Extenuating Circumstances
Chapter 1 – Unwanted Gazes
Hello readers! This is my first story I've ever posted after several years of being the recipient of the wonderful (and sometimes not-so wonderful) world of fanfiction. I hope you all enjoy my story "Extenuating Circumstances."
Summary: When Fleur Delacour showed up to work at Gringotts, she never imagined that she would be kidnapped from the safest bank in Wizarding England. The adventure that ensues is even more mind-boggling.
Fleur Delacour may be a veela, but right now she really wished she was a dwarf so that she could dig a hole in the ground where the possessive eyes of a certain red-headed cursebreaker could no longer find her.
It wasn't that Bill Weasley was a bad man. Contrarily, he was really actually a very good match for the young veela.
Bill was definitely handsome. He was tall, possibly somewhat lanky, had shoulder-length fire red hair to go along with a pleasant face. Looks definitely were not the problem.
He also happened to be incredibly smart, graduating at the top of his class at Hogwarts with "O's" on almost all of his NEWTS. Of course, he wouldn't be in the job he was in now if he hadn't been brilliant. Being a cursebreaker required excellence in many subjects, namely arithmancy and runes. Being a cursebreaker at Gringotts Wizarding Bank meant being one of the best cursebreakers in the entire wizarding world.
Naturally, as a cursebreaker, Bill also was paid royally by the bank so if she were to ever get serious with him, money would never be a problem.
What is a problem though, is that Bill seems to not know the concept of personal space. However, this particular problem may be of her doing. A week ago, Fleur had finally given into her co-worker's persistent, albeit slightly aggravating, attempts at a date. "What's the worst that can happen?" Were her thoughts when she finally acquiesced to his persistence.
Well, it may have not been the worst date of all time, but it certainly was an honorable mention (or in this case dishonorable).
It was a disaster from the very beginning. First, it was pouring (of course it was, its England) and Bill had planned for them to go to the park for a picnic. So, his fallback was to cook dinner at his apartment. Of course it was…
Deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt in terms of motive, she thought it might actually be a little romantic. But that thought went down in flames, similarly to the way the turkey he had attempted to cook had almost burnt down the kitchen. He finally conceded defeat at trying to cook anything too difficult and opted to make a couple of sandwiches. Again, this could've been sweet considering his persistence to make this night salvageable. But, when they had settled onto his couch to eat their dinner and watch a movie, he must've forgot that the couch was big enough for three people because he almost sat on her! Choosing to ignore this transgression, Fleur finished her dinner and decided to settle in for the movie. The movie was really good, it was about a muggle British Agent and had a really weird name that sounded an awful lot like an eight-legged sea creature.
The problem for Fleur was trying to get Bill to focus on the movie, instead of trying to make subtle "moves" to inch closer to her. Fleur had to stifle a laugh when he went for the old "act-like-I'm-yawning-and-put-my-arm-around-her-shoulder" maneuver. But, again, Fleur decided to go along with this (although it may be the wine talking) because she really didn't have any better prospects at the moment.
Looking back on it, this is definitely where Fleur dug her grave.
It was getting towards the end of the movie (and the bottom of the wine bottle) when Bill finally decided to make his move. His lips actually looked quite inviting to the now tipsy veela. What harm is there in a little kiss?
Yep. This was definitely the wine talking.
A little kiss turned into a full blown snogging session being heavily aided by the large amount of wine that had been consumed. Before Fleur knew it, she was straddling Bill as she continued to explore the inner crevices of his mouth with her tongue. Hands were roaming frantically over each others bodies as the snogging session continued down this downward spiral of regret. Soon, Fleur was down to nothing but her bra and knickers while her...companion?…was now without a shirt and was in the process of unbuckling his pants. Once he untangled himself of his pants, he flipped them over so that he would be above the very, very tipsy veela. But, when he did that, they fell off the couch and onto the hardwood floor with a thud which was enough to awaken Fleur's senses. On the way to the ground though, Bill hit his head on the coffee table...hard.
Now, Fleur was in a precarious position.
Not only was she half naked, she was also trapped beneath an equally half naked, unconscious, Bill Weasley who didn't look like he was going to be waking up anytime soon.
Luckily for Fleur, her discarded jeans were within distance of her long slender legs. So, after a slight stretch and some clever maneuvering she managed to pull her wand from the back pocket.
After a wordless levitation spell to remove the inebriated redhead from herself, she clumsily put on the remainder of her clothes and made a hasty exit out of the apartment.
She almost felt bad for the way she left without even getting to say a proper goodbye, but then she remembered that he had gotten her down to her bra and knickers, something very few boys had ever accomplished in Fleur's twenty years of life on this Earth. Oh how the boys at Beauxbatons would kill to get where Bill had gotten.
So, it was with this horrendously bad date in mind, that Fleur had begun to grow nauseatingly annoyed with Bill's presence. Considering they were two of only five cursebreakers within the entire English branch of Gringotts, it was extremely difficult for Fleur to avoid the eldest Weasley son.
Luckily for Fleur, she knew of a certain goblin that happened to owe her a favor.
"Filluk!"
The dreary goblin fortunately (or unfortunately for him) passed by her just before Bill managed to reach her.
Filluk was known among those in the bank for being in a perpetual state of boredom and had little personality whatsoever. Although, I guess the same could be said about all goblins.
Nevertheless, the goblin did have a strange obsession with chocolate. As did Fleur, so she had decided a month ago to gift Filluk a box of chocolates for Christmas to try to gain some favor among one of the senior goblins in the bank. Now, people obsessing over chocolate isn't really something to write home about. But, the fact that Filluk enjoys something that is so sweet and just overall happy, was astonishing to her. Maybe goblins really do have souls?
"What do you want Birdy?" Ah. A bird joke. How original.
"Oh, not much." She was met with pure daggers staring at her knowing she wanted something.
After a long, awkward silence he finally spoke. "Now Delacour."
Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.
"I was just going to request to be put on teller duty today." She tried to etch a hopeful expression onto her face. But that expression immediately turned apprehensive when she noticed his normally neutral dreary countenance turn into a predatory grin.
"And why, pray tell, should I put a highly trained, and highly paid, cursebreaker at the teller when her job is most definitely not at that post?"
Compose yourself Fleur.
"Because, said cursebreaker 'as been very benevolent with 'er delectable chocolates and might begin to become very greedy with said delectable chocolates in the future."
She could see the gears working in Filluk's head and a slight twitch just above his left eyebrow.
"Unfortunately..." no! "it seems that we have had a scheduling conflict..." wait, where is he going with this? "and have an immediate need for another teller today." Yes! Yes! Yes!
"It's a good thing I 'ave some experience at the counter then." Fleur replied sweetly, much to Filluk's chagrin. The grumpy goblin exited with a grunt and Fleur managed to escape to the counters,away from a red-headed cursebreaker.
Being a teller may be boring, but at least it's better than being stuck in a perpetual state of awkwardness, right?
As it would turn out: wrong.
The day had gone off without a hitch, with only the occasional grumpy customer here or there. Fleur's line did seem to attract quite a larger proportion of males than the other counters. Scary looking goblin or attractive young veela? Hmmm.
It wasn't like she had some sort of supernatural magic that called men towards her to do her every bidding, she was just an amazingly beautiful witch. The tales of the veela that were breathtaking women one moment and fire-wielding harpies the next were just that: tales! Sure, she did have some affinity towards fire-based magic, but she definitely wasn't half-bird! Veelas had copulated with humans for so long, that their descendants were now decidedly more human than veela.
Except for in the looks department. Modern veela were all still breathtakingly beautiful. And Fleur? She's even stunning by veela standards.
So, it was with no surprise that she had become quite the popular bank teller this day.
About halfway through the workday, something finally caught Fleur's eye that broke the monotony of being a teller at Gringotts.
It didn't seem to be anything major, just two men (one young and one middle-aged) having a spat over a particular handbag.
The older man seemed to be winning the argument. He seemed to be a pretty handsome fellow, average height, shaggy black hair, to go with a pair of grey eyes.
The younger one was a little shorter and had his back to her. He too seemed to have that same messy black hair, although his seemed to be cut a little bit shorter.
Their argument continued for several minutes as they had a tug-of-war over the large handbag that appeared to be made of dragonhide…which also appeared to be moving.
As soon as Fleur noticed the bag begin to move, both men tugged on each handle of the bag causing the zipper to rip apart as the bag went flying high into the air while they simultaneously both slid to the floor.
From that point on, it was pure and utter chaos.
Dozens of pixies came flying out of the seemingly endless handbag and immediately sought the closest human (or goblin) they could wreak havoc upon.
Being from the Continent, Fleur had never encountered pixies firsthand, but she certainly never expected them to be capable of causing so much chaos in a place as prestigious as Gringotts.
Spells and jinxes were being cast all throughout the floor of the bank by both wizards and witches alike, while the goblins attempted to try and capture the mini blue demons from hell. Why wouldn't they? Pixies, while exceptionally mischievous, were also quite valuable on the open market.
The speed and agility of the pixies made them almost impossible to hit, and resulted in more wizards falling to the floor than the pixies they were trying to hit.
Fleur herself was forced to duck behind her counter in order to avoid being hit by some misfired spells.
Throughout all the chaos, the two men that started this whole mess seemed to completely vanish!
During all of this commotion, Fleur figured they probably just high-tailed it out of there in fear of anybody holding them for retribution. But, Fleur's better judgment kicked in when she heard the Gringotts alarm begin to sound.
The siren was loud enough that all of wizarding England could probably hear it. All of the exits out of the building were quickly locked down and three layers of wards surrounded the bank to prevent any possible burglar from apparating away. Goblin guards armed to the teeth came storming into the lobby blocking all the exits while the pixies continued their assault.
Extensive training for possible robberies meant everyone, goblin and human-alike, were assigned specific duties when the alarm went off. Fleur was assigned the employee's entrance in the back of the bank to ensure that the wards were holding firm. So, after some deft maneuvering around the remaining pixies that avoided capture by the goblins, she made it to her post unscathed to begin her inspection of the wards. Also at the entrance were four, fully-armored goblins preventing anybody from escaping through this gate.
The employees entrance wasn't as grand as the visitors entrance to the bank, but it was still quite a large passageway. During her inspection of the wards, Fleur heard a loud crack behind her followed by four distinct thuds immediately after. Whipping her head around, Fleur saw that the four guards were completely incapacitated. Where they once stood was now occupied by the same two men whom started this whole commotion out in the lobby. This time, however, both their wands were drawn and pointed at the exit while they also carried a bag of what was probably gold.
These men must have a death wish if they're daft enough to steal from the goblins!
Luckily, for Fleur at least, the two men didn't notice her when they entered the room because she had been inspecting the wards in an alcove in the corner of the room that could easily be overlooked. Knowing she would need some backup, Fleur cast a patronus charm to Filluk and told him to bring help.
The problem for Fleur was that the younger man, who really looks more like a boy upon closer inspection, had heard her cast the charm.
Shit.
Fleur just barely managed to side-step a body-bind curse where she was standing a moment ago. She immediately countered with some stunners of her own, but the boy was able to either dodge them or block them with a shield charm.
The older man, during this exchange, rennervated one of the guards he had incapacitated earlier only to press his wand into the goblins neck and force him to unlock the exit. The guard complied, and after a few short waves of his hands coupled with some whispered incantations, the locks on the entrance began to unlock.
As the locks began to dissipate, Fleur and the boy continued to dual. While they were sparring, Fleur finally got a good look at the boy she had only seen from behind earlier. He wore typical black wizarding robes that fit his slim figure nicely and his face was well-proportioned. If he wasn't currently sending an array of spells at her right now, she would actually find him surprisingly attractive.
Be that as it may, Fleur and the boy were very evenly matched in terms of their dueling skills. Fortunately for Fleur, Filluk and a dozen other guards came storming into the entrance area when she was beginning to run of spells to fire at him.
"Birdy, get out of the way! We're going to filet these bastards for all they're worth!" But, Filluk's warning didn't help Fleur, it actually just distracted her enough to allow the boy to disarm her before summoning her to his chest where he immediately pressed her wand to her throat. Fleur was actually about two inches taller than the boy so part of his face was covered by her shoulder as he finally spoke for the first time.
"Are you willing to harm one of your employees just to catch a couple of humble thieves?" The boy responded with a calmness that she thought few possessed in situations like this. As he spoke, Bill Weasley entered the room with a couple of more guards…great. The goblins, along with Bill continued to inch closer to Fleur and the two thieves. The last lock on the door was finally unhinging when the guard that the older man had rennervated clawed at the older man's face causing him to stagger just slightly away from the younger thief and Fleur. This opening was all Filluk needed to justify an attack.
"Get them!" Shouted Filluk as about twenty slicing curses came hurtling towards them. The boy immediately hugged Fleur close to his body and jumped through the doorway that just moments ago was locked.
Fleur barely had to time to brace herself for being yanked backwards through the doorway and to the other side of the wards. While the doorway had finally opened, the wards were still up which prevented the slicing curses from reaching Fleur and the boy.
When they jumped through the doorway, Fleur hit her head on the stone road that ran around the perimeter of the bank. Looking back at the doorway they had just jumped through, Fleur caught a rather gruesome image.
The older man had deep gashes all over his front side and had turned a deathly pale. Filluk had not held back in the slightest.
While Fleur was still trying to get a clear sense of her surroundings, the younger boy was getting to his feet and busying himself with sealing off the doorway so that they could not be followed. He had yet to notice his crime partner's wounds.
"All right you mutt, time to get out of here. I'd rather not get cursed by that fat gob-" He stopped speaking the moment he finally took in the state of his partner.
"Oh shit, you've got to be kidding me right now you inbred dog. This is not the time for your dramatics." While Fleur was still in a haze, she could tell that the younger boy's words had no real sting. He knelt down next to his partner's side and began to peel off his bloodstained shirt. When he got a look at the deep wounds, he quickly averted his gaze. But, he steeled himself when his partner managed to grab the end of his robes.
"I always knew-…I'd kick the can in spectacular fashion." He rasped, with a particularly nasty cough that sounded painful.
The boy gave a pained smile to his partner's words. "Shut up, you're not even dead yet ya' narcissistic bastard. Besides, we still need to finish our grand escape so that we can finally accomplish your dream." Whatever dream this was, Fleur could tell it was mutual between the two thieves.
"Sorry sport," another sharp cough came from the dying man leaving red specks on the face of his younger partner, "but my dream has already come true. I've gotten to be apart of your life and that is all I could've ever asked for."
At this, tears started to fall from the younger boy. The bloodied man's hand reached up to cup the boy's cheek and gave him one last weak smile.
"Get out of here, please. Do what you have to do, it's all going to be fine sport." The older man's eyes closed and, while still faintly breathing, it was clear that he would not survive. Raising his wand, the boy mentally steeled himself and muttered what seemed liked a modified vanishing spell. A vanishing spell? What does he plan on making disappear?
All of a sudden, the area where the terminal thief just laid was empty. The only evidence that a man had just been there was the blood that had pooled on the cobbled walkway. Fleur's head, while still very sore, emerged from its haze.
"How can you just vanish your partner like that!? Did he really mean that little to you!?" Even more questions swirled around the spell he used to accomplish this feat. She thought she knew more magic than anyone her age but, clearly, this boy knew something she didn't.
"Shut up!" Uh oh, Fleur, you really should've made sure you had your wand back before scolding a bank robber! "You have no idea what you're talking about, Fleur!" Whatever sadness he had felt about the death of his partner had turned into anger and was directed solely at her. His eyes were filled with determination, and his chest was covered in blood from holding his partner. It was a truly imposing picture to behold. Fleur began to worry she would be on the receiving end of one his vanishing spells next. But, she wasn't a Triwizard Champion for nothing.
"I am a Triwizard Champion, not some silly little school girl who doesn't know her spells. Who are you to-" She paused once she finally processed exactly what he had said to her: 'You have no idea what you're talking about, Fleur.'
Who is this boy?
"Wait how did you kno-" She was cut off again when several loud cracks reverberated around the walkway they were currently occupying. Fleur looked over his shoulder and could see five aurors wearing their easily identifiable red robes closing in on their position. Behind her, five more apparated into the walkway with their wands already drawn and ready to cast. They too were wearing their red robes that were undoubtably enchanted with different kinds of spells that were woven into the clothing to provide them with extra layers of protection. The boy, who clearly knew her, quickly pointed his wand at Fleur and a quick flash, as if it was a muggle camera, came forth out of his wand causing Fleur to look away from the brightness. She didn't know what had just happened, but she did know that these aurors could help her.
"Please 'elp! 'E has my wand and 'e just robbed Gringotts!" Fleur was frantically trying to maneuver herself to the aurors behind her, safety seeming oh-so close. When she looked over her shoulder to see if the boy would try to curse her from behind, she was perplexed to see that his angry had façade had morphed into a predatory smirk.
Fleur became even more confused when he spoke.
"Padfoot, what are you talking about? This was a two-person job. Hell, you were the one who came up with the plan ya' old dog!" What on Earth was he talking about!? He sounds like he's taken a bludger to the head.
As Fleur continued her trek towards the aurors, her eyes widened when a stunner was cast directly at her! Using her quick dueling reflexes, she jumped to her left to avoid the spell, slamming her back onto the wall lining the walkway.
"Stop! What are you doing? I'm on your side you crazy English!" Whatever respect she had gained for the English during her time on the isle was quickly fading. Could they actually believe that she's an accomplice in this heist?
"Enough pissin' around Padfoot, time to make our grand escape." Said the boy. He then cast a shield charm to protect his backside with his former partner's wand while also summoning Fleur to his chest with his own wand. Reaching towards his neck, he pulled out a necklace that he'd been wearing that had a wooden pendant in the shape of a stag.
"Don't let them escape!" Shouted an imposing auror who wore even more extravagant robes than the typical magical law enforcement officer.
The aurors began to close in on them, casting as many stunners and body-binders as they could. The boy had cast another shield in front of him and Fleur, the aurors' spells bounced right off with their only effect being the loud "bang" reverberating each time their spells hit the shield.
"I would hold on tight if I were you." The boy whispered into Fleur's ear. She really wasn't enamored with the idea of fleeing from law enforcement with this delinquent, but with the way the aurors were acting as if she was the felon, this was her only option.
She also tried to squelch the shivers that ran down her spine when his breath tickled her ear. It was a fruitless endeavor.
Fleur felt the familiar pull behind her navel as the boy activated the portkey. The next thing she knew she was hurtling through the air, twisting and turning in all different directions. Soon, it was over. She was on her back in a dimly lit hallway that was lined with some truly horrific artwork that seemed to be out of the eighteenth century. Décor, though, was the least of Fleur's worries.
Not unlike the predicament she found herself in a week ago, Fleur found herself underneath another wizard.
Apparently, the boy was as graceful as Fleur when it came to travel by portkey. In other words, they couldn't land on their feet if their lives depended on it.
Unlike her prior predicament with Bill, this boy was not knocked-out cold. In fact, he was laughing at her! How dare this boy laugh at me!
"Get off me vous cochon anglaise!" Luckily, Fleur's athletic body allowed her to push the boy off, sending him sprawling to her side. "Why are you laughing? Where are we? Who are you? 'Ow do you know me!?" The questions continued to pour out of her as she finally had the opportunity to question her assailant.
He just kept laughing. It was infuriating.
Deciding to try and find a way out of her current predicament, Fleur got up in an attempt to find an exit. Traversing down the dreary hallway, Fleur passed a variety of different paintings depicting battles, stoic wizards and witches alike. Finally making it to the end of the hallway, Fleur gasped. The hallway dead-ended into a large, expansive entryway that had a rotunda that appeared to go on forever. Lining the rotunda all the way to the top was a spiral staircase fitted with red-carpeting that seemed to be built for royalty. Walking around the massive circular room, Fleur came to a halt in front of a regal, full-body mirror. Her jaw dropped when, instead of seeing her uniquely veela characteristics, she only saw the roguish face, and shaggy black hair of the man she had just seen die in the walkway outside of Gringotts.
"What's wrong Sirius, I thought you loved to look at yourself in the mirror?" Still gazing into the mirror in shock, Fleur could see the boy standing a few meters behind her. He was no longer laughing. Instead, he just wore an odd smile that was a mixture of sadness and amusement.
"'Ow is this possible?" Fleur asked.
"Just think of it as a modified glamor charm." More amusement seeped into his face. "Don't worry, it'll wear off any minute now. Can't make it last any longer without using Polyjuice. But, of course, I'm sure you knew that considering you're a Triwizard Champion." The derisive mention of the tournament was enough to get Fleur to turn around and face him.
"I don't know who you are, or what you're playing at, but clearly you know who I am." Assuming that if the boy intended to cause her immediate harm, he would have already done so, Fleur began to stride towards him. "Tell me. Who. Are. You?"
The boy had his eyes cast towards the floor now and shuffled his feet. For the first time Fleur felt like she was the one in control of the situation.
After several tense seconds, the boy finally looked up with that same, oddly contradictory smile.
"I'm shocked Fleur. I thought for sure you would've remembered this leetle boy above all the others."
Whatever control Fleur had gained was gone in an instant. She could only manage to breath out one word before she fainted.
"'Arry."
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed chapter one. Obviously, this is not canon compliant but I assure you all will be explained eventually. Reviews would be appreciated, especially since this is my first time. I look forward to continuing this adventure in the ensuing chapters. Have a great day!
-BaptismByeFire