HP: Fairborn Adventures

July 11th, 1977

A bushy pair of eyebrows and shoulder-length white hair peeked behind the door. Chocolate brown orbs widened in surprise as they spotted them: "You came back a lot quicker than expected. The longer I thought about it, the stronger my intuition was that you would give up on your pursuit."

Harry chuckled: "It will be a cold day in hell before this young lady doesn't pull through with something she set her mind on. She can be very stubborn."

"Hush, Harry." Marlene said as she rolled her eyes. "May we come inside, Mr. Gregorovitch?" She bounced on her heels; her beaming face betrayed how excited she was: "We have the necessary ingredient for you to fix my wand."

"Of course." The man opened the door wider, allowing them to step over the threshold: "As promised, I have not been idle either and instead have revised my notes during your absence. The arithmancy should work out just fine, however, to test the alchemistic parts, your presence was required."

'Blood.' Harry mouthed to his girlfriend when she raised an eyebrow in curiosity as they followed the wandmaker to the back of the house where the crafting area was located.

He walked up to his working bench, shuffling between a variety of tools, vessels, and sheets of parchment with complex formulas and calculations.

"Well, then?" Gregorovitch held out his hand expectantly.

Marlene fished a thin rectangular cardboard box from the bag she carried and opened its lit, revealing a long, sharp feather; an ethereal silvery glow seemed to be emitted from it.

Coiled up on top of it lay a single long hair she had been gifted with by the Graian as well.

Gregorovitch accepted the box, carefully lifting the feather out of it to study the material: "I can tell that it is still freshly plugged. May I ask how you acquired such a rare treasure?"

"We found an entire horde of them on a hidden Island close to Naxos, in the Aegean Sea." Marlene flashed a bright grin: "After taking one of them for a ride, I was giving these two as parting gifts for the bravery I showed."

The wandmaker stared at her in disbelief, unable to figure out if she was joking or not. His eyes darted to Harry for confirmation who merely laughed and nodded: "If it weren't for us creating criminal evidence, I would've taken a picture for you, sir." He shot his girlfriend a small wink: "She was truly breathtaking up there."

"Well." Gregorovitch cleared his throat, still in shock: "As long as it has been given willingly and not taken by force, the results shall be even better." He placed the two ingredients on the table, before glancing at Marlene expectantly.

"Oh, of course." The blonde flicked her wand into her palm and handed it over: "May we remain with you and watch."

"I usually don't allow my techniques to be witnessed by anyone and certainly not by some foreigners." The wandmaker seemed to contemplate the issue: "However since Ollivander refused to offer his services already, I suppose there's little chance you'll betray me, is there?"

"And you mentioned that you still need me in the process, don't you?" Marlene piqued up: "Especially my blood."

"That is indeed the case." the wandcrafter sighed, his brown eyes darted to Harry: "Can I trust you as well, Harry Peverell?"

"You already know who we are then." Harry nodded, not feeling particularly concerned about it, merely curious.

"Your face has made it into our Newspapers occasionally and your name is not one to forget easily." Gregorovitch smirked, turning to Marlene: "However, it was actually you that made the Knut drop. I have crafted wands for your family for quite some time, Ms. McKinnon, the last one was for your Grandmother, Constanze von Stolzenberg. You show a remarkable resemblance to her."

"Thank you." His girlfriend's smile seemed genuine, but Harry caught how it didn't quite reach her eyes. With how Marlene's mother reacted to her daughter's physical intimacy, it was rather safe to assume that the reaction of the previous generation was even more opposing.

"Let me get started then." The old man nodded and secured the wand in a vice on his desk.

Harry took her hand, noticing how she shivered when Gregorovitch cracked open the wood with a spat-like device along its entire length. Marlene's fingernails dug into his palm when she watched a few splinters of her companion breaking off, littering the ground.

"Now would you take a look at this..." The wandmaker grunted after he carved into the wood with his knife for almost five minutes straight. Marlene and Harry watched over his shoulder as he took a pair of tweezers and removed a single thick hair. Yet it was the color of the hair that put a frown on Harry's face.

"This is the result of pushing magic through a wand that shows first signs of resistance," Gregorovitch explained, holding up the string of hair that wasn't even close to the shimmering white Harry associated with a unicorn. In fact, it had even thinned out due to scorching at several different parts.

"Not to worry, not to worry." The old man murmured, he pulled out his own wand and started casting a few spells, all of which adjusted the wood in different fashions: "Now for the new, much stronger core, the feather."

"How do you know it's stronger, sir?" Marlene inquired curiously.

"You have a significantly stronger, even personal bond to the creature that gave it to you." Gregorovitch explained patiently: "After collecting and studying wand cores for almost a century, I can tell you that this one is one of the strongest I've ever worked with. Of course, its true potential will likely only be felt by you. This will be a highly personalized wand after all."

He picked up the gift from the Granian with the same pair of tweezers and slowly placed it into the slim crack within the wood, a fraction of an inch at a time. The process seemingly took forever, especially since Gregorovitch worked with utmost accuracy. After tapping it with his wand, the feather seemingly fused with the food, leading to each of its fuzzy ends being securely held and not poking out any further.

"This is where you come in, Ms. McKinnon." He suddenly spoke, his eyes never leaving his work.

"Tell me what to do?" Marlene stepped closer to him, leaning over his shoulder.

"Take the silver knife and cut your thumb." The wandmaker instructed: "Hold your hand over the vice so the droplets fall within the slim opening where the feather rests."

Marlene did as told and sliced her thumb, not even showing the slightest trace of a grimace. Harry watched as she allowed thick droplets of crimson to splatter over the wood, with the majority reaching their destination.

"That will do." Gregorovitch stopped her. Pulling his own wand, he tried to aim it at Marlene's hand: "Allow me to- "

"Thank you, but it won't be necessary." Marlene shook her head and tried to hide her thump underneath her sleeve, yet not before Gregorovitch managed to spot the faint layers of new tissue that started growing over the cut.

"How the- " He stared at the blonde, his eyes flickering between her and Harry: "I suppose Garrick did well to show caution... But it is not my place to judge you."

He returned to his work, seizing a small scalpel and carving one series of runes after another into the length of the wood. He occasionally corrected smaller slip-ups, while constantly checking the notes on the sheets of parchment.

"And now for the hair." He murmured after over an hour of him working on the wand had passed already. He attached one end of the Granian's long silvery hair to the edge of the handle. Then he carefully spun it counterclockwise, placing it in a tiny crevice he had carved in preparation.

Like a silvery snake, the hair twisted around the wood in a spiral, leading almost halfway down the shaft, where Gregorovitch attached the other end. He murmured a few more words under his breath, before tapping his wand at different parts of his creation and nodding in satisfaction: "Finally, the finishing touch."

"I've long been of the opinion that Garrick could spend some more time on this part of the process. A wand is more than a tool or a weapon. It's a piece of art." With a file and sandpaper, he went to work and smoothened out any misshaped spots. He rounded up the sharp corners, and elegantly decorated the handle and shaft, putting incredible attention to even the smallest details.

"A wand reborn." Gregorovitch blew any remaining chips and dust of wood from his work and painted a thin layer of clear lacquer over its surface, leading to the wood shimmering in the warm light of the oil lamp. "I might not have been the original crafter of this wand, but I'd nonetheless consider it one of my finest pieces of work."

He held it out to Marlene, who bounced on her heels in excitement and stumbled forward: "I bet my reputation as a wandcrafter that you won't find a companion that compliments you as well as this piece of wood. Neither will you find a partner more powerful. Treat it with great caution."

Marlene reached out with her right hand, her fingers shaking ever so slightly until they curled around the smooth wood. She gasped in surprise and her entire body shuddered. The small blonde hairs on her arms and neck stood up as goosebumps appeared when she lifted it. Her face beamed into an amazing smile, blue eyes sparkling heavy with emotions.

Golden and silver sparks showered the floor of the crafting area when Marlene gave it the tiniest flick of her wrist: "It- It feels incredible!" She breathed heavily: "I feel incredible; invincible almost!"

She twirled it through the air: "Expecto Patronum!"

Her ethereal guardian burst from the hawthorn tip; larger, brighter, and more magnificent than Harry had ever seen it before. For a second, he was certain to hear the faint graceful neigh of the very Granian Marlene had taken a ride on before the Patronus faded into a shadow of silvery smoke.

"I don't know how to thank you." Marlene rejoiced, addressing the wandmaker: "But you shall be most generously rewarded for your service."

"That will be the least we can do" Nodding, Harry stepped past Gregorovitch to join his girlfriend in marveling at her new wand: "We're deeply indebted to you, sir."

"Gold will satisfy one part of your debt." The old man nodded, with a strange gleam in eye.

"How may we satisfy the other?" Harry asked.

"Show me your wand, Mr. Peverell."

He felt Marlene tense next to him, her eyes darting up from her wand to the man who crafted it. Harry caught her fingers curling around the wood in an all too familiar fashion.

A small triumphant grin tugged on Gregorovitch lips: "On the two occasions you have visited me now, you have not once pulled your wand and always kept some distance between yourself and me. But now I finally know why."

"I see." Harry grimaced, having hoped to avoid this exact situation.

"There's no need for cautions, my boy; the days in which I might have been able to take the Elder Wand by force are long over. I also don't fancy my chances against you and Ms. McKinnon, who seemed rather thrilled at the opportunity to test her new companion." Gregorovitch chuckled: "I merely wish to know how it came into your possession."

"You never figured out the identity of the man who stole it, did you?" Harry said, sliding the wood into his palm, and spinning it between his fingers.

"How could you possibly know that?" The man stared at the wand; dark shadows of longing flickered in the depths of his brown eyes: "It's as beautiful as the day I first saw it."

"The Elder Wand was stolen from you by Gellert Grindelwald," Harry admitted.

The man was silent for a few seconds, his eyes darting between Harry and the wand. Then he whispered in shock: "Dumbledore? You won the Wand of Destiny from Albus Dumbledore?"

"The circumstances are a bit more complicated than that." Harry chuckled: "All you need to know is that the wand is right where it belongs and I intend to keep it that way. The only new Master it will ever recognize will be a child of mine."

"I believe you." The old man nodded solemnly: "But I also know there is much more to you than what meets the eye, Harry Peverell. I shall follow the British newspapers much more closely from now on."

"The reward for your services." Marlene handed him a bag of gold in an attempt to break the awkward silence: "We are very grateful for your help but should probably get going now."

"You're most generous, my dear." The wandmaker let the payment vanish within his robes: "I can't help but think that by crafting this wand, I participated in something great that is about to come."

He led them out of the room and back into the dark corridor.

"Wand of elder, never prosper." He murmured with a chuckle: "I've always known that there's more to that saying. The two of you have finally given me some peace by allowing my knowledge of the Elder Wand to be put to good use."

"Thank you for everything, Mr. Gregorovitch." Harry inclined his head after stepping back outside, turning around one last time.

He walked to the edge of the wardline and was about to seize Marlene's hand to disapparate when the old wandmaker spoke up one last time.

"A Thestral and a Granian, two creatures from the very same family, yet as different as day and night. Now you both carry wands destined for greatness, Harry Peverell and Marlene McKinnon. Just remember that greatness is a fickle thing. It's up to you to define it..."

July 13th, 1977

"Love?" Harry peeked around the corner of their bathroom, expecting to find Marlene in there, however, a quick glimpse confirmed the opposite.

"Marlene?" He stepped back into the living room, still, there was no trace of her.

"I'm out here." Her voice came from the door leading to the balcony.

Droplets of saltwater dripped from his trunks onto the white tiles as Harry pushed the curtain aside and stepped back outside. The sunset blossoms upon the horizon as if a million scarlet blooms ignited. Marlene leaned against the railing; stray curls that escaped her loose bun floated in the gentle breeze reaching them from the nearby shore.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Marlene said as Harry stepped behind her, slinging an arm around her waist to hold her close.

"It truly is." He pressed a kiss to the back of her head and inhaled her sweet scent: "Is everything okay?"

Her shoulder sagged: "I don't want to go home just yet. This week here with you has been the best of my life and an escape from all the responsibilities and stress that await us once we return. I wish I could just stay here forever."

"We can come back one day." Harry squeezed her hand: "Either to this place or a different one. There's so much more for us to see out there and one day we'll have all the time in the world to explore it."

"Will we actually?" Marlene whispered.

He frowned. Gently cupping her jaw, he turned it sideways, so she was facing him: "What's wrong, Marlene?"

Blue eyes stared up at him, full of vulnerability: "Every time you talk about your future, be it right now or when you mentioned to Gregorovitch that only your children will ever wield your wand, I always imagine myself by your side." Her hand traveled up his arms, fingers clinging onto him: "I want to be that woman by your side, Harry. I want it all with you; and I can see most of it already, even a family..."

A single tear threatened to spill but Marlene continued: "However ever since that talk with my father I feel like you have all these doubts about me."

"I don't- "

"Then why, Harry, why don't you want to get betrothed to me?" Marlene gasped desperately: "I love you with all my heart and I thought it was the same for you. Is there something you dislike about me? Am I doing anything wrong? Am I not enough- "

"No!" He silenced her with a finger to her lips and took her in his arms, pressing her against his chest. Marlene's body shook with small sobs as she buried her head in the crook of his neck. The first tear burned on his skin like fire; a second followed soon after.

"Don't even think that for a single second." Harry kept her in his arms: "You're more important than I could ever put in words. You're the reason I want to become stronger every single day, Marlene. My reason to fight. My reason to continue no matter how much it hurts. You're perfect for me and all I want is you..."

"I- I just don't understand." She exhaled deeply: "But- But why don't you want to commit to me then?"

"It's complicated and it has nothing to do with you per se." Harry sighed in frustration: "I hate lying to you, Marlene, and there's still so much I haven't told you about. You know I have promised to follow up with it one day. But I just don't see that day coming, at least not yet. How can I honor my promise to be yours for the rest of my life when I can't even share the rest of my secrets with you and allow you to get to know the true me."

"I don't care about any of that!" Marlene cried: "I didn't fall in love with wizarding Britain's mysterious new Lord; I fell in love with Harry. Your damn secrets don't make you who you are; the way you treat me does. There's nothing you could tell me that will stop me from loving you, Harry. When will you understand that?!"

"It's not just that." Harry croaked; the painful edge in her voice caused him physical harm: "You're still so young, Marlene; we're both still so young. I don't want to rush you into anything that you might regret in a few years. Your fate should be yours alone to choose. I could never live with myself dictating your life and watching the signs of regret slowly manifest themselves..."

"How could I ever regret loving you?" Marlene stared at him in disbelief: "I have never been as certain about something in my life as I am about wanting to spend my future with you. Tell me what I have to do to prove that to you!"

"You don't have to prove anything. You're already everything I could ever ask for." Harry tried to ease her worries: "If you're sure about taking that next step with me; if you can truly see that future with me; then I know that you- then I know that..."

"Then you know what, Harry?" Marlene's eyes sparkled challengingly.

"I- I'm just trying..."

"Have I not proven that I'm yours already? Only yours, Harry..." Within a second her lips were crushed against his, her tongue demanding entry into his mouth, exploring it as if she never tasted him before.

His hand increased the pressure on her lower back, pulling her even closer to him. The other roamed through her golden hair.

She broke the kiss, dragging on his lower lip between her teeth playfully, leaving him with ragged breath: "I will show you that all your concerns won't ever matter, Harry." Marlene plastered one lingering kiss after another on his jaw, before she trailed down his neck: "I will show you that I'm yours however you want me. And then you will do the same and it will be perfect..."

"Marlene, I- " He caught his breath when she took a step backward and shrugged the straps of her short, blue summer dress off her shoulder, letting it pool to the floor as she stepped out of it.

Her body was a work of art as it glowed in the last rays of the sunset. His gaze traveled from an angelic face framed by golden curls to her pale, firm breasts, which heaved with her heavy breathing: "How do you want me, Harry?"

"You know you don't have to..." A twist of excitement spiked through him, as he watched her fingers trail up over her smooth tummy until her thumbs flickered over her nipples.

"I asked you how you wanted me, Harry?" Her other hand traveled lower until a single finger dipped between her legs, where it met her glistering arousal: "You can have me right here and now if you wish so. Just say the word..."

"I think-" He gulped heavily, unable to form any coherent sentence with the way she was standing in front of him and teasing herself.

"All I want you to think about right now is me, love." Marlene took a step forward; stiff nipples brushed against his abdomen as she gave him a searing kiss.

"Perhaps this will calm your nerves." She broke the kiss and held his gaze while slowly dropping to her knees. Harry caught his breath as her fingers fidged with the cords of his swimming trunks until she pulled them down so slowly that it bordered torture.

His length sprang out, resting in her hand, hard and twitching at her gentle touch. Marlene traced her fingertips along the length of him and looked up with impossibly large blue eyes as she took him in her mouth, sucking lightly and running her tongue's tip over him.

"Marlene..." The groan slipped from his lips, unable to help it. He wished to close his eyes and savor the incredible feeling yet watching her pleasuring him was just as much of a turn on. The fact that she was doing so right on their balcony only thrilled him even further.

His hands slid into her golden curls when Marlene took him deeper, sliding his tip over her hot tongue until he rested all the way against the back of her throat.

"So good…" His fingers curled in her hair, fingernails scratching over her scalp as he gently pushed along with her steady rhythm. The little groans and gasps she stole from him only seemed to motivate her to try even harder. She batted her eyelashes anytime she took him deeper than before, smirking when she felt him twitch against the back of her throat.

"I want to taste you, Harry." She took him deep again, sliding her rose lips down his base without taking her ice blue eyes off of his, letting his tip touch the back of her throat: "Let me taste you, love..."

Heat swirled in his belly and tightened, making it impossible to keep it at bay any longer. "Marlene..." He released a shuddered breath as he burst on her tongue; hissing as he watched her continue sucking softly while he spurted into her mouth.

Marlene kept him inside, letting her tongue swirl over his pulsing tip while he twitched and groaned in pleasure. Then she slowly took his length out, allowing him to catch a glimpse of thick white liquid that pooled on her tongue. She swallowed while catching his eye: "How did you like that, Harry?"

He had no words for it. He took a second to catch his breath before drawing her back up to her feet.

"You've tasted me." Harry kissed her hard, ignoring the taste of himself on her lips, which he felt curl into a triumphant grin.

"Now I want to taste you." He crushed Marlene's body against his and lifted her up in his arms to carry her back inside towards their bedroom. He felt the wetness between her thighs rubbing against his member, making her giggle as she felt the length of him harden so quickly once more.

"Go, taste me then, Harry." Marlene cooked her head challengingly as he laid her on the bed. She spread her legs wide for him without any hint of shyness, allowing him to glance at her in all her glory: "Show me that I'm yours. Show me how much you want me with your tongue..."

He shifted closer until his head rested between her legs. The scent of her glistering arousal filled his nostrils, stirring something possessive deep inside him: "I'll show you."

His fingertips drew gentle circles over her thighs until they brushed against her heat. His lips followed soon after, leaving a trail of kisses directly to her silken folds. Marlene slid her fingers into his hair and shifted on the bed, desperately easing her hips forward by an inch: "No teasing; not tonight, Harry."

"Fine, no teasing then." He traced the tip of his tongue over her heat, enjoying her familiar taste and the manner in which she gasped and bucked under his touch. Her fingers clenched in his hair when he entered her slick folds while his tongue brushed against her clit again and again.

He soon felt the small jolts of pleasure that rippled through her and continued with redoubled efforts. His fingers curled within her, hitting a spot he knew drove her crazy while his tongue dipped into her heat repeatedly. Marlene pulled the hand that wasn't occupied with providing pleasure up towards her and cupped her breast with his fingers, shivering when his thumb brushed over her nipple in circles.

"Harry!" Her legs spasmed; she gasped and her breath hitched. Slender fingers fisted in his hair, tugging almost painfully when she came undone underneath him.

"Perfect..." She repeated with a low cry: "So perfect." He continued drawing tiny circles, each of her moans merely brought another small grin to his lips.

She collapsed on the mattress, her firm breasts glistered in a thin layer of sweat: "I want you inside of me, Harry." She demanded and drew him up to her by his hair: "Right now..."

Tossing her curls to the side, Marlene propelled herself onto her knees and elbows, arching her back until her face hovered right above the pillow: "I've tasted you and you've tasted me. Now I want to feel you finish inside me, knowing that you're mine..."

She teased him with the very view that he never managed to resist. He admired the wetness running down her thighs, knowing that it was only ever going to be him who saw her and experienced her so intimately. Harry's hands roamed over her hips, his fingers dipping into the soft, incredibly well-shaped flesh of her rear. His thumb skimmed over her folds and brushed over the tight ring of muscle right above it, lingering there for perhaps a fraction of a second.

"I will show you that I'm yours." Harry stepped in between her legs, his fingers fisted around her golden curls, tugging her head back gently. He brushed his tip through the silken heat between her legs, teasing her opening.

"No more teasing, Harry." Marlene shivered: "Take me, love, as hard as you like."

"I will," Harry murmured in her ear as he eased himself inside her, pushing deeply in one single thrust until her tight heat fully engulfed him and Marlene gasped in a mixture of surprise and pleasant pain.

He tightened his grasp of her hair and drew back slightly, before pushing all the way back inside, his hips slapping against her rear.

"Harder." Her moans grew louder and echoed through their bedroom when he increased his paste. She gasped each time he was fully inside of her. "More, Harry!"

His heart hammered in his chest as he shoved her into the mattress to stifle her moans. Her fingernails scratched over the pillow and one hand seized the railing at the head of the bed while she pushed her hips back against him, meeting each of his thrusts in perfect harmony, making their skin slap against each other.

"Don't stop now!" Marlene cried out in pleasure: "I'm almost there..."

He grabbed her butt more firmly, fingers digging deep into her perfect flesh, leaving red trails on pale skin. Harry raised the pace even further, ignoring his own ragged breath until Marlene finally collapsed onto the mattress with a low cry.

Harry felt her tighten around his length as her legs shivered, pushing him over the edge with her. Heat pooled in his belly once more and Harry exploded in her tightness, burying himself to the brink and thrusting until he was completely spent.

"Perfect... Simply perfect." Marlene clung to the pillow underneath him, soft gasps and moans tore from her throat while her body trembled in bliss. Harry remained on top of her, buried deep inside her while he whispered soft words into her ear.

'It was she who was the perfect one.'

'And she wanted to be his and no one else's.'

When both their breaths evened out, he lifted himself off and pulled out of her before gently flipping her over to cradle her against his chest.

"I really needed that." Marlene sighed contently: "Not just because it was perfect, but because I needed to know that you're just as serious about this as I am."

"I really am." Harry brushed aside a few golden curls that stuck to the thin layer of sweat on her neck and kissed the soft skin: "I promise I am..."

"I know you are." She took one of his hands, pulling it towards her stomach and up to her breast, resting over her heart: "You would never take advantage of me like that otherwise."

"I enjoyed that a lot." He pulled her even closer to himself, marveling at the feeling of holding her in his arms after sharing such intimacy: "You should initiate more often, you know."

She giggled, slowly turning around in his arms to face him and pecking his lips: "Perhaps I will. I enjoyed it just as much. Especially the end..."

Marlene slowly untangled herself and hoisted herself upwards. Harry's gaze traveled down the length of her body, clinging to and admiring the trickle of white that ran down the inside of her thighs.

"You like the look of me like that don't you?" Marlene caught his eyes and brushed a finger through her folds, catching some of it on the tip. She smirked: "That's why I enjoy it when you finish inside of me, Harry. It makes me yours just as much as it makes you mine."

"You're right. I like that thought. I like it a lot..." Despite having rested for merely a few minutes another twist of excitement coiled through Harry. One that was not missed by his girlfriend's sharp eyes.

"Follow me." She captured his lips in a kiss before hopping out of the bed.

"Where are you going?" Harry pouted.

"To the shower where you're going to help me clean up." Marlene winked at him: "And after that we will come back to bed, so we can continue. You didn't think that was it yet, did you?"

"I like that idea..." Harry studied her as she stepped into the shower: "...What else did you have in mind?"

"Something you will enjoy." Marlene took his hand and guided him under the hot stream of water. Her hands traveled down his chest and abs to gently cup his member: "I noticed what caught your eye and where your thumb brushed over me before you took me on the bed…"

'Did she mean?' A bright, hot thrill of excitement raced through his veins, his fingers developed a mind of their own and cupped her rear.

"Exactly, love." Marlene kissed him hard: "I meant what I said when I told you that you can have me any way you want tonight; anyway and anywhere."