AN: I just had to write this. This story has received over 500k views and nearly 800 reviews. I still can't believe it!

What baffled me, even more, was the outpour of sympathy for Delphine Potter's fate - of all of the characters mentioned or developed... Well, I'm happy to oblige! I hope you all enjoy my appreciation of your response to my story! For ThunderSphinx!

.

.

Chapter Twenty: The Ballad of Love

.

.

Three hours of makeup spells...

It had taken Delphine three hours of heavy makeup to resume the appearance she had taken for granted for far too long. Her silken skin and Merlin-sculpted face had once driven men insane. Now her arms, her neck and her face were covered in more makeup than could be considered comfortable.

Even the sleeveless gown she wore sat uncomfortably on her as it rubbed against the many layers of magical concealer.

To some extent, she missed the days where "less is more" still applied to her. On the other hand, it was merely a part of her daily regime now. She barely paid it more any more thought than she would brushing her teeth.

You never know what you had until it's gone, she thought to herself. The English saying slid through her mind like the slimy, parasitic remnant of a bad dream.

The lights around the stage focused on the center as the Dutch announcer entered the stage to introduce the violinist, Master Yuuki Fukui- simply known as Yuuki - from Japan.

The announcer, an unremarkable and stout wizard of little musical talent, blandly introduced the Japanese wizard to the crowds who had come for the 122nd International Magic in Music concert in Brussels.

She and Yuuki, a rather attractive yet unpleasantly silent and unhappy man, had unofficially dueled for the top prize at the international concert for the last six years. If Delphine managed to trump him again, she would be the longest reigning winner ever by two years.

Yet another award for her career. If she were still the young, starry-eyed girl she had been before her disfigurement, she would be bursting with nervous excitement. For some reason, she couldn't bring herself to care as much about her accolades nowadays.

The prize - a rather insignificant amount of galleons and a large trophy - would be rightfully hers regardless.

She had managed to diversify her repertoire so successfully over the last few years that it was almost expected that she would win again. Her native French and even some international newspapers had been presumptively hailing her as the "Pre-Winner for 1997" since the beginning of the year.

Her music came from a magical, spiritual place deep within her soul, and, even to her, it was scarily transcendental, revealing and boundless. Sometimes, she couldn't truly look within herself unless she stood on a stage. She found that her nervousness of singing competitions and her instinctual stage fright added the extra emotional tinge to her music that had guaranteed her international success since she made her breakthrough in '88.

And I probably will win again if Yuuki doesn't stop making the judges feel so depressed with his music, she thought to herself. No one should feel so down in the summer!

She had composed a few pop ballads with the best songwriters in both the magical and non-magical music industries over the last few months. The songs were going over quite well with the masses at the moment. Her chosen medley for the concert was a melodious mix of her latest hits.

She considered it a definite shame that Yuuki rarely attempted to connect with the audience or the latest trends in music. He was the Weird Sisters or the Fanged Dragons of the classical genre - good for loyal fans but stubbornly stagnant. Yet, his talent in captivating audiences rivaled her own. She would have enjoyed the serious competition if he weren't so much of an emotional vomiter.

I wish he weren't such a private person. I would love to know the person beneath his music.

His tremulous melody suddenly halted her thoughts. She found herself suddenly listening more intently to his music than ever before. A particularly depressing chord from Yuuki's violin suddenly struck her deeply.

She closed her eyes in temporary agony. She could feel his cry to be loved, to be accepted, mixed with an anguish of constant failure to find someone to love him. Maybe she was just translating his music into her own anguish?

Delphine let the music wash over and through her. She, too, longed for someone to see the person behind her beautiful - and she had no doubt of her talent - voice. It was as if Yuuki were playing her very heartstrings. The deep, hidden ache in her heart was simultaneously being laid bare for everyone and no one by a mere stranger.

Since her injury during the Final Battle and defeat of the Dark Lord Tom Riddle nearly two years prior, Delphine had barely paused to reflect on the impact her full body burns had on her psyche. Fire had a horrible effect on sirens and their descendants, and she had been hit by a dark fire curse so powerful during the battle that she missed her own concert two weeks afterward. She had remained in a magic-induced coma for a month.

No amount of potions, spells or Family Magik could reverse the scarring over one-third of her body. That she had removed all but one of the numerous mirrors in her apartment, that she rarely went into public without multiple charms to mask the scars on her body, she had simply accepted in the months thereafter. No more thought was given to either the concealment routine or why she felt the need to hide the scars.

Her family, especially her ever-observant Lord Potter, had noticed the drop in her spirit. Henry had offered to pay for her therapy or magical corrective surgery to make up for her sacrifice for the Family. The offer was futile though. Nothing could be done for magical burns of that scale. His noble sentiments had also hit her too hard. In the dark days that followed her coming out of the coma, she had wanted to blame him - to blame someone - for her disfigurement, for her impending life changes. Henry's authentic pain and commiseration on her behalf had been so tangible, however, that it alone had moved her to tears.

Yuuki's music swelled in a flood of piercing melancholic notes. She could hear a stagehand sniffling near her.

Master of Melancholy indeed, she thought to herself as her dark thoughts engulfed her once more.

Her beauty was once a thing of marvel. It had rivaled that of her half-breed, fiery cousins in spirit, the Veela. Unlike the Veela, however, Delphine's beauty was more genetic rather than magical. Her maternal great-grandmother had been a half-siren of unknown origin.

It was clear to Delphine that her talents were at least partially inherited during her youth. And her reaction to fire had always proved such. She had spent much of her young adult years searching for sirens and trying to understand, release and train her siren-inherited talents. She had learned then the reason for her childhood aversion to fire.

Her musical success since then - since she had unlocked that key aspect of herself - had been unstoppable. She had sung before Europe's magical nobility, before the richest families in the world and more government banquets than she could count. She was considered a star in Magical Musicology. She was the songstress most rated a must-hear by international publications. Celestina Warbeck had even offered to take her on tour multiple times.

Delphine had been smart enough to reject the gracious offers. Warbeck's fame was overwhelming, and Delphine would have been perpetually in the witch's shadow. The older witch still received much more airplay in Europe - except in Delphine's native France - than Delphine.

Mostly because of her obnoxious banshee backup singers!

Delphine's parents had been most supportive of her decision not to tour with Warbeck and her career decisions altogether. Somehow they had managed to simultaneously push her to challenge the status quo and kept her grounded despite her aspirations and her youthful arrogance.

Endorsements and accolades had rained down on her endlessly. She had almost let the fame get to her, and then she responded to her Lord's summons. She had thought then that she was invincible.

The pain of her flesh burning was all she remembered of that day. The phantom, nightmarish pain still woke her up randomly at night.

The lull of the applauding crowd reoriented her. She counted backward from 20 to steady herself.

Here comes another stellar performance, she calmly told herself.

Her father had once said the same to her before her first large debut. She had repeated his words before every single performance since, and they had definitely brought her luck. She dedicated much of her success to his faith in her.

"I wish you much," a quiet voice said in slightly broken English, startling her out of her reverie.

In the darkness of the backstage, Delphine's easily identified Yuuki's remarkable face.

Such a beautiful man with such a solemn soul.

"Thank you," she murmured back.

"Do dry your face before." He said carefully before he turned and continued on his way with his violin held protectively close to his heart.

Delphine automatically wiped her face. To her surprise, tears wet her cheeks. Normally, her concealer and spells hid it all so well…

No one had been able to see her cry in so long.

But how…

"Wait! Wait, please!" She called after the Japanese violinist, who immediately stopped. "You can see me - my...?"

"Of course. I have always been able to see you."

That simple truth broke her walls so quickly that she shivered from the metaphorical overexposure.

Her voice caught her throat.

All this time...

He had never treated her differently in any of their casual meetings or the celebrations that they had attended together. He had never even hinted that he could see beneath the mask she had carefully sculpted around herself for her image.

A roar of cheering erupted from the crowds as her name was announced. The crowds quieted down somewhat after the announcer's sonoroused voice quieted with a simple Finite.

Delphine couldn't move.

A deeper meaning of Yuuki's words flitted through her mind. "I have always been able to see you."

"Your music?" She asked simply. Fresh tears already rolling down her face in the premonition of his next words.

"Yes." He answered carefully, as if apprehensive about her reaction. Yuuki had been trying to reach her with his music all this time.

Her name was being called out by stagehands and a wave of whispers bubbled up beyond the curtains.

Her internal debate lasted mere seconds, but it felt like a lifetime to her. Her magic careened around her as she made possibly the biggest decision of her life.

Yuuki, quiet and solemn, merely approached her, reached out with a weird comfortably hand and gently pressed hers.

No words were needed from his side.

Delphine's magic settled suddenly while she raised her head and dried her tears.

A stagehand called out to her in a confused whisper.

"Join me." She requested simply, grasping his hand like a lifeline. A fear like none other she had ever experienced swept through her, and Yuuki was possible the only other person who knew her deepest despair.

He did nothing but hold her hand tighter as she dispelled her concealment spells, spelling away some of her heavy make-up and pulled him towards the confused crowd.

She closed her eyes before the curtain was pulled back.

A collective gasp arose from the audience. Whether it was from her appearance, Yuuki's presence or their holding hands, she could not tell.

As the whispers rose around them, Yuuki carefully positioned her hand behind his neck so that he could hold his violin and began playing something so magical that Delphine swayed.

Here comes another stellar performance, she repeated to herself once more.

She opened her eyes and looked into Yuuki's dark brown and deeply emotional eyes.

"Your beauty comes from within." He said leaning forward for a chaste kiss on her lips.

She did not hear the reaction of the crowd. Her mouth opened absent-mindedly from the surprising kiss and an unknown aria of so many emotions burst from her lips.

Their musical instruments joined as one before the unprepared crowd of thousands. People rocked in their seats, clutched at the loved ones in the seats near them and even cried openly. The hairs rose everywhere as two souls bore what they had and complemented each other so melodiously.

Delphine's magic reached out to Yuuki's much like her hand stayed on his shoulder throughout the entirety of the nearly 10-minute duet.

Just as they reached the end of their spiritual improvisation, Yuuki's warm magic accepted hers. Delphine didn't even notice his violin stop playing as his magic joined and wrapped around hers. A long, crescendo of unaccompanied high notes full of pure joy and content brought the crowds to their feet before the last note and the song had even officially ended.

The two stood on stage, heaving for breath from the musical and magical exertion while the world went wild around them. Flowers and small tokens rained on the two, and the prize for the winners of that year's International Magic in Music concert was brought out before the two could even bow. The other concert singers applauded enthusiastically in the first rows.

Delphine and Yuuki could only look at one another and smile.

"No one could have known at that moment that the two world-class musicians had all but magically bonded before them, sharing something so private, genuine and unprecedented with the world," one commentator stated in a raving review of Delphine Potter's revelation the following day.

Their duet became known simply as the Ballad of Love. It was considered the Song of the Millennium and the breakthrough for both musicians, sending them directly into the annals of musical history in the international magical community. Both Yuuki and Delphine's careers became boundless and full of awards even though they both rarely performed live thereafter, tending only to play at Potter Gatherings or the celebrations of their dearest friends and family.

Although Yuuki and Delphine never sang the Ballad of Love again, it brought tears to Delphine's eyes whenever she heard it - and it was played often in the years following the performance.

To her, their anthem of love was more than a power ballad. It was the beginning of her relationship with her wonderful husband. In the three years following the concert, they had two marvelous children who Delphine always saw as a direct product of their love.

She was seen as a heroine to many a generation of women for her courage and strength to show her disfigurement openly, especially when it became public knowledge that her disfigurement had been a result of her courageous actions during the Final Battle of the British Blood Wars.

In the time following her revelation, Yuuki tended to cancel her concealment spells immediately and without a comment whenever she applied them accidentally. After a few years of this loving treatment, she never felt the need to conceal her appearance again.

.

.

Fin

.

.

Sigh… short and sweet. This chapter is unbetaed so review/message me any blatant errors you find.

I have begun working on a Harry/Henriette fic with a much darker tone, the same family tree and a slower moving plot. You can expect it late summer 2018, and I'm sure you will enjoy it! I will leave a message here when its ready!

Xaipe