At Harry's questioning look she explained. "It's where we put the books about darker magic, I inherited some from my family. Not spell books, but reference books and the like. The not for polite company information." She poured out a measure of liquid into each cup. "She's going to need something stronger than wine. Hell, I need something stronger."

"Viego Valgoth, also known as the Vile, the Heretek, the Scourge! The father of Curses! THE INVENTOR OF INFERI?!" Hermione's shriek was easily heard by them.

"That explains why there were so many skeletons and inferi," Harry said with dawning realization.

"You went into the tombs without knowing a thing about them?" Tracy shook her head. "No wonder you were pissed about your contract. They seriously didn't tell you?"

He shook his head and gulped the burning spirit. "No wonder no other teams took the job."

"I hope they paid you well for them," she muttered.

He shrugged weakly. "I mean, yeah they did."

"Was it worth it?"

"I have no idea really," he said somberly.

Hermione stumbled back into the living room, pale and shaking. She flung herself at Harry. "Are you okay?!" she asked. "You didn't lose anything did you?"

"I'm fine," he said hurriedly. "Really! Just some bumps and bruises, couple broken bones. Nothing major. I promise." He patted her back as she sobbed into him. "You know how tough I am. Always bounce back. I haven't had any major injuries in years.

"Please don't go back and do that," she begged. "Please. You deserve so much better. Please don't go back."

"It's okay Hermione," he said awkwardly. "I'm here. I'm still alive and kicking."

"Here," Tracy handed her a cup of firewhiskey. "There you go," she said soothingly when Hermione drank it all in one large gulp. "See? All better."

"It's not," Hermione coughed violently, clutching her throat.

"You just need more." Tracy refilled her cup. "Uh, Potter, what I said earlier, can I retract it?"

Hermione glared at her girlfriend. "What did you say earlier?"

"Something that needed to be said," Harry said smoothly. "No problems at all. Tracy has been super nice to me and I'm very grateful. Hey, it's not all about the dark scary places as a cursebreaker. Let me tell you the time I went to this really pretty meadow up in the mountains in France. This couple wanted me to ward their estate and the gardens were gorgeous…"

After a while of chatting about much lighter things and some stories of his more funny experiences, Hermione finally calmed down. She eventually fell asleep due to the amount of alcohol she drank and being tired from the excitement of the day. He helped Tracy carry her upstairs to bed and he went back to his room and started getting ready to bed.

"Holy shit."

He stopped with his shirt over his head, cursing himself for leaving the door open. He sighed and pulled it back on, turning to a wide-eyed Tracy. "Sorry," he said, flushing. "Should have closed the door."

"No, it's my fault, shoulda knocked or something." The woman blinked slowly. "I…should tell you that Hermione has told me a few things about you. About what you've been through."

He nodded. He thought he should be upset but curiously he was not. Maybe it was from the firewhiskey, or he was more tired than he thought. "That's okay. I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone else though."

"Yeah, no, I won't tell anyone else." She gulped at the memory of the scars that crisscrossed his upper body. "Those are from fighting and cursebreaking?"

"Most of these are yeah. The ones on my back are way older," he said as delicately as he could. "I'm uh, sorry for tonight. Maybe I shouldn't have come back. Didn't want to upset her like that."

"Don't be," she said frankly. "She needed to see you and having you nearby will be good for her. I wasn't kidding when I said she was a mess for a while. She really needs some closure and while she's happy to get your letters through the years, it's not the same you know?"

He nodded. "I do."

"You know, I was hoping you'd be more of an arsehole. Come back all cocky and what not. Give me a reason to hate you."

He smiled sadly. "I don't blame you."

"I blame me. It's clear you care for her as much as she does you. You…you left for a reason, didn't you?"

He nodded.

"Well, just try to explain it to her I guess, not that I need to tell you that. But she needs to hear it all, no matter how painful it is." She gave him a piercing look. "You're going to tell her, right?"

"I will. I should have then. It took me a while to make sense of it all so at least I can explain it a little better now."

"Want me to give you two some privacy for it?"

"I don't fault you for wanting to know too. Might be best if you were there as well."

An eyebrow rose on her face. "I'm surprised you're willing to share your secrets with me."

He shrugged. "You're my best friend's girlfriend. I know she'd keep my secrets for me but Hermione never liked keeping secrets from the people she loves."

"I appreciate that," Tracy said sincerely. She frowned. "I don't know you very well at all, despite hearing plenty of stories about you for as long as Hermione and I have been together. But, this whole reappearing and being super honest thing, you never did this before, have you?"

He shook his head.

"Mind if I ask why?"

"Well again, this was kinda a surprise running into Hermione so fast, but I'm not upset by it. I planned to get in touch with her anyways though, when I got settled and after dealing with the bank. I mean, I thought it'd take longer to deal with Gringotts honestly."

He sighed and sat on the bed, leaning against the wall. "I'm tired of secrets. My whole life has been a mess of secrets." He rubbed his face. "I…really should have explained things better to Hermione. She's my best friend, was my best friend. I don't know if I deserve one now. She's really my only friend and I hate that I hurt her." He held his hands up. "I need to make things right."

"She's still your best friend. She still thinks she is, even after all this time." Tracy looked soft when she said that.

Harry smiled warmly. "You really love her, don't you?"

Tracy nodded. "I really do. She's amazing."

"Yeah she is. Don't worry. I'm going to do my best to be better. It's long overdue."

She nodded again. Her eyes narrowed. "Do cursebreakers drink a lot?"

"Some do."

"You don't look like you're feeling anything you drank tonight and we polished off a lot."

He shrugged. "It takes more to get me drunk these days."

"That sucks," she said frankly, smiling at his laugh. "You said she's your only friend? What about Weasley? Or any others?"

His smile faded. "That…that'll take some explaining and it's probably for the best when the three of us chat. I don't want to talk about more times if I don't have to."

"Fair enough." She stifled a yawn. "Well, it wasn't that bad to meet you like this Potter. At least things won't be boring for a while. See you in the morning."

"Thanks, it's nice to meet you too, more formally like this. Good night." He waited for her to leave, listening to her footsteps go up the stairs. He closed the door and cast a Wakening Charm across the threshold, a spell that would wake him if someone opened it. With another sigh he laid back on the bed. It had been a while since he slept in a bed as comfortable as this, in a city.

It was the first time he spent the night in England in over seven years.

He fell asleep easily. It was not that hard honestly. The bed was incredibly comfortable, the room warm. He was in a relatively safe area, nothing to worry about. The magic of the wards woven around the home was much less dangerous than magic he had slept near before.

Staying asleep was the hard part. He kept waking from nightmares, nightmares he had not had in years, He kept finding himself in the Great Hall, surrounded by people, surrounded by the living and the dead. He was facing a man as pale as death, slitted eyes the color of blood. They were dueling, fighting. The dead man's lipless mouth moved, his final words burying daggers deep into Harry.

Then Harry would wake, skin slick with sweat and his heart beating hard. It would take him a while for him to even his breathing, to calm down. He would attempt to fall back asleep, managing to slip off, only to wake a few hours later. Then he would repeat the cycle. Finally, after the third set, he gave up and got out of bed.

It was still early but not indecently so. He showered, enjoying the luxury of hot water and soap and shampoo. He walked into the kitchen, feeling clean and refreshed despite the lack of continuous sleep. "I could get used to this again," he muttered to himself. After poking around the refrigerator and pantry, he decided on a menu and got to cooking.

"Okay, now I'm glad Hermione made you stay." Tracy walked into the kitchen and sniffed the air happily. "That smells amazing."

"I didn't know what you like for breakfast, so I made eggs and toast and sausages. Did some broiled tomatoes too. Tea or coffee?"

"Coffee please. And I like anything for breakfast. Seriously, keep this coming and I won't charge you for back rent."

"We are not charging him back rent," Hermione said as she entered. "And Harry, you don't have to make breakfast."

He smiled and handed her a big mug of tea. "I know, but I want to. It's the least I can do. Besides, it's fun cooking in a kitchen as nice as yours. Beats cooking over a fire."

"See? Everyone wins," Tracy said through a mouthful of food. "Anyways, what're your plans for today Potter?"

He shrugged. "None really."

"Wanna tag along with me? I'm doing a few inspections and I'd like to see you in action. There's a bloke that's been bothering me about a ward line and been trying to tell me it isn't working properly."

"If you're forcing Harry to work for you, you better compensate him," Hermione said severely. "With a proper consultant's fee."

"Babe! You know me!" Tracy said, sounding hurt.

"I do, which is why I said it," Hermione said, a small smile to take the sting out of her words.

"You two are adorable," Harry smirked. "Sure thing, that sounds fine to me. It'll give me an idea of what I can do if I do leave Gringotts." After they finished breakfast and cleaning up, Harry walked to his room to change, emerging with his hat on, his jacket over a blue t-shirt, khaki pants, and boots.

"You really do look like Indiana Jones," Tracy said with a laugh. "A skinner and less handsome one, but pretty close."

Harry tried to grin roguishly. "One of the first things I got in the States were a few books on him. He's pretty cool."

Hermione smiled. "Don't let Tracy run you ragged, Harry. You are on vacation after all."

"Oh don't worry Babe, I'm sure we'll get along just fine."

-0-

"Babe! Are you home?"

Hermione looked up from the couch, "I am. How was your day?"

"Great! I love this guy!" Tracy exclaimed, patting Harry on the back enthusiastically.

Hermione giggled, happy to see her girlfriend in good spirits and to see Harry blush with embarrassment and pleasure. "Oh? So fast? It hasn't even been a whole day yet." She followed them into the kitchen and looked at them unpack several bags worth of groceries.

"He's made me so much money today! He cleaned out Stillwater of all those pests I told you about, didn't have to do anything special according to him. Saved me a sack of Galleons from what the removal company wanted. He broke the Clumsiness Jinx that was sunk into the Greg Estate. Found the Ward Stone in the Falthosh Home. And the cherry on top, he made Old Man Runcorn back down. Pointed out that the Wards were in fact fine, it was the 'embellishments' that he tried to do to them! Runcorn was so embarrassed, he paid me the meddling fee, paid for having the wards stripped, then paid to have them put back up! AND Harry did it all in a few hours!"

Hermione laughed and hugged Tracy then Harry. "Should I be worried?" she teased Harry. "You seem to be making a rather large impact on my girlfriend."

"More like on her vaults," Harry laughed. "I have to say though, she's a pretty great boss. Didn't throw me into anything super dangerous aside from Runcorn's complaints, didn't try to micromanage me, even insisted on buying all these groceries. Plus the working environment is way more pleasant. I could get used to the domestic cursebreaker life."

"Seriously Potter, we're going to do great working together," Tracy said enthusiastically. "Take that severance fee from Gringotts. I swear I'll treat you right."

"You can trust her Harry," Hermione said. "Tracy always likes what makes her money."

"Hey! I like things that don't make me money."

"Oh? Such as?"

Tracy wrapped her arms around Hermione and kissed her on the lips. "You," she said cheekily.

Harry chuckled. "You two are bloody adorable." He waited for a moment then raised an eyebrow, looking at Hermione.

She blushed. "What are you looking at me for?"

"Waiting for you to scold me about my language."

Tracy laughed. "Oh I broke her of that habit. I swear like a sailor on shore leave and she got tired of trying to correct me a long time ago."

"That doesn't give you permission to do the same," Hermione said, waggling her finger at Harry.

"Good to know," he smiled as he began making dinner.

"So, Potter, any wells you're dipping your quill in?" Tracy asked, causing Hermione to cough and smack her.

"I assume you're asking if I'm seeing anyone?" Harry said, laughing and holding his stomach at both the comment and the look of indignation on Hermione's face.

"Tracy makes the worst euphemisms," Hermione complained. "Not to mention asking very personal questions out of the blue like that!"

"I make the best euphemisms," Tracy corrected. "I got more! Like, have a holster for your wand? A Griff for your Hippo? A place to put your staff? Oh here's one, a Chamber of Secrets for your Bas-"

Hermione shouted in disgust and waved her wand, silencing Tracy. The woman laughed without making a sound, utterly unrepentant.

"I've heard much worse," Harry chuckled. "This might surprise you, but cursebreakers are typically very vulgar. To answer your question, no. I'm not seeing anyone. Haven't really had the time."

Tracy gave Hermione a doleful look until she sighed and removed the Silencing Charm. "That's a shame. Not even for a little fun?" She giggled, dodging an irritably thrown Stinging Jinx by Hermione.

"Not even," he said, stirring the food in the pan.

"Want us to set you up with anyone?" Tracy asked. Hermione looked at Harry, waiting for his response.

"How about let's figure out my future work and at least a place to stay first," Harry said easily. "I can't stay with you forever, don't want to wear out your hospitality."

"There's no rush," Hermione said firmly, pinching Tracy. "And you are right of course. You've only been back for a day." She glared at Tracy.

Tracy snickered. "Hey, I'm just trying to set things up for Potter so that he wants to stay. You know, make him want to be here."

"By entrapping him?!"

"Who do you think I was going to set him up with?!"

Harry grinned fondly as he watched them squabble. "I really can get used to this," he muttered to himself.

For as long as it lasts.