Harry Potter Breaking Free

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After the two follower mercenaries were Incarceroused, the golden shield surrounding the Delacours suddenly vanished. The unconscious men were then levitated out the door and laid out in the hallway. The ropes and allure dampeners that covered the Delacour ladies were severed by silent low level cutting spells and the fire that was growing near the Study door was put out with an Aguamenti spell.

Only then, when the Delacours were both free and safe, and it was finally okay to stop running around, did Harry Potter finally realize that he was still invisible. He suddenly appeared, seemingly out of thin air, looking just a little bit embarrassed.

Adrien's eyes widened when he first saw who their mysterious team of rescuers really was, but then he just nodded his head and put his surprise aside. Now wasn't the time for disbelief. Climbing slowly to his feet, Adrien immediately collected Gabrielle up into his arms. The poor girl had been far too brave for far too long and was now crying and trembling violently in his arms. As he ran his hands gently through Gabby's soft blonde hair, he turned to look at the young man again.

"Harry... What about the other men?" Adrien was speaking quickly and in a very quiet voice.

Harry's eyes were scanning the Delacour family closely, looking for wounds when Adrien asked his question, but when he saw that they were all unharmed, he turned to give the man his full attention.

"I stunned and Incarceroused five men that were patrolling the building before I came in here," Harry quickly assured. "My magic is informing me that I've caught them all, and the manse is safe…. All of the mercs are trussed up in the Entry Hall for pickup by the French Auror Service."

Harry briefly looked sheepish before he continued his explanation. "I uhh. I don't know the Floo name for the Aurors in this country. I apologize for acting on my own, but I couldn't think of any alternatives." After a moment, Harry's expression became stoic again as he gestured down at the two unconscious mercenaries. "I'll add these two to the pile for pickup and..." Looking down at the leader's mangled corpse, Harry sighed quietly. "And I'm sorry that Gabrielle's being exposed to this. I was looking to cast non-lethal, but in the end I just wasn't good enough, and that last man was tearing down my shield..." Harry's tone made it very clear that he was trying to convince himself rather than Adrien.

Nodding his understanding, Adrien gently placed a hand on the young hero's shoulder. "What you've done is not an evil act. It was in defense of others. You should feel no remorse for protecting those important to you."

At Adrien's words, Harry stopped studying the bloody, torn knuckles of his right hand and the scorched, bloody mess of his left, he turned towards Adrien, stepped a little closer, and allowed a somewhat troubled expression to grow upon his face. When he replied, it was quietly, seriously, and for Adrien's ears only.

"It's not the remorse I feel that bothers me Adrien, it's the lack thereof."

After a few moments passed, Adrien nodded solemnly before giving the young man a very meaningful look. "And that too Harry... is human."

With a small nod of his head, Harry turned away from Adrien and made himself busy again. Within the next ten seconds, he'd cast a Reparo spell on the Study door, and was levitating the two unconscious mercenaries towards the Entry Hall.

As Harry marched out of the room, Adrien was engulfed in the arms of his newly sobbing wife. He returned Appoline's hug with Gabrielle sandwiched tightly in between them, and turned towards Fleur, intending to drag her into the hug as well. He found her staring down at the broken body of the mercenary leader. It was hard to say what she was thinking about, but she was in the thick of it, and she wasn't pulling up…

"Come," Appoline suddenly called out, as she hustled everyone to gather around her eldest daughter, pulled Fleur into a tight hug and began smoothing out her stubbornly still perfect hair. "Listen Fleur... 'Arry is capable of doing what is necessary when it must be done, and that is all. Let us be grateful that he is who he is."

Appoline paused then and gave the girls a serious look. "I'm willing to bet that 'Arry isn't in a very good place right now... We will give him space for an hour, and then thank him when we've all calmed down." Appoline gave Fleur a significant look and the girl nodded her understanding. With that sorted out, the Delacour matriarch tugged her daughter close again, squeezing her tightly.

Fleur finally caved and put her head in her mothers chest like she did when she was just a little girl.