Harry Potter had died as he had lived. Taking a full force Killing Curse to the chest as he fought off multiple assailants to protect innocents during an Auror raid on a smuggling ring. He had died too young, yet he died a noble death. A proud death. His last regret was leaving his fiance, Fleur, alone.
His body was returned to Fleur, whole and untouched, his eyes shut and his face serene, looking for all the world as if he had just laid down to sleep. Yet, he would never wake again. The entirety of the wizarding world mourned the death of their hero. His family and friends were inconsolable, his squadmates blamed themselves for his loss, and across the world, a silent vigil was held for the brave young man. Life changed without Harry Potter. Yet, slowly, surely, everyone who had known him moved on. They came to terms with their loss, accepted it, and moved forward with their lives. All, except one person.
Five years after his death, Ron and Hermione Weasley were awakened in the middle of the night by a white, translucent figure. A ghost. Harry’s ghost. He needed their help. For five years, he had been stuck In Between, unable to move on, unable to finally rest. You see, people cope with traumatic events in different ways. Fleur had coped with denial.
The loss of her love had broken her, in a way. Her grip on reality had slipped, and she had retreated into Potter Manor with Harry’s body, where the two had lived before Harry’s passing, and had not emerged since.
There, his body had laid in stasis, preserved from rot and decay, as she dreamed and made believe that her love still lived. Fleur Delacour had become a shell of the woman she once was, lovingly taking care of her lost love’s body, cooing and talking and caring and living, as the grounds of the manor overgrew, uncared for.
Ron and Hermione had decided to help. Their best friend deserved his peace, and they would ensure he had it. Help came in the form of Ginny Weasley and Gabrielle Delacour, who pledged themselves to Harry’s cause, both motivated by love and care for their siblings and sibling figures. The group prepared themselves as well they could, and four days after Harry had appeared, the party, accompanied by Harry’s ghost, stood before the overgrown gates of Potter Manor, their quest looming before them.
Yet, it would not be easy. For Fleur’s magic and madness had changed the once orderly house, twisted its interior beyond recognition and beyond sanity, and she would guard it, and the illusion of her happiness, with all her formidable might.