A/N: I decided to try my hand at the whole 'Harry is a bodyguard' trope. It will be Harry/Fleur. It is my first story so bear with me as I figure out which tropes to avoid and how to develop my own style.

I don't own any elements of the Harry Potter universe. I'm not going to make any profit from this story either.

Prologue

The night was still in Scotland. A mighty stone castle sat high and proud on its hillock, presiding over the surrounding lowlands like an ancient stone king. The Black Lake was a glossy sheet of polished obsidian, its quiet surface undisturbed even by a single ripple. Some distance away from the castle, a lonely lantern wheezed its light onto a set of iron gates, illuminating the letters 'Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry'.

The air fractured, and with a sharp cracking sound; a man appeared in front of the gate. The lantern threw its light onto his face, revealing a sharp, strong-looking man. He straightened himself, dusting off imaginary dirt from his silk robes, and checked an odd-looking device hanging from his belt. The man looked around and narrowed his eyes. He was meeting someone who was clearly late.

Soft, slow wingbeats ruffled the quiet, like the night itself was breathing. A crow, midnight black, alighted on the lantern, and cawed once. The man shot a sharp look at the bird.

"I am alone," the man said impatiently. The crow shot the man a beady look, before looking around, seemingly scanning the area for anyone else. Apparently satisfied, it cawed again. A figure suddenly appeared before the man, soft and silent as smoke. The figure was smaller than the man, wearing an odd black cloak with a high collar and small red clouds printed on it. A large, conical, straw hat defeated the lantern's efforts to illuminate the face of the figure.

The first man addressed the newcomer in a carefully neutral tone, "You are smaller than the stories make you out to be." The newcomer said nothing and merely took off his hat. Without its large brim, he seemed even shorter. The lantern's light threw into relief his facial features. They were young, but not boyish.

"My name is Augustin Delacour. I am the one who wishes to hire you," Augustin continued, undeterred by the silence. He paused, and looked up at the stone castle above them, impassively watching their meeting. He looked back at the young man. "This is the school where my daughter will be attending the Triwizard Tournament. I want you to protect her," he said.

The young man dipped his head slightly and spoke in a surprisingly deep voice, "and why does she need to be protected?"

Augustin began to pace agitatedly. "My daughter is very strong of will. She is adamant on proving herself to be more than, how you say, 'skin deep'. But she is not aware of the dangers she faces. I am a prominent member of the French Magical Parliament, but I am married to a half-blood Veela you see."

The young man raised his eyebrow. "And the problem is…?"

Augustin did not answer straight away, instead choosing to observe the vault of stars above them. "I love my family dearly," he said, "She is a caring mother and loving wife. But the Parliament is filled with bigots, who despise her and see her as little more than some animal to be caught and tamed. They see my daughters the same way."

The young man prompted him for more information. "Have they ever tried anything…physical…to demonstrate this hate?"

Augustin exhaled explosively. "No, they have limited themselves to politicking against what they call 'half-breeds' in the Parliament" he said distastefully.

The young man nodded his head in appreciation. "Ah, but with your daughter being here at Hogwarts, you fear that they might try something more aggressive with her being further away from your protection"

Augustin nodded once.

"And that is why you want me…to protect her you say? Interesting…"

The Frenchman shot him a baleful look. "I take my family's safety very seriously. My contact recommended you, but I want to see for myself that you are up to this task."

The young man held up his hands, "How do you know that I will even accept this mission?"

Augustin retorted almost instantly, "Well you are here are you not? Like I said, I take my family's safety very seriously and am willing to pay handsomely for the peace of mind an adequate bodyguard can provide me."

The young man dropped his hands slowly, dangerously. He did not miss the way the Frenchman emphasised the word 'adequate'. The young man smiled. "I am interested in accepting this mission. How can I prove my…talents…to you?"

Augustin responded by drawing his wand with his right hand and settling into a duelling stance. "A duel, I think, should be indicator enough. After all, if you cannot defeat even a small politician such as myself, how can you protect my daughter?"

The young man's smile grew a little. He hardly thought the man before him was 'small'. His stance was solid, and he looked to be fast without being weighed down by bulk.

"We will begin after the third count," Augustin said, tightening his grip on his wand. "One…two…stupefy"

The red beam of light rocketed out of his wand. The young man's smile turned distinctly amused at the dirty tactics the Frenchman employed. To be fair though, he thought to himself as he tilted his body to the side, if I fell for that then I deserve to lose the mission. The jet of light passed by his body harmlessly.

"Expelliarmus-stupefy-incarcerous!" Augustin's wand blurred back and forth in the weak light, hissing and spitting light from its tip. The young man dodged the first two simply by swaying on the spot, but the third spell looked as if it would hit its mark. It was right where Augustin guessed he would dodge, and Augustin was a little disappointed at the lack of skill his daughter's supposed bodyguard would have.

Then his eyes widened as the young man simply vanished and the next thing Augustin felt was a knife being wedged in his right armpit. He dropped his wand in shock.

"Normally, that would go in your neck," a voice behind him said pleasantly. The next sentence was decidedly less pleasant. "Monsieur Delacour, I do not mess around. I assure you." The knife was yanked out painfully, and Augustin collapsed.

But he did not expect the young man to catch him before he fell, whispering a quick phrase as he did. The wound in his side healed instantly, as if he was never stabbed with a knife by a young boy maybe half his age.

"Does that satisfy you?"

Augustin licked his lips shakily. "I-I do not expect that you will need to use such force for this contract."

The young man did not miss a beat. "Monsieur, when you hire me for a protection mission, I will use whatever force necessary to remove the threat." He spread his arms wide, "and what other force is there that removes a threat more easily than absolutely lethal force…?"

The young man paused, adding more quietly, "Monsieur, I respect the lengths to which you go to protect the ones you love. It is a noble sentiment. Should you be satisfied with my skills, I would give my life to protect your daughter and complete this mission."

Augustin felt a sense of relief. He felt shaken at the display of violence; but he knew he was making the right choice by entrusting his daughter's safety to this young man.

"Yes. I am satisfied"

The young man smiled again.