With Aphrodite gone, Harry expected—feared, even—a divine backlash. But days passed. Then weeks. And the world moved on.
No more mysterious girls trailing him down the hallway. No more divine perfumes lingering in the wind. No goddess at his gate with sweets from Olympus or cryptic questions about love.
Just the life he chose.
Harry returned to it gladly.
He focused on his studies, helping Andromeda around the house, caring for Teddy, and finishing his final assignments at Harrison Wells Memorial High School. After everything—Camp Half-Blood, Cyclopes, divine visitors—he welcomed the mundanity with open arms.
The final semester blurred by in a rush of senior projects, math tests, late-night cram sessions, and whispered promises between classmates about the future.
He found time to enjoy it all.
"Still haven't told me what you're doing this summer," Dudley asked one day as they ate dinner.
Harry smirked. "Maybe I'm going on a top-secret monster hunt."
Dudley rolled his eyes. "Yeah? And I'm going to model for Witch Weekly."
Harry blinked. "That's... a real magazine, actually."
Dudley stared. "Wait, seriously?"
Andromeda chuckled, taking a bite of his sandwich. "You two are ridiculous."
And yet, he smiled. These were the moments he lived for now.
Graduation came in the first week of June.
Andromeda wept in the front row, clutching Teddy in her arms, as Harry crossed the stage in a deep blue gown, shook hands with the principal, and accepted his diploma. He wore no enchanted robes, no special amulets, no trace of magic.
He was just Harry Potter—graduate of Harrison Wells Memorial High School.
"Now this calls for a celebration," Andromeda said later that evening, wiping her eyes. "We're throwing a proper party. I mean it."
"Nothing too fancy," Harry protested. "I don't want anything magical because I am inviting nonmagical friends."
"Do you want me and Teddy gone as well, we both are magical," she replied with mock sternness.
That weekend, their mansion was filled with laughter and music. The marble-floored hall glowed with warm lanterns and fairy lights. Students from school, neighbors, and even a few demigods from Camp Half-Blood attended—Andromeda insisted on inviting some of them.
Teddy, dressed in a little black tuxedo conjured by Harry, was the highlight of the evening. He proudly called Harry "Dada" which is his first word .
"He's a star," Jasmine Spencer said, scooping him into her arms. "When's his graduation?"
"In about seventeen years," Harry said with a smile. "Hopefully, the world won't end before then."
"Dark much?" Ethan muttered, grabbing a soda from the drinks table.
"Just being realistic," Harry replied.
The night carried on with dancing, laughter, and stories. Even the enchanted kitchen did its part—dishes flew back and forth, trays of food hovered over the crowd, and at one point a self-stirring punch bowl nearly caused a minor disaster when someone mistook the ladle for a dancing snake.
Later that night, Harry slipped away from the crowd and stepped onto the back balcony.
The stars were out, bright and proud. The sea breeze brushed against his face. In the distance, Teddy's giggles echoed from the garden as Andromeda showed off her surprisingly graceful dance moves.
Harry leaned on the railing and closed his eyes.
He didn't regret anything.
He had chosen this life—not the one where he became a god's pawn, not the one where power and immortality clouded his mind. Just... this. A life of small joys, purpose, and peace.
But even in that stillness, he wondered. Would Aphrodite ever return?
Not as a goddess, not as a temptress—but maybe as a friend?
A soft clink of glass behind him made him turn. Andromeda approached with two cups of lemonade.
"Looked like you needed a drink," she said, handing one to him.
"Thanks," Harry said, accepting it.
She looked up at the sky beside him. "So what's next?"
Harry smiled. "College. Taking care of Teddy. Maybe more magical work."
Andromeda studied his face for a moment. "You ever get tired of pretending?"
He tilted his head. "Pretending what?"
"That you're just... a normal guy."
Harry looked down at the garden, where his magical house-elves were discreetly cleaning up plates with tiny mops. "Sometimes," he admitted. "But pretending helps me live in both worlds."
Andromeda nodded. "Well, for what it's worth... I think you're doing great."
Harry smiled faintly. "Thanks."
They stood in silence for a while, the stars above them, the laughter behind them, and the future wide open.
And somewhere, far beyond the clouds and mortal lands, a goddess watched from her scrying mirror.
And she smiled.
Just a little.
Because Harry Potter had not forgotten her.
And that meant, one day, she might find the courage to return.
Just a week ago, Dudley had packed his bags.
"Dad got transferred again," he had said, standing beside his suitcase. "Washington this time."
Harry had nodded. "You sure you want to go?"
Dudley gave a sheepish grin. "Can't leave Mum to deal with Dad alone."
Harry clasped his cousin's shoulder. "You'll always have a room here."
Dudley had hesitated at the doorway. "Just… don't tell them you are in the States, yeah? It's easier that way."
"I won't," Harry promised.
Harry flipped through a travel magazine he got from Dudley. Teddy was napping in his enchanted crib, a gentle cooling charm humming in the room, and Andromeda was sipping chilled lemonade beside him, flipping through a Magical cookbook she'd picked up last week at Doce Encanto's boutique store. Harry had just narrowed his choices down to the Maldives when the calling bell at the mansion's front gate rang—an enchanted chime that echoed like soft harp notes through the estate.
Harry blinked, looked up, and frowned. "We're not expecting anyone, are we?" he asked, placing the magazine down.
Andromeda raised an eyebrow. "Unless the postman's gotten braver since last time, no."
Harry got up and approached the door. The wards hadn't flared, which meant whoever it was had already been approved by his protections—or had something he had allowed through. When he opened the grand front door and looked down the drive, he saw two familiar figures standing there under the shadow of the high gate: Thalia Grace, arms crossed impatiently, and beside her, Callie, her Aphrodite-blessed hair shimmering like polished gold in the sunlight.
A small, silver coin—glowing faintly—was held in Thalia's hand.
Harry sighed softly. "So it works," he muttered to himself, then raised his voice. "Open!" he called, and the gates swung wide with a metallic groan.
Thalia waved. "Hope you're not busy!"
Callie grinned, lugging a small trunk behind her. "We brought snacks!"
When they reached the veranda, Harry gestured them inside, and Andromeda looked up from her book, her lips curving in surprise. "Oh, well. This is unexpected," she said, standing to greet them. "You two came all this way?"
"We had to," Thalia said, her voice tight. "Things got a bit tense at camp… and you said we could stay. I wasn't going to let that offer go to waste."
"Besides," Callie added, "we thought it'd be nice to stay with someone who doesn't think we're walking time bombs."
Harry exhaled slowly, closing the door behind them. "Of course you can stay. I gave you my word."
Andromeda raised an eyebrow at Harry. "This was part of your Camp Half-Blood adventure I didn't hear about."
Harry scratched the back of his neck. "I might have promised safe lodging to both of them if they ever needed it."
Teddy's cries echoed faintly from upstairs, and Callie brightened. "Teddy's awake?"
Andromeda chuckled, heading up. "Come, you can say hello. He'll be thrilled."
As Callie eagerly followed Andromeda upstairs, Thalia remained on the veranda with Harry. Her eyes scanned the lawn and the towering hedges, and then she looked at him seriously. "You sure about this, Mr. Potter? Monsters follow us. That's the deal."
"I know," Harry said. "That's why I postponed our vacation."
Thalia blinked. "You were leaving?"
"Yeah. Maldives. But I can't risk Teddy being in danger. If I take you two along, we'd be sitting ducks for whatever's stalking demigods in the open sea. If I leave you behind, well… not an option either."
Thalia looked down. "You don't even owe me anything. Or her."
Harry looked at her, voice quiet. "I owe it to myself. And to Teddy. To be someone he can learn from. That means keeping my word."
They stood in silence for a moment before Thalia finally smirked. "You're so annoyingly noble."
Harry grinned. "So I've been told."
Inside, laughter rang out as Callie cooed over Teddy, who was now giggling with green hair that kept shifting to silver, then red, then blue in her arms. Andromeda was already preparing lemonade and fresh scones with a grin on her face.
"So," Thalia said, following him in, "you really think we can stay here long-term?"
Harry nodded. "You're welcome as long as you want. But…" he looked toward the door. "We may need to strengthen the wards again."
"And," Andromeda added from the kitchen, "you're helping with chores. Just because you're demigods doesn't mean you get to skip helping around the house."
"Yes, ma'am!" Callie called from upstairs.
Thalia groaned. "Oh gods. You've turned into someone uncool."
Andromeda raised an eyebrow. "Don't tempt me, child. I've raised one war hero and I can certainly handle you."
Thalia and Harry both laughed—and for the first time in a long while, the Black Mansion felt even more alive.
It was just past noon when the wards of the Black Mansion pulsed gently. Harry had been out in the garden with Andromeda and Callie, watching as Thalia practiced throwing lightning bolts at a row of conjured training dummies, while Teddy clapped in pure awe.
"Someone's here," Harry said, his senses tingling with recognition.
Andromeda looked up from her tea. "Is it someone you know?"
Harry didn't answer immediately. He strode toward the front gate and opened it manually—not with a wand, but with the quiet weight of magic humming through his veins.
Standing on the gravel drive, wind-tossed and visibly exhausted, was Hermione Granger.
Her hair was as wild as ever, though it had grown longer, and her eyes were lined with fatigue—but also something else: relief.
"Hey," she said, voice catching slightly.
Harry blinked. "Hermione?"
"I—hope I'm not intruding," she said quickly, glancing at the manor behind him. "I didn't owl first. I just… I needed to come."
He stepped forward, wrapping her in a brief, familiar hug. "You're never intruding."
Hermione hugged him tightly, as though the weight of a year was pressed into that single gesture. When she pulled back, there were tears in her eyes, but she smiled anyway. "You look… older. Not bad older. Just… calmer."
"I've had a bit of peace," Harry replied, trying to read her expression. "Want to come in?"
She nodded.
As they walked toward the house, Hermione looked around at the garden, the distant forest, the wards shimmering faintly like heat ripples at the edge of the property. "It's beautiful. Peaceful."
"I needed that," Harry admitted.
Inside, Andromeda rose with a polite but curious smile, Callie looked slightly alarmed by the sudden magical arrival, and Thalia arched a suspicious brow. Teddy simply squealed, "Mione!" and ran toward her.
Hermione laughed and scooped him up. "You remembered me!"
"He remembers all his favourite people," Andromeda said warmly.
"Everyone," Harry added, "this is Hermione Granger. Hermione—meet Callie, Thalia, and of course, Teddy."
Hermione gave a small wave, still holding the baby. "I hope I'm not causing any trouble."
"Not at all," Andromeda said, pouring her a fresh glass of cold water. "You are Teddy's godmother after all."
Later that evening, after Teddy had gone to sleep and the others were relaxing elsewhere in the house, Hermione sat with Harry on the back veranda, sipping chamomile tea.
"I broke up with Ron," she said finally.
Harry nodded, watching the fireflies flicker in the trees. "I figured. You didn't mention him once since you arrived."
"He cheated on me." Her voice was steady, but the words still tasted bitter. "With some intern at the Daily Prophet. It became a public mess. Scandal columns, photographs, even Rita Skeeter crawling back from the gutter."
Harry frowned. "I'm sorry, Hermione. That's awful."
"I was angry, yes," she said. "But also… just tired. After you left, Ron started acting like he was the Chosen One. People were so eager for a new hero that they let him be one."
"I didn't leave to make him famous."
"I know," she said softly. "But he filled the silence you left behind—with stories, half-truths, embellishments. He told people he led the fight against Voldemort."
Harry's jaw clenched. "He what?"
"Told the Prophet you were following him." She shook her head. "The worst part? People believed him."
Harry sat in silence for a long moment.
"And Ginny?" he asked.
"She wanted to believe him too. I tried… but she just drifted away. Everyone chose what they wanted to believe. You were too quiet. Too distant. They needed a hero who stayed."
Harry leaned back in the chair. "So you came here."
"I didn't have many people left," she admitted. "And I missed you. I… I still consider you my best friend, Harry."
"You still are," Harry said without hesitation. "And you're welcome to stay as long as you want."
Hermione's eyes shimmered, and she looked up at the stars. "Thanks. I think I need a place like this for a while. To remember who I am without all the noise."
Harry gave a small smile. "That's what this place is for."
And somewhere, inside the walls of the Black Mansion, peace settled again—though just briefly. For with new arrivals came new choices, and Harry Potter's life was never quiet for long.
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