Harry Potter and the Reaper's Horde.

A/N: So this is my first fic... P.s. Review! This fic is going to be purely HP/FD. Super! Harry, POA AU.DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter franchise is owned by J.K.ROWLING. I do not claim to own any character (unless it's an OC).Parts of the story might be taken from books, proper credits will be given, where due.

'…' Thoughts, monologues.

"…" Dialogues.

Chapter 2: The Saviour.

Fleur Delacour was not your everyday average 16 year old student, not at all, she was anything but average. She was a Veela. Well, technically, only a quarter Veela, semantics and all. But, this fact was what set her apart from all the other students of Beauxbatons. While devastatingly beautiful, this beauty was more akin to a curse than a boon for her. It was because of this beauty that she was a pariah in her school.

The effects of jealousy Fleur had seen first-hand.

The gifts bestowed on the Veela didn't just stop at striking beauty. Veela's were one of the few magical species that could harness elemental fire. Aside from these powers, the Veela also had an Allure that attracted males. Since the Veela where an all-female species (males born to Veela inherited none of their gifts aside from the striking beauty), their gifts passed from mother to daughter, this gift was a mixed blessing.

For Fleur, it was the uncontrolled burst of allure, one fateful day, three years ago, that ruined everything. Fortunately, Madam Maxine had been nearby and was able to stop anything untoward from occurring. From then on, the situation rolled downhill. While no one dared directly accuse her of anything, but it was the whispers among her peers that had destroyed any chances of camaraderie forming.

The distress and hurt of being outcast had caused her to erect walls around her heart , only her direct family now knew that the old Fleur still lived on , somewhere behind those walls .Walls, she barely lowered.

To Fleur, these gifts meant nothing if she could just have a few true friends. Companionship was something she never had. She had a rather glorified idea of what friends were.

Life had been normal for Fleur, or as normal as it got for her at school, Gabrielle was still her ray of light , students still stared at her and her course load never seemed to be getting lighter . So yes, life was normal.

'Was' being the operative word.

Everything changed during last year's Christmas. Now that she looked back, she remembered the subtle hints her parents had unknowingly dropped, those gazes, that unease, everything made sense. For a time she'd been angry at her parents, until she saw the contract herself.

Then she just gave up.

'How could I have not, when it is inevitable?'

She had seen the contract and it was fool proof, and iron clad. There was no escape, the only avenue left open was someone claiming her in life debt, and those were rare, besides she doubted that she would owe anyone that way.

'Well, besides Madame Maxime, that is.'

If the contract was fait accompli, the she might as well live her life, or at least the few days that were left of it. She doubted if she would live, in any other way than the literal that is, after the betrothal. At least her grandfather had sneaked in a clause that gave her father a right to ask to see her twice every year. That clause had some dire repercussions, if violated. Between the legalese and the gold being offered that clause was simply looked over, she only knew of it because of her father, who had been informed by the goblins at the Paris branch of Gringotts.

'Well, there is another way...'

As dusk fell over the highlands, Fleur's thoughts went down a darker path.

'Not that the Malfoys are overly concerned about my wellbeing, they are concerned about the gold though.'

In a bid to fill the emptying family coffers, Abraxas Malfoy, the then head of the Malfoy family had submitted the contract to Fleur's grandfather, head of the Delacour family. The Delacour's weren't as influential then, as they are now, but they were an old family with the vaults to back up the title. The vault was what had drawn the Malfoys to them, Fleur figured.

'Why not end it all now?'

In the face of the inevitable future, the dark depths of the Black lake seemed to hold her key to freedom. Or maybe, the Forest was a better option? The more she thought about the easy way out, as she put it, the more a question niggled in the back of her mind. Did she even have the courage to take that step? And even if she did take it, what of her family? Of course the Malfoys would demand even more gold as recompense for not fulfilling the contract, not that they were particularly concerned about Veela or even her. But, the more she thought about family, the more she wavered. She couldn't help but picture the devastation that her mother and Gabby would feel, or how guilty her father would feel. Granted that her father was less than happy with the current situation, but at least he was still trying, even if all his efforts were in vain, she felt. Thinking of her family, she resolved, to live. If not for herself, then for her family. She couldn't find it in herself to put them through that devastation, that kind of sadness. She just couldn't.

That was when she felt it.

She couldn't explain what she felt. She could feel the cold aura of something approaching. It sent shivers up her back. And in that moment, she could've swore she'd seen her own death.

'Dementors? Why would there be dementors here?'

Dementors were the only plausible explanation for the aura and the sudden cold dip in temperature. In desperation, she began to look for places that she could hide in, at least till the danger passed. Spotting a rock outcropping not far from where she stood, Fleur started to make her way towards it. Halfway, she stopped to look around, for any signs of a creature. For some reason, she could not shake off the feeling that she was being watched. Wand in hand she looked around again.

'So this is how it ends? Mauled to death by some beast?'

Try as she might, the powers that she knew her emotion fuelled Veela blood gave her wouldn't come forth. Usually when she felt strong emotions, shed to consciously rein in her powers that threatened to spill out. But now it was as if the flame in her had fizzled out. The results of her repeated tries, or lack thereof, gave way to a primal, numbing fear. The only thought in her mind was now run and hide.

Stopping had been a mistake, Fleur only realised that when the temperature in her immediate vicinity dropped and she felt the cold, hard grip of something grip her. She couldn't move, even the terrified scream wouldn't come. The creature was strong and she couldn't even see it. That was when she started feeling the drain, not only on her body but on her mind too. It was feeding of her, likely her life force, by the drain she felt.

'At least I'll be free...'

Those were her last coherent thoughts.

As she was about to slip into unconsciousness, she thought she heard someone, but it could've been a figment of her thoughts. She was still going to die. Again she felt a slight tremor as something hit the creature, and this time she saw something bright too. And then it stopped.

She was alive.

She didn't know how, but someone had driven the creature away. Too tired to even think, the last thing Fleur saw before everything went dark, was a figure stumbling towards her.

And then she knew nothing.

Author Notes:So, that was the rewritten 2nd chapter! Do tell me if you liked it and also if something can be better. I know that it was a bit shorter than the last one , but hope y'all like it!Since this is my first fic, guys I really can't say if I can reliably write accent (e.g. Fleur's).