Disclaimer - I do not own Harry Potter and everything recognizable belongs to J K Rowling.

Chapter four - consequences

The next morning, Harry dragged himself out of bed and willed his tired aching body forwards towards his dormitory bathroom. He needed to try and drain away some of the ache and confusion of the former day from his mind and body, and nothing would do the job like a warm shower.

Several minutes later he emerged from the cubicle which held his shower, looking a lot more relaxed. His body felt more alive and willing comply with the activities of day ahead, and the tired black circles under his eyes had diminished greatly.

He walked over to a small basic, above which stood a large decorative mirror. He had always liked this mirror; it had always server him as a sort of tape measure. It was long and tall and he always knew if he had grown by checking in it, he would leave small notches in the wall to keep track of his height.

Today however, he noticed that he had somehow grown around an inch overnight. 'That's weird' he though. He put it down putting it down to being so tired and not being able seeing clearly due to the fog still present in his weary mind. He slipped on his robes before trying to flatten his hair, but this was futile, never once had his hair behaved and why should it now.

He made his way into the great hall to the sight of Viktor Krum at his table. As he got closer he saw that he and Hermione had their heads together reading the Daily Prophet.

Opposite them, Ron sat looking as though he was trying hard to not look at the new couple in front of him; his eyebrows flickering wildly as if trying to fight his eyes desire to look.

Harry sat down next to Ron, and was surprised to see a look of anger on Hermione's face.

"What's up?" he asked.

Instead of answering him, she simply thrust the paper into his face and huffed. Grabbing the paper from her, he read the headline curiously .

"Hermione granger: The Tri-Wizard Temptation"

14 year old Hermione Granger of Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry, known girlfriend of Tri-Wizard champion Harry Potter (the-boy-who-lived) also 14, is believe to of dumped her boyfriend for a new and more exciting challenge, Viktor Krum 17 who is also a Tri-Wizard champion hailing the Bulgarian school or Durmstrang. Yesterday evening, after the completion of the second task, Viktor Krum was heard to confess feelings of love to the recently single which. A source close to the ex-couple said 'Granger and Potter have always been close, I am afraid this latest blow may rupture his already unstable mind'. When Mr Potter first saw Granger and Krum together, he is said to of kissed the first girl he saw, who was none other than Gabrielle Delacour, much younger sister of fellow Tri-Wizard champion Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons. It is believed that young Gabrielle is around the age of 9 or 10, which goes to show the Mr Potter is currently in a sensitive mental state of mind. Story continued on page 4.

Harry couldn't help but laugh; although somewhat nervously at the mention of Gabrielle, surely Fleur wouldn't have told anyone?

"Who wrote this?" he asked still laughing. Checking, he saw the small same of the publisher "ohh, Rita skeeter, I should have known..."

"Oh your right harry, I shouldn't take it so seriously" a smile appearing on her face "but I'm still curious as to how she found out, there was nobody around but us"

Harry wondered this too, he was sure Fleur had stayed quiet. His interest in how this information had been found out was short lived as he had to attend his first lesson of the day. One that he had previously enjoyed greatly, but was now a very hard and sobering experience. Defence Against the Dark Arts, with professor Moody.

It was a particularly brutal lesson, with Moody insisting it was time that they learnt about the unforgivable curses. He had followed a heated introduction by pulling his wand and enlarging a spider, asking for names of unforgivable curses.

The paling and slightly trembling form of Ron answered his question.

"There's the imperious curse...sir"

"Ahh yes, the imperious. Caused a whole lot of trouble for the ministry a few years back" moody grunted back. "No doubt your father knows all about this one"

Moody raised his wand to the spider and shouted "Imperio"

The spider was now fully under his control. He had it thrown across the room at various screaming students, he then had it try and throw itself out of a window and even attempt to drown itself, before lowering it back into his hands.

"Another...Another, you...Longbottom is it?" he asked staring down at the moon faced boy in the front row.

"y..y..yes sir" Neville seemed to grimace at being chosen, his face beginning to screw up, before relaxing slightly and finishing "th..there's the cruciatus curse"

"yes...yes" Moody said almost gleefully, motioning for Neville to stand up at the front of the class with him.

Begrudgingly Neville stood and slowly walked to the front of the class, as moody raised his wand once again to the spider.

"Crucio" moody barked, followed by a faint but high pitched squeal that was heard around the room, emanating from the spider. Everyone's faces were of pain and torment at the sight of the spider in Moody's scarred hands being tortured, but none compared to that of Neville.

His face was almost shrivelled as his whole face began contorting, turning a disturbing shade of white. His hands were brandished into tights fists, covering his ears and turning white at the pressure of being held so tightly.

"stop it, stop it, can't you see its bothering him" Hermione cried out in panic.

Moody looked almost possessed as he held the curse, seeming to enjoy every second at it, but at hearing the cry of his student he quickly pulled his wand away realising his mistake. The spider drooped down into his hand at the relief of the torture being lifted from its frail spindly body.

The deranged professor seemed almost lost in his own surroundings as he looked around at the class and then to the spider and the pale white face of Neville. He stepped over to Hermione's desk and gently dropped the spider in front of her.

"Perhaps you could give me the final curse Miss Granger"

Hermione shook her head defiantly, tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

"Very well..." Moody said almost gently.

"Avada Kedavra" He yelled. A blinding green light left his wand and filled the room, hitting the spider that now lay upturned and motionless on Hermione's desk.

Sitting next to Hermione, Harry's face had turned white as paper, he felt sick to his stomach, a painful lump forming in the back of his throat and a tear begging to trail its way down his cold left cheek

'This is how they died' harry thought 'this is the last things my parents ever saw'.

"You will all have a 10 inch piece of parchment on my desk by Friday, about each of the three unforgivable, what they are, why they cannot be used and in what circumstances they can. Now off you go" Moody grunted out at his frightened students.

The trembling class quickly made their way out of the classroom, not wanting to spend another second in the company of their seemingly demonic professor. Harry, Hermione and Ron made their way down the spiralling staircase back to the first floor.

"Are you ok Harry? You look terrible"

Harry didn't know who had asked him, so he simply nodded, he couldn't answer with the tight ball still clogging his throat. His mind felt like it had shattered, he had seen that light many times in his own dreams, and had now seen in with his own eyes.

It broke him to know that it was that curse that had ended his parent's life, which had led to him being an orphan and subsequently being dumped on the doorstep of his aunt and uncles home.

"I can't believe he did that, there's a reason those curses are unforgivable" Hermione said emotionally "but to perform them in front of fourth years, it's outrageous, surely Dumbledore hasn't allowed it? I mean...Did you see Neville's face" she trailed off angrily

Harry couldn't agree more, the whole class seemed effected by Moody's actions, but the worst part was that he seemed to enjoy it.

Harry didn't know how, but he managed to make it down to the bottom of the long spiralling staircase, he couldn't even remember walking, his legs seemed to be working of their own accord.

Just as his stepped into the corridor, his mind seemed to free up, almost banishing the thoughts of the last hour; before once again his mind began to fog over.

He knew what this was now; he had felt the effect of veela charm enough times to know exactly how it felt. He glanced around looking for the source, before his eyes met with the cold steely-grey of Fleurs.

Harry stopped on the spot, gaining the attention from his friends

"I'll meet up with you in the great hall" he said dejectedly, gaining curious looks from his friends as they saw who his eyes had locked onto. Ron and Hermione looked at each other before nodding and carrying on towards way to the great hall.

He sighed and began walking towards Fleur, knowing that he would have to explain the events of last night to her. The familiar knot in his stomach returning as he got closer, he knew this wouldn't be pleasant, he had seen the fiery temper of the veela on a few occasions already.

After what seemed like an age of walking down the hall; all the while under a cold glare, he reached Fleur.

"Look, I'm sorry about yesterday, I don't..." Harry was cut short as Fleur grabbed his arm tightly and started pulling him down the hallway, heading towards the great hall.

They walked for a few minutes, his arm still in the tight grasp of Fleur. He felt like a small child being dragged around the aisles of a supermarket by and angry mother, however he didn't utter a single word, he didn't want to anger the silver haired veela anymore.

She continued dragging him, straight past the great hall that was filling and buzzing with noise. It was lunch time and his stomach had begun to grumble noisily, but he remained silent and continued to follow Fleurs lead.

They kept walking until they were out of the castle and had trudged across the cold grass of the grounds towards the lake 'is she going to drown me?' harry wondered. It was an exceedingly cold February morning, a light drizzle of rain creating an almost mist like effect in the air was sweeping over them, and the sodden floor was beginning to form small puddles all around.

They got closer to the icy black waters of the ominous lake and Harry give an involuntary shudder as he remembered plunging into the freezing water during yesterday's task. He berated himself, wishing he had his scarf with him. Although he had his thick winter cloak on, it was still an extremely cold morning, numbing both his senses and his limbs.

They reached a small moss covered bench on the side of the lake and fleur gently placed him in it, taking a seat next to him.

"Ok, get on with it; I know you're angry about yesterday"

"Zis isn't about yesterday Harry"

At this harry turned to fleur, he was sure he was going to get an ear bashing from her. Curious he asked her.

"What's going on then?"

"I received an own zis morning... from my parents"

"What's that got to do with me?" Why she had dragged him all the way here to tell him that?

"Zey told me zey are coming to Hogwartz...today, to talk to Gabrielle, and...zey asked to see you?" she looked at harry, with both a questioning and fearful look in her eyes "why do zey want to zee you?"

Harry looked stomped for a moment, when it hit him.

He had prevented Gabrielle from being attacked and had taken her to Madame Maxime. Harry knew that a letter had been sent and that the Delacour parents had vowed to come to Hogwarts when they had the chance. At his understanding look Fleur again spoke up.

"Arry?" she said in a raised tone, brining him out of his thoughts.

"Err; I'm not sure if it's my place to tell you Fleur, I think it would be better if Gabrielle explains"

"Please 'arry, itz important" she said hastily. What real harm could be done by telling her harry wondered.

With a sigh, he started his explanation.

"Well, a week or so ago, I found Gabrielle being attacked" he stopped talking as Fleur took a deep gasp and held her hands to her mouth.

"It's ok; I stopped them before they could do anything to her, but she told me that it had happened before, so I took her to Madame Maxime" he trailed off before being interrupted.

"Wait...why didn't she come to me? I'm her big sister, I would have helped her. I can't believe zis has happened, I'll kill whoever" but this time it was Fleur who was cut off.

"Look Fleur, I took her to Madame Maxime, but she didn't seem too bothered, she told me she would write to your parents but not to tell you. Gabrielle didn't seem to keen on telling you either, she said you had been ignoring her and she needed to be alone" as his words sunk into her ears, a small tear was shed on Fleurs cheek.

"I didn't think it was right that she be alone after something so awful, so I had a word with Dumbledore and got her a living quarters inside the castle, I've been looking after her in my spare time" he said, a smile gracing his face at the thought of the time spent with young Gabrielle.

"Zo zats where she's been"

Harry nodded before continuing "I guess Madame Maxime found out about me looking after her and told your parents, perhaps that why they want to see me"

The two teenagers were now soaked through, and the rain had started pelting down harder, the grounds beginning to drown in water.

Harry stood up ready to leave, taking his glasses off to wipe them, but as he did so, he noticed that his vision was not as blurred as it always had been. 'But why' he wondered. He placed his glasses back to his face, and then away again, seeing only a little difference between the two. 'What's going on?'

He put this thought to the back of his mind and as he placed his glasses back on his face, he took a step, meaning to leave, before a gentle hand touched his.

"Arry" Fleur said in a small voice "please, don't leave..." Harry turned back to Fleur, confusion lacing his expression.

"If what you zay is true, it would explain a lot..." she trailed off "there's something you need to know, and it is going to change everything" a solemn look had bestowed her rain soaked but usually beautiful face.

Harry sat back down, a feeling or foreboding returning to him. If Fleurs expression was anything to go by, this was serious.

"Gabrielle made a big mistake yesterday 'arry"

"A mistake? What? Is she ok?" he replied panicked, before wondering to himself why he was so concerned for Gabrielle, it was as if something in him had snapped at the thought of her being in trouble.

"Kissing you 'arry, I don't zink you understand ze consequences"

Harry's cold white cheeks burned a little as he blushed "oh that" he laughed nervously "yea I'm sorry, I really don't know what happened"

"I don't zink you understand 'arry, did you kiss her back, di...did you kiss her back romantically?" Fleurs face now showed very little beauty; instead it was one you would expect to find on a parent at the loss of her child in a crowded and dangerous area; pure unadulterated fear.

What was Fleur asking harry wondered, was she asking if he enjoyed it? He pondered on this for a moment, almost reliving the sensation of the kiss. A fire once again burned in his stomach, heating him up as if a stove had been lit in every corner of his body. If he had to be honest with himself; he had enjoyed it, it had been his first ever kiss and he had returned it as if he never wanted it to end, with all the love and energy he could muster.

Harry began to blush once again, as a large smile slipped onto his face

"Yea...Yea I guess I did"

He looked at Fleur who was now rubbing at her forehead, a now deeper look of fear worry on her face.

"Fleur, I swear, it didn't mean anything, I guess it was just the heat of the moment, tensions were high after the task and I suppose she was just grateful that I saved her"

"'Arry, you still don't understand, me and Gabrielle are veela" she said heatedly. She seemed to be thinking of a way to explain what she wanted to get across and harry didn't interrupt. Eventually she seemed to come to an idea.

"'arry, how old do you zink Gabrielle is?" at this he looked down to his feet before answering

"about 10" He felt a surge of guilt as he said this, he knew how bad it was kissing somebody much younger, especially after Ron's outburst at the age gap between Hermione and Viktor last night.

"No" she replied, with a faint smile gracing her now blue lips.

Harry looked up at her in shock, 'what is she saying, please don't say she's younger' harry thought to himself.

"'arry, zis may shock you. I know she may look like a child, but she iz not..." she trailed of, now more calmly. At the look of surprise on Harrys face, she continued.

"Gabrielle iz in fact the same age az you, she 'ad her 14th birthday just before we left Beauxbatons to come here. Like I zed, we are veela. Few people know zis, but veela do not begin to mature until zeir 16th birthday"

Harry felt as if a massive weight had dropped off his shoulders. So Gabrielle wasn't a child; she was his age and just looked a lot younger. Although he had just felt better, as he glanced at fleur to see her staring at him, a look on her face which almost resembled guilt. Harry knew something was wrong, and the weight reappeared on his shoulders, there was more to come

"what is it? What's wrong?"

"Like I zed" fleur started wearily "we do no mature until we turn 16, zat is however unless..." she sighed and seemed to be bracing herself for something.

"Unless what?" harry shouted, panic seeping in to his mind.

She exhaled deeply and tried composing herself as best as possible "unless we meet out soul mate. Veelas only feel erotic desire towards zeir soul mates before zey are 16, zat it ze reason zat gabrielle acted the way she did towards you, it would seem zat you are hers".

"Wait...wait, you're telling me that I'm Gabrielles soul mate? I barely know her, it's impossible, you must be wrong" Harry stated disbelievingly, trying to convince himself more than Fleur. Fear was beginning to grip him, it couldn't be true could it? Perhaps this was some sort of a joke to get back at him for kissing her sister? Before he could respond, Fleur continued.

"Zats not all, when she kissed you, it acted as a sort of...contract, and by returning it, you unknowingly created a bond"

Harry knew exactly where she was going with this. He laughed as he stood up and looked at her.

"Very funny fleur, you really think id believe this?"

Harry was about to walk away when he saw the grave look on Fleurs face, she stood and stepped nearer to him as she spoke.

"I promiz you 'arry, I am not joking. Over ze next few months you will both change, not only mentally but physically too. You will change to become perfectly compatible for one anozer, az a mental bond forms you will be able to communicate telepathically"

she took a deep breath before continuing. "You will in essence become perfect for one anozer, you will only be attracted to eachozer...you may even become fluent in French" she chuckled as she finished.

Harry just stood, listening to what Fleur was saying as a haze seemed to take over his mind. It couldn't be, could it?

At his unconvinced look, fleur added "I swear zis is ze truth harry, I'm sorry but zere iz nothing we can do, zis is veela magic. Gabrielle has already begun her change" harry snapped his neck up to look at fleur, a look of sheer horror of his face, he quickly changed his expression to one of disbelieving once more.

"Av you not noticed any changes 'arry?"

His mind was a blur; he was trying to process all that he had been told. 'Changes, of course I haven't changed' he thought, but as he about it, a memory pulled itself to the forefront of his clogged brain.

He had woken up and noticed how he had grown overnight, a whole inch. This certainly wasn't normal. Not only this, his vision had changed too, he could now see better without his glasses, were these the sort of changed she meant?

Fleur studied his reactions and knew that he had in fact noticed changes, so she again spoke up.

"'Arry, I am sorry, but zere really iz nothing we can do, you are bonded for life. It works like ze unbreakable vow, if it iz broken, you will die" but Harry had not moved at her words, he sat frozen where he was, unable to move or utter a single word.

She knew he needed time alone to think over all she had told him, this was a life changing thing and he needed time to process it all.

She stood up and stepped in front of him, blocking the still relentless hammering rain from assaulting his face.

"Please meet me at Dumbledore's office at 8, my parents are anxious to meet you" she said with a small smile. Just as she started to walk off, she turned to harry.

"'Arry, please don't tell anyone what az happened, not until we av discussed it more"

"I'm sorry" She said sweetly and with that, she turned and trudged back through the waterlogged grass back up to the castle.

Harry sat there, large droplets of water dropping from his rain ridden face and hair. This couldn't be happening to him, it just couldn't.

So there you have it, Harry and Gabrielle have unknowingly bonded. But this is only the beginning.