𝘈𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭 𝘖𝘧 𝘚𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝄂︎ ☠︎︎ 𝄃︎ 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘗𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳

𝟸𝟶. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚆𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙲𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚜

The group now banded at Shell Cottage took quite a few days to recover. Another moon was coming up and everyone was still healing.

Hermione hadn't spoken about her torture by Bellatrix. Esme tried to heal her without causing a scar, but because fate is a bitch it did scar. They all worked together to help Olivander, who had grown ill from his time in the dungeon.

As the moon got closer, Esme spent more time with Harry. They'd set up Hermione's tent outside of Shell Cottage, still within the protective wards, so they could at least have some kind of privacy. Everyone else stayed within the house.

Esme was far more protective, her wolf now fully recognizing Harry as her mate. The day before the moon, Ron had tried to come into the tent to bring them some leftover breakfast. Esme all but tackled him because he got to close. Harry had to pry his werewolf girlfriend (though they didnt speak labels aloud) off of his best mate to keep her from mauling the poor lad.

Ron didn't come to the tent anymore.

Just a few hours before the moon was to rise, Esme was shivering in bed, clutching onto Harry as if he were a teddy bear. He did his best to try and comfort her, but none of it really helped. They had no access to wolfsbane, almost all of the apothecary's being closed down because of attacks.

She nuzzled into his neck, breathing in his scent as her body trembled, the wolf itching beneath her skin. "Mmmm.." She mumbled against his skin.

Harry propped his chin on top of hers, holding her sweaty body close. "Hey.. Ess?" He whispered, knowing talking to loud would irritate her sensitive ears.

"Hmm?" She hummed.

"What do i smell like..? I know you say everyone has a distinct smell.. I'm just curious."

She took another long inhale over just pulse point, then pressing a small kiss to it. "Treacle tart, Broom polish, and Pumpkin juice. Little bit of chocolate too." She told him as she tried to shuffle closer, as if she wasn't already literally on top of him. She was in a daze, a Harry Potter induced daze.

"Really? Makes sense though."

"Mhmm.. My amortentia. Plus green apples." She admitted, still in a daze with no clue what she was saying.

Jealousy flooded Harry. He knew exactly who the green apples were for, and he hated it. But, he also knew who her true affections laid with. Him. Not Malfoy.

"Har?" She spoke quietly.

"Yes, love?"

"Would you still love me if i were a worm? Their weird." She asked, the daze completely taking over.

He chuckled, kissing her hair. "Yes i would."

"Weird beings. Muggle god probably made 'em. Cut em in half and they just regenerate. Fuckin weird." She grumbled, only making him laugh more.

"Some wizarding creatures are weirder. Ever seen a Murtlap?"

"Makes me think of Wormtail. Nifflers though, their cute. Me and Draco found a wild one once when we were like five. Brought it in the Manor, hid it in the bathtub for three weeks. Cissa and Lucius only noticed when Lucius' rings started going missing. Dunno what happened to the poor bugger." She picked up her head, looking up to Harry. "I want a niffler. Name him Niffy." Her eyes were half lidded, filled with the need for sleep.

He laughed again, kissing her forehead. "We'll get one. Move to Godrics Hollow. You can have as many animals as you want, love."

She sleepily smiled at him, laying her head back on his chest. "Fill a house with animals and little Potters."

Harry's face flushed quickly. "Li...Little.." He stammered. "Esme what do you mean by that?" He tried to question, but she'd promptly passed out on his chest, small snores already coming from her mouth. "Fuck."

~~

Once the moon was over, Esme all patched up and able to be around others without wanting to rip their throats out, her and Harry walked back over to Shell Cottage. Luna and Fleur were baking cookies, Bill had just put a kettle on.

"Billiam Weasley, please tell me you have some type of alcohol." Esme groaned, a headache splitting through her head.

"Its William, and possibly. But its 10am." Bill chuckled as Harry led Esme inside, helping her sit down on a stool.

"5 o'clock somewhere, Billy boy." Esme put her forehead against the counter.

"Should you really be drinking?" Ron commented from the kitchen table where he, Hermione, and Luna sat.

Esme groaned. "Try having all your bones ache for a week, run a fever, then have all said bones reshape you into a giant furry monster, wake up covered in scratches, start your period that same morning, then tell me you wouldn't want to be drunk." She glared at the younger Weasley as Bill had thankfully found muggle whiskey. He poured her a glass, setting it in front of her. "Bless you Bill."

"So he gets to be called Bill and i'm still Weasel? We spent months in a tent together and you've seen him a couple of times." Ron crossed his arms.

Esme lifted her head, tipping the glass back into her lips and downing it. She pointed to Bill. "Wolf." She pointed to herself. "Wolf. Therefore, more important. You, Weaselbee, couldn't understand the bond."

Luna looked mildly amused by the exchange. "Esme, the wrackspurts around your head seemed to have disappeared. Did you finally heed my advice? Well, my mothers."

Esme weakly smiled to her friend, looking over to Harry who was stood in an open doorway, looking out to Dobby's grave. "I did."

"Splendid!" Luna clapped happily.

Hermione watched the two with the smallest smile on her face. Mainly because Ron's hand was holding hers ever so softly, the pad of his thumb running over the back of her hand, tracing what felt like ancient runes into her skin. Runes she recognized as healing ones. "Esme..?"

Esme spun her stool around as Bill simply handed her the whiskey bottle to refill her glass. "Yeah Mione?"

"How did you escape? I thought you were following us." Hermione asked, having been curious how she escaped the... the torture.

Esme's hand gripped tighter onto the bottle as she poured more into her glass. "Draco... He's been with the snatchers for months trying to make sure i wasn't caught. When he saw it was me, he apparated me away. But trust me, i was not happy." Esme sipped the amber liquid. "Kicked him in the dick."

All the men in the room seemed to wince at that. Luna covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.

"Bastard deserved it. Took me away from Harry. Nox was pissed." She swirled the glass around, marveling at how the whiskey moved.

"Nox?" Ron asked.

"My wolf. Thats the monicker Sirius gave her. Like how we call Remus' wolf Moony. They tried to give my mother a marauder name, she refused. It was passed on to me when i was turned." She answered, again sipping the drink.

"Sometimes i forget you see ghosts. Have you ever seen my mother?" Luna asked, her eyes sparkling with interest.

Esme smiled softly. "She's currently clearing wrackspurts away from your head. I can't hear her, but she looks awfully angry."

Luna smiled, perfectly contempt. "Ickle things, wrackspurts are."

"No, Ron is ickle."

"Oi!"

Harry huffed, walking away from the doorway he'd been leaning on to stand next to Esme. He picked up the glass from her with little protest leaving the werewolf's lips. He lifted it to his mouth, downing the rest of its contents before setting it down on the counter. "I need to talk to the goblin." He looked away from the now staring Esme to Bill.

Esme's eyes glowed gold when she watched Harry drink like that. Good mother Morgana he's trying to kill me.

Bill nodded to Harry. "He's upstairs."

~~

The group of four, Harry, Esme, Ron, and Hermione all walked upstairs to the room Griphook was occupying. Bill led them in, leaving soon after. Esme took a spot by a window ledge, simply watching. Never liked goblins. And goblins rarely liked werewolves.

Griphook was sitting in a chair, facing out another window.

"How are you?" Harry asked, breaking the silence.

"Alive." The goblin answered, his hands folded in front of him.

Harry inhaled, taking a step forward. "You probably don't remember that you–"

Griphook cut him off. "-That i showed you to your vault, the first time you visited Gringotts? Even amongst goblins you are famous, Harry Potter." Griphooks eyes followed Harry as he moved across the room, looking out the window Griphook had been facing. "You buried the elf?"

"Dobby." Esme corrected.

Griphook's hands unfolded, moving to rest on the arms of the chair. "You are... pretty unusual." The goblins attention moved to the sword to the left of Harry, leaned against a wall. "How did you come by the sword?"

Harry glanced over at it, then back to Griphook. "Its complicated. Why did Bellatrix Lestrange think it should be in her vault at Gringotts?"

The moment the name was spoken, Hermione crossed her arms and tensed up. Esme watched as Ron tried to soothe her, his hand going to the small of her back comfortingly.

"Its complicated." The goblin retorted, mocked really.

Harry sighed. "The sword presented itself to us, in a moment of need. We didn't steal it."

Griphook nodded. "There is a sword in Madam Lestrange's vault identical to this one. But its a fake. Placed there this past summer."

"And Bellatrix of all people never suspected it a fake?" Esme questioned, knowing Bellatrixes love for collection.

"The replica was very convincing. Only a goblin would recognize that this is the true Sword of Gryffindor."

"Who is the acquaintance?" Hermione spoke up.

"A hogwarts professor. As i understand it, he's now the Headmaster." Griphook turned his head to Esme, who lifted off of the window.

"My father?" Esme's hand moved to her forearm, gripping hard as to not scratch. "He put a fake sword in Bella's vault? Why?"

Griphook seemed to ignore her, looking back to Harry. "There are more than a few... curious things in the vaults at Gringotts."

"In Bellatrix's vault as well?" Harry continued on.

The goblin had the slightest smirk on his face. "Perhaps."

Harry nodded slightly. "I need to get into Gringotts. Into one of the vaults."

"Its impossible."

"Alone, just a wizard, yes. But with you, and Esme," The Potter glanced up to Esme, then back to the goblin. "No."

Griphook raised an eyebrow. "Why should i help you?"

Esme scoffed. "Start with how we saved your sorry ar–" Esme was cut off by Hermione, putting her hand over the werewolf's mouth in warning.

"I have gold. Lots of it." Harry said once Esme was silenced.

Griphook rolled his eyes. "I've no interest in gold."

"Then what?"

The goblin simply pointed at the sword. "That. That is my price."

Harry nodded. "Fine then." He reached out, shaking the Goblin's odd looking hand before the quartet left the room.

Once the door behind them closed, Esme looked to Harry. "You think theres a Horcrux in Bella's vault?"

"Ess, she looked terrified when she thought we'd been in there. She kept asking Hermione what else was taken. I bet you anything, theres a Horcrux in there." Harry looked more and more determined. "We find it, kill it, and we're one step closer to killing him."

"And what happens when we find it?" Ron spoke up. "How are we supposed to destroy it now you're giving the sword to Griphook?"

"...Still working on that part." Harry answered, but paused when the door behind them opened to Fleur, holding a tea kettle.

"He's weak." She said, speaking of Olivander in the room behind her. She moved out of the way, letting the group enter the room.

Harry entered first, Esme close behind. "Mister Olivander, i need to ask you a few questions, if thats alright."

Olivander was sitting by a vanity, looking just a tad better than before but still not well. "Anything m'boy, anything!" His voice was ragged and uneven.

Harry looked to Esme, who pulled a wand out of her pocket. Bellatrix's wand. Esme was keeping it on her person because they had no clue what dark magic could have been within it. No way in the seven hells she'd let it near her mate.

Esme walked around the bed, holding the wand out to Olivander. "What can you tell us about this wand? We need to know its safe to use." She handed it to the old man, taking a seat on the bed as Harry joined next to her.

Olivander held up the wand, messing it about through his fingers. "Hm... Walnut. Dragon Heartstring. Twelve and three quarter inches. Unye..." He looked to Esme and Harry. "Unyielding. This belonged to Bellatrix Lestrange." His voice lowered to a whisper.

He held it back out to Esme. "Treat it carefully."

Esme nodded, handing it over to Harry now that she knew it was safer for him. Harry set it aside, pulling out another and handing it to Ollivander. "And this?" He asked.

He did the same, messing about with it for a few moments. "Hawthorn. Unicorn hair. 10 inches. Reasonably pliant." He held it up to his ear. "This was the wand of Draco Malfoy."

"Was?" Esme looked at him questioningly. She knew it was Draco's. She was in Diagon with him when it chose him. "Is it not anymore?"

"Well, perhaps not. If you won it from him. I sense its allegiance has changed." Ollivander handed the wand back to Harry.

Esme looked relatively shocked. "He's really gonna kill you Har..."

A slight smirk came across Harry's face. Got your wand and your girl. Take that, Malfoy.

Esme noticed, rolling her eyes and pinching Harry's thigh. "You talk about wands as if they have feelings... can think." Esme asked, ignoring her now rather smug lover.

Ollivander smiled at her. "The wand chooses the wizard, Miss Nephus. That much has always been clear to those that have studied wandlore."

Harry had snapped out of his smugness, looking back to Ollivander. "Then, what do you know about the Deathly Hallows?"

Ollivanders smile dropped. "It is rumored there are three. The Elder Wand, The cloak of Invisibility, and the resurrection stone. Together they made one the Master of Death. But few truly believe that such objects exist."

"Do you? Do you believe they exist, sir?"

"Well... I see no reason to put stock into an old wives tale." His eyes kept off of Harry and Esme, chuckling.

Esme raised an eyebrow. "Your lying. I'm excellent at spotting liars, sir. From years of doing it myself."

"You know one exists. You told him about it." Harry added. "You told him about the Elder Wand. And.. where he could go looking for it."

Ollivanders eyes dropped to the floor. "He... tortured me. Besides, I only conveyed the rumors. Theres no telling whether he will find it."

Esme scoffed, standing up. "He has found it. Its the Dark Lord we're talking about. He always gets his way."

Harry looked up to Esme, watching as she crossed her arms and headed for the door. Harry hurriedly grabbed his wands and stood. "We'll let you rest." He walked between Hermione and Ron, Esme having opened the door.

"He's after you, Mister Potter." Ollivander said, watching them. "If its true, what you say. And he has the Elder wand, i'm afraid... you really don't stand a chance."

Those words set Esme's heart on fire. "Now you listen here you old–" Her voice went dark very quickly, turning on her heel to rush right back into that room and beat up the old bugger.

Luckily, Ron grabbed her and pushed her out. "Not the time, Esme. Not the time."

Harry just ignored it, walking out of the room and grabbing Esme's hand. "Don't worry about him." She grumbled, wrapping her arm around his and snatching Bellatrix's wand from his other hand.

"Twat." Esme commented as they went back downstairs.

~~

Later that day, the quartet was huddled inside the familiar tent. Esme had made the inside bigger, adding another couch. Her and Harry took up one, her head laying on his lap, which seemed to disturb Ron.

"Why would my father replace the sword with a replica?" Esme thought aloud. "It must have been his patronus leading us to it in the lake. But why? He betrayed Dumbledore, killed him so i wouldn't have to."

"No clue." Harry responded, playing with the ends of her hair mindlessly.

"And of course the bugger has to be headmaster when i'm not there. Imagine how much more i could have gotten away with!" Esme pouted, crossing her arms. "There were so many books in the restricted section i still haven't read."

"I thought you practically lived in the restricted section from what i saw on the map last year." Harry glanced down at her.

She sighed. "I only got special permission because i was trying to find out how to fix the cabinet. And effectively kill our headmaster."

Ron coughed uncomfortably. "Right, subject change. How are we getting into Bellatrix's vault?"

"Well thats easy." Esme turned her head to the redhead. "Polyjuice. Hermione probably has some of her hairs on her clothes from that day."

Hermione shifted in her seat, seeming to inch closer to Ron. "And.. who would become her?"

"Me, of course. I know her better. I can flip my insane switch really quick." Esme sat up from Harry's lap, pulling a slight frown from the boy. "Me and Hermione can brew it. Both of you are horrible at potions."

"Hey! I got the felix felicis last year." Harry looked at her with a insulted face.

Esme raised her eyebrow. "Only because you had my fathers potion notes. I run off of pure talent. You haven't even seen my journal."

"Yes i have! Its mostly random phrases that don't make sense."

Esme crossed her arms, leaning back against the couch. "Those are spells in greek. And your still shit at potions."

"...its like watching them argue in first year.." Hermione whispered to Ron as the two continued to bicker back and forth.

"Worst part is.. i think Harry is getting off on it. I think i'm gonna puke." Ron whispered back.

~~

Esme anytime someone makes a bad comment about Harry: 🤺🤺🤺