Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Author's Note: First and foremost, this is dedicated to Lady Phoenix Fire Rose, for the Gift-Giving Extravaganza 2013. I hope you enjoy it - oh, and I used your prompts 'dreams', and 'a near-death experience', as well as including a bit of action/adventure at the end of the fic . Also, this is being submitted to the As Strong As We Are United Competition, the One-shot a Day Competition, the Gemstone Competition (Opals - write about romance), and the HP Potions Competition (Babbling Beverage - write a fic of over 2.5K), the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes Competition (Shield Hats - write about a Ministry worker), the Greenhouses Competition (Ragweed - write about a Gryffindor) and the Dark Side Competition (Harry Potter - write about Harry).

Anyway, this is my first time actually writing Harry - I don't love writing major characters, to be honest. Hope it works out well...at least I have faith in my ability to write Gabrielle, lol.

The first time she sees Harry Potter, she's eight years old. Her sister's in the Triwizard Tournament, and Gabrielle's come to Hogwarts to watch Fleur compete. For whatever reason, there's a fourth champion, a fourteen-year-old by the name of Harry Potter, despite the fact that there's an age limit and there are only supposed to be three.

She sees Harry Potter at the first task, and she sees his face splattered on the newspaper, and she can't help but think that he's kind of handsome. He's older, yes, but only by six years - and aren't her own parents five years apart? Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, is the subject of Gabrielle's fascination. She's heard his story before; it's spread around the entire Wizarding world, not just England, after all. It awes her, how he defeated a Dark wizard when he was only a child, and she wishes that she knew more, like how he actually did it. Gabrielle wishes she could have done something that impressive; alternatively, she wishes she was older, so that it could be her competing in the Triwizard Tournament and not Fleur. She thinks it looks exciting.

The second task comes, and she's a part of it - held hostage under the Black Lake while she's unconscious, as a treasure for Fleur to rescue. She and the other hostages - a redhead boy, an Asian girl, and a brunette girl - are told exactly what's going to happen. Gabrielle's mother is there, and she translates for her daughter, since Gabrielle's English is poor. Gabrielle understands, though, once her mother reveals it to her. She's going to be sleeping, and the merpeople are going to keep her under the Black Lake until Fleur retrieves her. It's not that difficult.

Fleur doesn't retrieve her. She realizes this as soon as her head pops above water; she's with the redhead boy and Harry Potter. "Fleur?" she calls out, but gets a mouthful of water, and nobody seems to hear her - not even the boys. They bring her to shore, and Fleur's hugging her, and she's hugging Fleur, and for a brief moment Harry Potter is forgotten. But then she remembers him, because he saved her. He didn't have to - she wasn't his treasure - but he did anyway.

He was brave, and noble, and kind, and Gabrielle thinks she likes him even more now.

o0o0o

Fleur ends up dating the brother of the redhead boy. Fleur's boyfriend is Bill, and the redhead boy is Ron, and there's about twenty other Weasleys to keep track of, it seems. Fleur's letters home are long, full of information about Gringotts and England and Bill, interspersed with the occasional question about Gabrielle and their parents. Gabrielle misses Fleur; she wishes her sister could have gotten a job here in France, not all the way in England. They don't visit much, because traveling between countries for wizards and witches is no less inconvenient than it is for Muggles, and it isn't as though Fleur has a large amount of time to visit or be visited.

Gabrielle's mother is worried about the war going on in England - versus Voldemort (oops, You-Know-Who) and the Death Eaters, it seems - but she's reassured by the fact that it seems to be, for the most part, only taking place in the United Kingdom. Gabrielle knows this is even more motivation to not visit Fleur, and she's struck with hatred for those people - if it weren't for them, maybe they'd be able to see Fleur. If it weren't for them, maybe Fleur wouldn't be so caught up in her romance with Bill that she never pays attention to anything else - like Gabrielle.

o0o0o

It's the summer of '97. Gabrielle is eleven, and she's going to England for Fleur's wedding to Bill. It's thrilling, in a way, to be going to the middle of a war zone, to see Fleur get married to a member of a family that is hated by the Death Eaters. It's also scary, though, because there's a chance that Fleur might get dragged into this whole war, and Gabrielle doesn't want to see her sister hurt.

Gabrielle is old enough to know that this war is dangerous - well, all wars are dangerous. But she knows that people are going to die and get hurt by the Death Eaters, and there's a chance Fleur might be one of those people. The mere thought makes Gabrielle hate the Death Eaters even more, and she wishes that she were older. She wishes that she could actually do something - fight against them, really. She can't, though, because she's only eleven, and eleven-year-olds aren't supposed to fight.

She sees Harry at the Weasleys' house more than once. She tries to talk to him - after all, she's eleven now. Double digits. She's not a little kid like she was at the Triwizard Tournament - she's nearly a teenager. Her English is better - not as good as Fleur's, but she can at least speak and understand enough to get by at the Weasleys' place without being constantly confused. She thinks she could have a conversation with Harry, and she tries to get him alone - or as alone as one could get him at the Weasleys' - but it's impossible. He's always off in a corner or up in a room with Ron and the other girl, who has a weird name - Hermione. They're constantly talking about something, but nobody really seems to know what it is.

Gabrielle wishes she was older - then, maybe she could be involved in their planning. Whatever they're planning, that is - Gabrielle doesn't even know, but that's not really a big deal. Harry's a part of it, so obviously it's something that's not evil. But no, she's too little for that - it seems, she's too little for everything.

o0o0o

Gabrielle doesn't even know about the Battle of Hogwarts until the day after, when she receives a letter. She's at Beauxbatons, since it's only early May, and although she assumes that the Battle probably made the newspapers - even the French ones - she doesn't pay attention to the newspaper. Fleur's letter, though, is something she opens instantly. It's not a long letter, but Gabrielle stares at it for a while, because so much information is packed into that one little missive.

Dear Gabrielle,

I don't know if you heard, so I wanted to write you a quick note to let you know about all this. You-Know-Who is dead - Harry Potter killed him. The Death Eaters fought against a number of Hogwarts students, nearly all of the professors, and members of the Order of the Phoenix - the group Bill and I were in that was anti-You-Know-Who. The Death Eaters lost, so basically, the war is over. We won. I'm sorry this isn't longer, but there's just too much to do right now, too much to deal with. I love you, sister.

-Fleur

She's glad for her sister's safety, and she's glad that the Death Eaters and their leader lost. Voldemort, she thinks, deciding that after all, she can think the name, she can say the name - it's really stupid to be afraid to speak a dead man's name. Her mind returns to Harry, though, and the fact that he triumphed over Voldemort at only - what would he be, seventeen? Eighteen? Whatever - he's not old, certainly not, and he beat a powerful Dark wizard. It's highly impressive, and Gabrielle knows that her hero-worship-crush has only increased with this news. Harry Potter is a force to be reckoned with, and Gabrielle wishes she could know him.

o0o0o

After the war, Gabrielle spends part of her summers at Shell Cottage, Bill and Fleur's place. It's exciting to be away from her parents, exciting to not have somebody watching her every move. Bill and Fleur are no way near as strict and protective as Gabrielle's parents. Even looking at Bill, with his long hair and earrings and way of dressing, it's completely obvious that he doesn't play by the rules. Fleur is a little more parental than Bill, but she's only nine years older than Gabrielle, and although she doesn't want Gabrielle doing anything too crazy, she's not going to complain if Gabrielle stays up past midnight or goes to the beach by herself.

Those summers at Shell Cottage help improve Gabrielle's English, as well. Bill doesn't speak French - he knows a very small amount of it, as a result of Fleur, but he's no way near fluent. So when he's around, Fleur will speak English as well, and Gabrielle does too, to be polite, and it's only natural that, as a result of this immersion, she picks it up pretty quickly. By the time she's ready to leave Beauxbatons, years after the war ends, she's fluent in English and French, and her accent isn't extremely noticeable when she speaks English.

To her disdain, she doesn't see Harry very much during these summers. He's with Ginny now, and they seem happy together, and he's busy enough with being an Auror and being famous that he doesn't really have time to pop over and visit. She's seen him a little - the Weasleys all make an effort to get together during the summer, when they're all slightly less busy, and Gabrielle's gone to these reunions - but they don't have a chance to have a real conversation. They're all grown-up now; Bill and Fleur have children, and Ginny's expecting, and at any given time it's common to see a Weasley woman with a baby bump. Gabrielle feels young compared to them - and she is - but she is an extension of the family, and they treat her well.

o0o0o

The summer after she leaves Beauxbatons, she stays at Bill and Fleur's, like always. She doesn't know what she wants to do with her life now - she has good marks from school, and she could probably go into any range of careers, but she's simply not sure. She never gave too much thought to what she wanted to do, apart from that brief time when she was little wanting to fight Death Eaters.

"Fleur," Gabrielle says one bright summer morning, "what should I do?"

"It depends on what you want to do," Fleur replies, her voice quiet, since Dominique is fast asleep on her. "What do you want to do?"

"I don't know." Gabrielle sighs. "I don't even know where I want to go - I'm considering staying in England, but I'm just not sure."

Bill comes into the room. "There's loads of job opportunities, Gabi," he says. "The Ministry's always looking for new employees - they lost so many because of the war, and the population is depleted enough that they're always hiring. You could consider it, at least - they're not as idiotic as they were during the war, trust me." He throws himself into a chair, and raises his legs as if he wants to put them on the table; Fleur shoots down that idea with a glare.

Gabrielle frowns, tilting her head slightly. "I don't think I could have an office job. Sitting at a desk all day and writing seems really dull to me."

Bill grins. "I know the feeling," he says. "Curse-Breaker, remember? Look, if you wanted something more interesting, you could apply the Auror Office. If you do get in, well, there's some paperwork, but it's definitely not all boring. I've heard the training's hell, but once you get through that, it should be fine."

"Hmm." Gabrielle mulls over the possibility, thinking back to herself as a child, her desire to do something to help the war effort and to bring down the Death Eaters. There's not too many Death Eaters left now - most, although not all, of them have been rounded up and sent to Azkaban - but there would always be Dark witches and wizards. It's certainly an interesting idea, herself as an Auror. "Auror Gabrielle Delacour," she whispers to herself. It has a nice ring to it, if she's honest, and it suits the requirement of being not-boring. "I just might," she says louder, and both Fleur and Bill smile.

o0o0o

Dear Gabrielle Delacour,

The Auror Office has examined your transcripts from Beauxbatons, and we have determined that they are equal to what we require from Hogwarts students. As a result, you have been accepted into the Auror training program. The training program for this year starts on September third, at seven in the morning. Please make your way to the Auror Office at the Ministry of Magic; someone will direct you from there on where to go. You may wear normal robes to the first day. You will be instructed on the rules when you arrive.

We look forward to having you as a part of the Auror training program.

Sincerely,

Gawain Robards

Head of the Auror Office

o0o0o

Bill was right, Gabrielle thinks one day. Auror training is hell. There's no denying the truth of the statement; after all, saying that Auror training was easy would be completely false. It takes place every day of the week, apart from Saturdays and Sundays, and it starts at seven in the morning, going all the way until five-thirty at night. They practice spells - loads and loads of spells - as well as exercising physically and going over important information that they'll need to know when they're full-time Aurors.

It's completely exhausting; Gabrielle returns to her small flat and nearly falls asleep on the spot. It takes almost all her strength to prepare something for dinner and study for a little while before going to bed - if she had it the way she wanted, she'd go to bed the second she returned home. She can't, though.

Multiple times, she's tempted to back out. It isn't as though she's obligated to complete the program; if she wanted, she could back out of it and do something else. The thought of boring jobs, though - office jobs, being a salesclerk - stops her. She can't do something so dull with her life. She has more abilities than that - she wants more than that.

Sadly, there's no time for romance. She dated a few boys at Beauxbatons, but none of them truly interested her; it was obvious, too, that they were only with her because of her appearance. Now, although the males are probably more mature, there's no time for any of that while she's in Auror training. Her only free time is the weekends, and that's usually spent studying or visiting Bill, Fleur, and their children.

She sees Harry a few times during her years of training. He's a full-fledged Auror, no longer a trainee, and so he doesn't interact with the trainees too much. She still notices him, though. He's older now - obviously - and more mature-looking. He's constantly in need of a shave, and his hair tends to grow a little too long before it's cut again. He seems happy, though; he seems content with his life. Gabrielle's glad for him, but there's still this tiny little part in the back of her mind that thinks 'I wish he was happy with me'.

"Congratulations, Gabrielle." He approaches her the day that she finishes Auror training and becomes a full-fledged Auror. He seems genuinely happy about it, and she offers up a wide smile.

"Thanks," she says, and makes sure to put a bit of sashay in her hips as she walks away. She knows the only place she'll ever truly be with Harry would be in her dreams, but that doesn't stop her from wishing.

o0o0o

"Hey, Delacour," says the woman from the next cubicle. She's a little older than Gabrielle - maybe Harry's age of twenty-seven or so. Gabrielle's never learned her name, embarrassingly. "You hear that there's an anonymous tip about where Rodolphus Lestrange is hiding out?"

"Really?" Gabrielle drops the paperwork she's trying to file. Rodolphus Lestrange is one of the only Death Eaters who hasn't been caught, namely because he's intelligent enough to avoid going around and doing Dark things that would get him caught. "Are you serious?"

"I wouldn't lie about something like that. They're trying to figure out who sent it right now - it could be a trap, but I say, go for it. We've gotta check it out. Dammit, we can't let Lestrange get away, y'know?"

Suddenly, Harry approaches the pair of them, his gaze darting between them. "Did you hear about the -"

"The anonymous tip about Lestrange?" the woman interrupts. "Yeah, I did. Are we going to check it out?"

"Yeah."

"And when you say 'we'," the woman says, "you mean..."

Harry looks slightly impatient, but he's obviously trying not to show it too much when he speaks. "I'm going. You're going." He shoots a glance at Gabrielle. "You're going. It's been months since you finished Auror training, and you haven't been on any important cases." He turns his gaze back to the woman. "Morag, the three of us are going in front. We'll have backup waiting outside in case Rodolphus Lestrange does anything the three of us can't handle."

The woman - Morag - nods sharply. "Got it. You know where to Apparate to?"

"I have a Portkey that Robards gave me," Harry replies, taking a comb from his pocket. "It's going to go off any second."

Both Morag and Gabrielle hurry out of their cubicles and touch the comb. Harry was correct, Gabrielle notes a couple seconds later as it whisks them away; that was scarily close. The Portkey drops them in what looks like the middle of the woods. She quickly draws her wand, scanning the area, and Morag and Harry do the same thing. "When are the backups getting here?" Morag asks.

"Soon," Harry says, squinting into the distance. "Cabin's right there. Morag, you're up first, and I'm in back. Gabrielle, stay between us." Gabrielle feels a slight twinge of annoyance - the middle position, she knows, is the one reserved for the younger or weaker people, since the people in front and in back need to be more cautious and alert. It does make sense, considering who Harry is, and the fact that Morag is older, and therefore more experienced, but it still annoys her slightly. She fights back the thought; she needs to stay focused on what they're actually doing, not the fact that once again, she feels too young. Gabrielle hears noises from behind them, and whirls to look, but Harry shakes his head at her. "Don't worry. It's just the backups."

She suppresses a sigh and follows Morag to the front door of the cabin. The other woman soundlessly puts up an Anti-Apparition Jinx; Gabrielle recognizes the wand movements. "Morag, you take the front door," Harry whispers. "Gabrielle, come with me to the back."

The first thoughts that rise to Gabrielle's mind are inappropriate, revolving around her and Harry alone, and what they could do, but she forces those thoughts down and heads around to the back door, Harry right beside her. As they reach the back door, there's a loud noise from the front, a banging noise that sounds like Morag blasting the door down. "Should we go in?" Gabrielle whispers, but Harry's already moving.

"Alohomora," he whispers, and there's an audible click from the lock. He carefully opens the door; a jinx sails over his head, barely missing Gabrielle. Harry leaps inside, and Gabrielle follows as he shoots off a Stunning Spell at Rodolphus Lestrange, who's also dueling with Morag. She's a good dueler - it's obvious - but he's an ex-Death Eater who's twice her age, and the experience gap is large.

Lestrange seems to only be using the Dark Arts; there's multiple flashes of green. Most of them are directed towards Morag and Harry, but in one terrifying moment, one shoots toward Gabrielle. She twists out of the way; his aim was slightly off anyway, and it hits the counter, leaving a burn mark. Breathing hard from her near-death experience, she huffs, "Stupefy!" and the red jet goes directly toward his back. It's as if it goes in slow-motion; it hits him, and he falls forward, landing at Morag's feet. She's breathing hard as well, but she rushes over to Gabrielle.

"Nice one!"

"Thanks." Gabrielle glances over at Harry.

He smiles at Gabrielle. "Morag," he says quickly, "can you take his wand and search him for anything else while he's still unconscious?"

"Of course." Morag hurries over to the prone figure, and Harry moves closer to Gabrielle.

"That was a great Stunner," he said. "Nice work. We needed that."

She smiles up at him. He's not tall by any means, but she's always been petite, and as a result, he has a good three inches on her. Once again, he needs a shave, and his hair is getting a bit too long, but it's a look that he can pull off surprisingly well. "Thank you, Harry," she says. In a fit of daring, she leans forward, embracing him. He seems startled, but hugs her, patting her back. She stretches up, kissing one of his cheeks, and then the other, just like she had seen Fleur do after the second task of the Triwizard Tournament. He seems startled again, and she gives him a mischievous smile. "I'll search the house, okay?"

He reaches up and touches his cheek, in the exact spot that she kissed him. "Yeah," he says, "Sounds, er, good. Thanks. For searching, I mean." Harry shakes his head as if to clear it, and Gabrielle smiles to herself as she leaves the room. That felt good. His reaction made it even better, she thinks, and for a moment, she lets herself get lost in thoughts of him. She doesn't know if anything will end up happening, but then, that doesn't matter. It's not like she can predict the future - she'll just have to see what happens next.