It had taken far longer than Harry expected to recover.
Removing Astoria Greengrass's bloodline curse had nearly emptied him completely. Even after collapsing into sleep for almost two straight days inside Slytherin Castle, his magic remained unstable afterward. His core felt strained in a way he rarely experienced anymore, as though the ritual had reached far deeper into him than he initially realized.
Even simple movement exhausted him. Walking through the corridors of the castle left him tired enough to rest afterward, and several times Theo practically threatened to lock him inside his room when he attempted training too early.
Harry slowly began rebuilding himself again.
Meditation.
Controlled spellwork.
Small magical exercises.
And only now, nearly one week later, did he finally feel normal enough to return to the Zeus Hotel.
The moment he stepped through the enchanted entrance, warmth greeted him immediately.
"Harry!"
One of the house-elves spotted him first near the front desk. Then another gasped loudly, and suddenly half the nearby staff turned toward him at once.
"Harry returned!"
"You vanished!"
"We thought you got lost in another country again!"
Several house elves hurried toward him so quickly that one nearly tripped over its own ears.
Harry laughed softly despite himself. "I was only gone for three weeks."
"That is very long!" one elf protested dramatically while another nodded in fierce agreement.
The familiar chaos of the hotel settled around him almost immediately after that.
The Zeus Hotel was alive as always.
Foreign witches and wizards filled the massive dining hall beneath floating crystal chandeliers while enchanted music drifted softly through the air. A group of French curse-breakers argued loudly over wine near the fireplace while several goblins negotiated business contracts at another table. A pale vampire sat comfortably reading an international newspaper, entirely ignored by everyone around him.
That alone showed what the hotel represent.
A neutral ground.
A place where magical beings, governments, merchants, wanderers, and travelers existed together without conflict.
As Harry walked deeper into the hall, more people immediately recognized him.
"Harry!"
A German witch waved enthusiastically from near the bar. "You disappeared again!"
"Did you finally take a vacation?" another guest called teasingly.
"We missed our favorite server!" a French wizard added loudly.
Harry smiled awkwardly as several people greeted him warmly. "It was… something like a vacation."
The answer seemed good enough for most of them.
He had almost reached the employee hallway when two red-haired figures rushed past him carrying floating trays overloaded with drinks and plates.
"Table thirty-two!"
"I know where table thirty-two is!"
"Then why are you running the wrong direction?!"
"I am improvising!"
Harry blinked once.
Then stared.
"…Weasley?"
The twins froze instantly.
Both slowly turned toward him wearing identical hotel uniforms, and somehow the elegant uniforms suited them disturbingly well.
"Harry!"
"Look who finally returned from the dead!"
The twins hurried toward him immediately, both grinning brightly.
Harry looked between them in disbelief. "…What are you two doing here?"
Fred looked deeply offended by the question.
"Working."
George nodded with complete seriousness. "Honestly, Harry. Such disrespect toward hardworking employees."
Harry snorted loudly. "You?"
Fred placed a hand dramatically against his chest. "We are deeply wounded by your lack of faith."
George leaned closer conspiratorially. "The pay here is incredible."
That explained absolutely everything.
Harry laughed quietly. "So you actually got jobs here?"
George nodded enthusiastically. "Summer vacation."
"And Mum said if we want money for prank supplies," Fred added mournfully, "we should earn it ourselves."
George spread his arms proudly. "So here we are. Responsible businessmen."
Harry glanced around the hall suspiciously. "And they actually hired you?"
Fred gasped in horror. "We are excellent workers!"
"Mostly," George admitted immediately afterward.
Harry narrowed his eyes slightly. "You're not pranking customers, are you?"
The twins exchanged identical looks before turning back toward him innocently.
"…Define prank."
Harry sighed deeply. "No."
Fred looked personally betrayed. "You remove all joy from life."
George leaned dramatically against the wall. "Oppressed artists. That's what we are."
Despite himself, Harry laughed.
And for the first time in weeks, the exhaustion weighing on him truly began fading into the background.
Fred eventually studied him more carefully. "Seriously though… where were you?"
George nodded immediately afterward. "Heard you vanished completely."
"Even the Veela receptionists didn't know where you went," Fred added suspiciously.
Harry hesitated briefly before shrugging casually. "Just travelling."
The twins stared at him for several long seconds.
"…Wrong answer," Fred declared.
"Very suspicious," George agreed instantly.
Harry smirked faintly. "Get back to work."
The twins groaned dramatically but hurried away again before the manager noticed they had abandoned their tables. Floating trays followed behind them as they disappeared into the crowded hall still arguing loudly with each other.
Harry watched them go with quiet amusement.
After everything that had happened recently—the ritual chamber, Astoria's curse, Lord Blackfire, Ministry politics, Endless responsibilities—this felt simple.
Normal.
Harry eventually stepped into the staff room and changed into his own uniform.
Simple black clothing with silver embroidery stitched carefully along the sleeves and collar. The insignia of the Zeus Hotel rested over his chest.
When he looked into the mirror afterward, he paused quietly for a moment.
Not Lord Blackfire.
Not a mysterious figure moving pieces across governments and noble families.
Just Harry.
And strangely enough—
That identity felt lighter than all the others combined.
As he moved through the massive hotel, speaking casually with travelers from around the world, carrying food between tables, listening to arguments about Quidditch and magical politics—
He slowly realized something important.
People here liked him.
Not because he was powerful.
Not because he could destroy curses.
They liked him because he was Harry.
There was always noise somewhere inside the Zeus Hotel.
Laughter echoing from the dining hall.
Arguments rising from the kitchen.
Music drifting softly from enchanted instruments near the lounge.
Guests discussing politics, Quidditch, magical theory, or business deals late into the night.
The hotel never truly slept.
And lately, most of that chaos somehow revolved around two identical red-haired disasters.
"GEORGE!"
"I DIDN'T DO IT!"
"THEN WHY IS THE SOUP BLUE?!"
The entire dining hall erupted into laughter as Fred and George sprinted between tables while one furious goblin chef leaned halfway out of the kitchen shouting murderous threats in Gobbledegook.
Several customers applauded.
One elderly wizard nearly fell out of his chair laughing.
Harry stood near the beverage counter watching the chaos unfold.
And surprisingly—
He smiled.
It had been few weeks since Fred and George started working at the hotel during summer break, and somehow they had become genuinely popular among the guests.
Mostly because they were impossible to ignore.
The twins could carry six floating trays at once while simultaneously arguing with each other, dodging rushing house-elves, joking with customers, and somehow still completing their work faster than half the actual staff.
Harry honestly did not understand how they possessed so much energy.
At first, he thought they were simply immature.
Too loud.
Too reckless.
Too childish.
But after spending more time around them, Harry slowly realized something uncomfortable.
Harry had spent so much time around adults that somewhere along the way, he had stopped behaving like a child entirely.
Even before all that, the Gamer System itself had forced him to mature too quickly. Every situation became something to analyze. Every action carried consequences. Every choice became measured in rewards, risks, probabilities, and survival.
Even his emotions had changed.
And the realization struck him hardest during a short lunch break one afternoon.
The hotel staff room buzzed softly with conversation while trays floated between tables carrying sandwiches and drinks. Fred and George sat across from Harry eating quickly between shifts, both somehow still talking faster than they chewed.
"And then Percy," Fred said dramatically, nearly choking from laughter, "accidentally sent a love letter to himself."
George slammed the table laughing. "Because he messed up the owl-order charm!"
Fred wheezed loudly. "He spent two entire days trying to figure out who secretly admired him!"
"And then," George continued breathlessly, "he got embarrassed and wrote himself a rejection letter!"
Both twins collapsed into uncontrollable laughter.
Harry stared at them quietly.
It honestly wasn't even that funny.
And yet somehow—
They looked genuinely happy.
Fred eventually noticed Harry staring at them strangely.
"…Why are you looking at us like that?"
Harry hesitated briefly before answering honestly.
"You two laugh a lot."
George snorted. "That's because life is miserable otherwise."
Fred nodded with fake wisdom. "Profound words."
Then both immediately burst into laughter again over absolutely nothing.
Harry leaned back quietly in his chair, simply watching them.
And slowly, he began noticing things.
The twins never overthought conversations. They didn't constantly calculate outcomes or analyze hidden meaning behind every sentence. They talked about stupid things without embarrassment.
Quidditch matches.
Embarrassing family stories.
Future prank ideas.
Arguments about sweets.
Random nonsense.
Sometimes they debated something completely pointless for ten straight minutes as though it were life or death.
And Harry—
Could barely participate naturally.
Not because he disliked them.
But because he genuinely did not know how.
That night, while helping Cassandra organize inventory records in one of the hotel's private offices, Harry finally admitted it aloud.
"I think something's wrong with me."
Cassandra immediately looked up from her paperwork. "That is rarely how healthy conversations begin."
Harry ignored the joke entirely. "I don't know how to act around children."
That genuinely made her pause.
Harry leaned back in his chair with a frustrated expression. "When I'm with adults, everything feels normal."
A pause.
"But with Fred and George…"
He frowned slightly.
"They act like children."
Cassandra stared at him silently for several seconds before slowly lowering her papers onto the desk.
"Harry," she said carefully, "you are a child."
Harry opened his mouth automatically to argue.
Cassandra sighed softly and leaned back in her chair. "You've spent too much time around adults."
"That was necessary."
"It was," she agreed immediately. "But it still changed you."
Her eyes softened slightly.
"You think like an adult now. You solve problems like an adult. You carry responsibility like an adult."
Then she smiled faintly.
"But emotionally?"
A pause.
"You skipped parts."
Harry looked deeply uncomfortable hearing that.
Perhaps Cassandra was right.
Because over the next several days, Harry found himself spending more time around the twins intentionally.
Not trying to direct interactions.
Just listening.
And eventually—
Participating.
The process was awkward.
Very awkward.
Especially when Luna started visiting the hotel more frequently.
Luna often arrived with Lily Longbottom, and Lily unsurprisingly came mostly to see Shadow.
"Shadow!"
Lily rushed across the lobby excitedly while the grim barked happily and nearly knocked her over trying to reach her faster.
Neville hurried after her immediately, looking mildly horrified.
"Careful!" he warned quickly. "That's still technically a grim!"
Shadow completely ignored him and rolled onto his back demanding belly rubs.
Luna sat nearby watching serenely. "I think he likes Lily more than us."
"He absolutely does," Harry admitted.
Luna turned her large silver eyes toward Harry curiously. "You disappear often."
Harry immediately became uncomfortable. "…I'm busy."
That had always been the problem.
Short conversations with Luna or Lily were manageable.
Longer ones?
Much harder.
Children spoke differently than adults. Random thoughts. Sudden emotions. Abrupt topic changes with no structure at all.
And Harry often found himself unsure how to respond naturally.
Thankfully—
Fred and George existed.
The moment the twins entered the room, everything became easier instantly.
"Luna!"
"Did you know George once tried feeding Percy a Canary Cream before it was finished?"
George pointed accusingly at Fred. "You helped!"
Lily's eyes widened immediately. "What happened?"
And just like that, the conversation exploded into chaos.
The twins carried the interaction effortlessly while Luna occasionally added bizarre observations and Lily listened with fascinated horror.
Harry barely needed to speak.
Maybe Cassandra truly was right.
Maybe this mattered too.
Learning how to be a child.
When Fred and George invited Harry for a sleepover at the Burrow, his first instinct had been to refuse.
That same evening, the Serpent Court had an important internal meeting scheduled regarding the expansion of the lycanthropy treatment program into mainland Europe. Several foreign representatives were expected to attend, along with political contacts connected to werewolf communities across France, Germany, and northern Italy.
Normally, Harry would never skip something like that.
"I can stay," Harry said while standing inside one of the private offices of the Zeus Hotel. "We can postpone the sleepover."
Cassandra immediately shook her head.
"You are going."
Jason looked up from the documents spread across the table and smirked faintly. "For once, I agree with Cassandra."
Harry stared at both of them suspiciously. "You don't need me for the meeting?"
Even Grandpa Theo nodded calmly from his seat near the fireplace. "The meeting can proceed without you."
Cassandra crossed her arms firmly. "You are going to the Burrow."
"That is final."
And somehow—
Despite technically being the leader of the entire Serpent Court—
Harry still lost the argument completely.
So later that evening, Harry arrived outside the Burrow carrying a large enchanted box filled with imported sweets and desserts from the Zeus Hotel.
The moment Fred and George opened the door, chaos immediately followed.
"HARRY!"
"You actually came!"
The twins immediately grabbed the sweet box directly from his hands before even greeting him properly.
Harry stared at them flatly. "…Priorities."
Fred looked personally offended. "These are imported chocolates!"
George gasped dramatically. "Do you know how expensive these are?!"
Harry snorted softly despite himself.
The Burrow itself felt exactly how he imagined it would.
Crowded.
Loud.
Voices echoed from nearly every room while the smell of fresh food drifted from the kitchen. Enchanted knitting needles floated through the air nearby, apparently continuing some endless project without supervision. The walls creaked constantly as people moved through the house.
It was messy.
Disorganized.
And strangely comforting.
Mrs. Weasley spotted him almost immediately and marched forward before he could even properly greet anyone.
"Oh, dear, you've gotten thinner!"
Harry looked genuinely alarmed. "I have?"
"You work too much," Molly declared firmly while fussing over him without hesitation. "Sit down. You're eating properly tonight."
Harry discovered very quickly that he possessed absolutely no defense against Molly Weasley.
Soon afterward, Fred and George dragged him upstairs toward their room where the sleepover had apparently already begun.
And to Harry's surprise—
Several other people were already there.
"Harry!"
Luna Lovegood sat cross-legged near the window reading an upside-down magazine as though that were perfectly normal. Beside her sat Cedric Diggory, who looked both amused and mildly overwhelmed by the state of the twins' room.
Cedric stood politely and offered his hand immediately. "Cedric Diggory."
Harry shook it. "Harry Potter."
"Twins talks about you quite a bit," Cedric admitted with a grin.
"Mostly complaints," Fred added helpfully.
George nodded immediately afterward. "Apparently you encourages chaos."
"I do not," Harry replied instantly.
Everyone in the room stared at him silently.
"…You absolutely do," Luna said dreamily without looking up from her magazine.
The evening passed surprisingly easily after that.
At first Harry mostly stayed quiet, listening while Fred and George dominated every conversation they touched. But eventually the others began asking questions, mostly about his travels outside Britain.
"You actually went to Italy?" Cedric asked curiously.
Harry nodded. "For a while."
"What's it like?" Luna asked softly.
Harry paused thoughtfully before answering.
"It's louder than Britain," he admitted. "People talk more. They argue over everything."
Fred looked delighted immediately. "That sounds amazing."
Harry smiled faintly. "There's also much more magical integration. Magical creatures interact with wizards far more openly."
"And the food is incredible."
That immediately captured everyone's attention.
"Did you kiss anyone?"
Harry nearly choked.
Fred and George collapsed into hysterical laughter while Cedric looked equally amused. Even Luna smiled faintly at his horrified expression.
"No," Harry answered quickly.
Fred looked deeply disappointed. "Tragic."
George nodded solemnly. "A handsome international traveler like you…"
Harry immediately threw a pillow directly at both twins.
And somehow—
Without even noticing when it happened—
He relaxed completely.
Hours later, after the conversations somehow devolved into arguments about Quidditch teams and experimental prank products, Harry wandered downstairs alone to grab more drinks for everyone.
That was when he noticed it.
A rat.
Old.
Fat.
Sleeping lazily beside Percy Weasley's stack of books near the staircase.
"Ah," Percy said proudly while entering the room behind Harry. "That's Scabbers."
Harry glanced toward the rat casually—
And froze.
Because the system activated instantly.
[Observe Activated]
Name: Peter Pettigrew
Status: Animagus
??????
Harry stared silently.
The rat looked back at him briefly.
Then immediately looked away.
Harry's expression changed slowly.
"…What?"
Percy frowned in confusion. "What?"
Harry immediately controlled his reaction. "Nothing."
But his mind was already racing.
Peter Pettigrew.
He knew that name.
Somewhere.
He had heard it before.
A wizard hiding inside the Weasley household.
For years.
Harry's instincts sharpened immediately.
Questions exploded through his mind.
Who exactly was Peter Pettigrew?
And perhaps most disturbing of all—
What kind of man willingly spent years pretending to be a family pet?
The more Harry thought about it—
The worse it sounded.
Behind him, Percy continued proudly talking about Scabbers without noticing anything wrong.
But Harry barely heard him anymore.
Because suddenly—
The sleepover had become far more interesting than he originally expected.
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