"Done."
The word was a soft exhale, barely audible over the fading hum of power that saturated the air of the lab. Harry leaned back in his heavy chair, the wood creaking under his weight as he stretched his arms high above his head, his joints popping in a satisfying rhythm.
The air in the room felt ionized, smelling of ozone and the deep, earthy scent of molten metal.
On the worktable before him lay the three rings, resting on a velvet cloth like fallen stars.
They were beautiful, sparkling, and letting off a low hum as the rings seemed to let off an aura around them.
The work he had done on these rings were without a doubt amazing. If this were put in game terms, then these rings would be classified as epic-class relics.
Runes lay hidden along the inner bands, etched so finely they were invisible unless one knew exactly what to look for. First, they carried basic enchantments for health, protection against mental intrusion, and a soul-link that would allow him to find them across any distance. Second, there were the other 3 surprises he added in for each of his girls.
He smirked. These ones, he was not going to inform them, this was going to be a very, very special surprise. He let out a laugh just imagining what their faces were going to be like when they discovered this.
Harry picked them up one by one, weighing them in his palm and feeling the resonance of the magic hum against his fingertips.
Satisfied, he nodded and swept his hand across the table, creating beautiful boxex for each of the rings before slipping the rings into his hammerspace.
He'd find the perfect time to give them to the girls, but he had to make it a moment they would always remember. This was going to be before the wedding, though he wanted it to be on the wedding day first, he decided against it.
He let out a little laugh. This relationship really was an odd one, it seemed like all the proper steps were just rearranged.
He cracked his arms as he stood up from the chair. It felt like he'd been here for hours.
Only then did he glance toward the high window and realize that the sun had long already descended, with the moon high up in the night sky. He had been lost in the trance of creation for hours.
He left the lab, his boots clicking softly on the stone floors, and paused when he entered the dining room. He stopped dead, a small, fond smile touching his lips at the sight before him.
The girls were still there, exactly where he had left them, but the "War Council" he'd met them at seemed not to have ended, as they had finally succumbed to exhaustion and passed out there.
Daphne was asleep in her chair, her back remarkably straight even in slumber, her head tilted just slightly to the side. Even in sleep, she looked every bit the elegant Ice Queen, her features serene and untouchable.
Tonks, however, was the complete opposite; she had nodded off mid-movement, her head resting on a stack of paper, her usual bubblegum-pink hair was now brown, its natural original state, spilling across the table. She was dangerously close to sliding out of her chair entirely.
Anya leaned back in her seat, her arms crossed under her head as she slept on the table, snoring lightly.
Harry felt a sudden, sharp pang of gratitude. 'Lucky'.
That was the only word that fit. These women, each amazing in their own right, had chosen him, They had chosen to love him even after all they had seen, even after they had seen him at his worst, covered in the blood of his enemies and had killed dozens of people and they still chose to stay by his side and now even want to build a home with him.
He really was Lucky beyond what he had ever imagined.
He stepped closer, his footsteps silent on the rug, and noticed the thick book on the table. It was open just enough for him to see the title page.
Wedding Plans.
He whispered the words softly, a chuckle caught in his throat. He closed the cover gently, choosing not to peek at their "Grand Strategy."
If they wanted to surprise him with the details of their union, he was more than happy to let them. He'd like to see the things they were planning through their eyes rather than spoiling the mystery.
His eyes flickered with a faint emerald glow before two identical copies of Harry manifested beside him.
Without a word, the three of them lifted the girls, Daphne in Harry's arms, Tonks and Anya in the clones', and carried them upstairs. They laid them gently into the massive bed in the master suite.
Once the girls were tucked in, the clones vanished. Harry removed his shirt and slipped in beside them, pressing a tender kiss to each of their foreheads before letting sleep claim him.
The days that followed were blissfully, wonderfully normal. It was a week of quiet breakfasts and afternoon walks through the manor gardens.
With Harry and the girls just taking things slow with their work and spending time with Harry, who was taking a break from world jumping to enjoy time with them and his friends too.
It was about a week later, over a breakfast of smoked salmon, when Daphne informed him that they had dinner plans with her parents at Greengrass Manor.
Now, standing in their room, Harry adjusted his silk collar for the tenth time. Daphne promptly slapped his hands away from his throat.
"Don't be rough," she scolded lightly, her eyes shining with amusement. "You'll ruin the line of the suit."
She stepped into his space, her fingers nimble as she fixed his sleeves. Harry looked down at her, his breath catching. She wore a light blue spaghetti-strap dress that hugged her curves perfectly, the fabric shimmering like the surface of a lake. It enhanced her natural luminescence, making her seem to glow from within.
"You look wonderful," she said, stepping back to inspect her work.
"And you," Harry replied softly, pulling her in by the waist to press a kiss to her lips, "look magnificent as always, love."
He leaned in, whispering into her ear and making her lean into the kiss further before she finally pulled back to check the time. "We really should go. My mother is many things, but patient with tardiness is not one of them."
They stopped in the living room to bid goodbye to Tonks and Anya, who were staying behind to "chill", and then Harry opened a rift with a casual swipe of his hand.
"After you, my lady."
The moment they stepped through, they emerged just outside the iron gates of Greengrass Manor.
Harry made it a point to emerge outside. Even as a Campione, he felt that blinking directly into someone's dining room, much less his future in-laws, was a breach of etiquette he wasn't willing to commit.
An elf appeared almost immediately, bowing so low its nose brushed the grass. "Welcome! Welcome, Lord Potter-Black, Mistress Daphne!"
Cyrus Greengrass met them at the entrance, his arms open wide in a gesture of genuine warmth. His wife, Cecilia, stood beside him, her face lit with a happy smile as she watched her eldest daughter return.
"Welcome, Lord Harry," Cecilia said, both she and Cyrus offering a small, respectful bow.
Technically, Harry was head of an ancient house, three Ancient and Noble Houses even, putting him on their level if not a bit above them, but not enough to bow, but as a Campione, a Godslayer, he was a King.
It was only natural for them to bow, even if he was dating their daughter.
Harry waved it off with a casual grin. "Lord and Lady Greengrass, it's wonderful to see you again." He shook Cyrus's hand firmly, then kissed Cecilia's knuckles. Daphne moved forward to embrace her father before being pulled into a tight hug by her mother.
Inside the dining room, Astoria and Theodore were already waiting. Astoria was talking a mile a minute, while Theodore Nott sat beside her, looking like a man who was contemplating the quickest exit strategy. The moment Astoria spotted them, she squealed and crossed the room in a blur of silk, throwing her arms around Harry.
"Harry! You're here!"
"Hey, Tori," he laughed, returning the hug.
Astoria was the sun to Daphne's moon, vibrant, emotional, and always wearing her heart on her sleeve. She reminded him of Luna, with that same spark of unadulterated honesty. She had been the mischievous one growing up, always pranking and teasing Daphne, and Harry loved that she hadn't changed.
She pulled back, her eyes twinkling. "Hey, Daphy!" she said, letting go of Harry to hug her sister.
"Astoria," Daphne said, returning the hug with a small, knowing smile.
The younger Greengrass looked at her sister with so much happiness, "Mum and Dad didn't tell me you guys were coming today! Well, it doesn't really matter."
The younger sister laughed, gesturing toward her husband as she moved over to him. Astoria dragged Theodore forward. The boy had turned an interesting shade of translucent white the moment Harry had walked in. "I know you were in the same year, but this is my husband, Theodore Nott."
Harry studied the man. He remembered Theo as the quiet, studious type who had stayed far away from Malfoy's sycophants. The boy was one of those Slytherins who preferred to keep to themselves and stay under the radar.
"It's nice to properly meet you, Nott," Harry said, extending his hand. They hadn't really talked back in Hogwarts, and when the boy had married Astoria, Harry didn't get to talk with him much on that day because they had been busy with all the other guests, so it had only been a brief meeting.
Theo swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing. He reached out, his hand trembling slightly as Harry's firm grip closed around his. Harry's green eyes, glowing with a faint emerald fire, as they bore into him.
"Yes… yes, it's… " It's nice to meet you, too, Potter," Theo stammered, clearly scared.
"Yes, as you say, it's nice to finally have a chance to talk face to face," Harry said quietly, his gaze intense.
Theo gulped loudly, looking like he was one more intense look away from fainting. Dinner, Harry realized, was going to be an interesting affair, one filled with family, laughter, and the quiet, mundane things that were truly worth protecting.
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