Everyone woke up rather late on Boxing Day. For many of the Gryffindors, the morning meant nursing very strong hangovers from the night before. Apparently, most people had not returned to their common rooms until it was nearly three in the morning. Most all of the Gryffindors resigned themselves to staying in their dormitories or in the common room for the day. By eleven o'clock, Seamus was still in bed, with a very strong hangover. Dean, who had not drunk too much at the party, decided to stay with him and bring him food from the Great Hall. Neville had gone downstairs to relax in the common room. Ron and Harry had both stayed in bed, but for two very different reasons. Ron was the last to leave the party, helping Fred and George clean things up, and had decided to have a bit of a lie-in. Harry, on the other hand, was still feeling miserable over what he did to Katie. He did not want to go downstairs, for he was sure that Katie would have told Angelina and Alicia what had happened, and that the story would have spread all over the school by now.
"Harry?" Harry heard Ron say his name. "You want to go down for lunch?"
"You go ahead, I'll come down later," Harry heard himself say.
"Okay." Ron left the dormitory. Harry didn't know if he knew what had happened between him and Katie, but if he did, he wasn't treating Harry any differently. Harry was thankful for that; he did not want to have another row with Ron.
After a few more minutes of staring at the roof of his four-poster bed, Harry decided it was time for him to at least go down to the Great Hall for lunch. Besides, maybe he would be able to catch Katie so that he could explain things to her. He got out of his dorm and into the bathroom, taking a quick shower and changing quickly. After waving at Dean, who was still sitting in a chair next to Seamus' bed waiting for him to wake up, Harry exited the dormitory into the common room.
As expected, when he arrived in the common room, there was a definite hush as people stared at him as he walked down the stairs. He paused for a moment to look around and see if Katie was there. She wasn't. As conversations continued, Harry was glad that some people, like Lee Jordan and the Weasley twins, still came up to him and talked to him normally. But he definitely noticed the glares from some others, most notably from the older girls who would know Katie.
"…so, safe to say, our party will definitely be the stuff of Hogwarts legend in a few years," finished Fred, looking very proud of himself.
"That's great," said Harry, not really paying attention as he still searched the room for Katie. "Listen, do either of you know where Katie is?"
Fred and George looked at each other uncomfortably. "Uh, well, we don't, actually," said George finally, looking back at Harry. "That's what concerns us. Usually we know where she is, or where Angelina or Alicia are. But we haven't seen any of them since Angelina told us what happened with you two."
"What do you think?" asked Harry quietly. They both seemed to know what he was talking about even though he hadn't spelled it out specifically.
"Well I don't think you're the type of guy to do something like that," said Fred, giving him a sympathetic look. "What did happen though if you don't mind me asking?" he asked curiously.
"Fleur was still drunk and she – well – just did it. I dunno, it all happened really fast," said Harry, feeling more and more worse by the minute.
Fred and George stared at him for a moment. "Makes sense to me," George said. "Like my fellow twin said, you aren't the type of guy to do something like that."
"Sorry we don't know where Katie is though," said Fred apologetically. "Let us know if you find her, Angelina, or Alicia though. We'll do our best to convince people you're still a good guy."
"Thanks," said Harry, and meant it. Fred and George had never doubted Harry before, and he thoroughly appreciated them. He made his way through the common room, ignoring the people staring at him, and exited into the corridor. Harry barely noticed anything as he headed down the path towards the Great Hall. His mind was still thinking about Katie and what she'd be doing at the moment.
When he walked into the Great Hall another definite hush settled as everyone looked at him. Harry ignored this and sat down at a part of the Gryffindor table that was empty. He didn't eat much, and mostly sat there in silent reflection of what he was going to say to Katie to apologize. This was a lot harder than it sounded, for he wasn't sure how he was going to start. Eventually he gave up on eating lunch and got up once more, passing by people that stared at him and leaving the Great Hall.
Harry walked to the steps of the castle, staring outside. Despite it being December, it was a beautiful day outside, with the sky clear and the sun shining down on the grounds. A few people were outside, lolling around and enjoying the winter holidays. Harry, however, was peering across the grounds to see if Katie was anywhere outside. After a few minutes, he resigned himself to the fact that she was not outside either. He did see Fleur leave her carriage and start making her way up to the castle. Harry turned around, intending to go back upstairs. He was not in the mood to talk to Fleur right now. He felt that Katie deserved an explanation before he made any contact with Fleur.
He made his way up the marble staircase, and was just thinking about how he should go to the Owlery and see Hedwig when he heard a voice behind him shout, "Oi! Potter!"
Harry whirled around to see Angelina Johnson storming her way towards him. Alicia trailed behind her, not looking quite as mad as Angelina but still not looking friendly at all towards Harry. Harry sighed inwardly. He knew what was coming, and he fully deserved it.
"Go ahead, Angelina," Harry said as she approached her. She stopped a few feet from him.
"Go ahead what?" Angelina asked suspiciously. Harry frowned.
"Don't play around. Yell at me, call me a prat, do whatever you want, because I deserve it," finished Harry, feeling even more depressed. Angelina, who a moment ago looked like she was about to go on a tirade against Harry, looked puzzled.
"You deserve it?" she repeated. Harry raised an eyebrow at her.
"You were about to yell at me for kissing Fleur, weren't you?" Harry asked. Angelina nodded, the puzzled expression on her face still. "Well, I didn't expect anything different. And frankly, I'm not afraid to say that I deserve it. I was a total idiot last night and I don't know how I let myself do that to Katie. She deserved a lot better and I'm ashamed to say I ruined it for her. So, if you want to get mad at me for what I did, go ahead. I deserve it."
Angelina and Alicia paused there for a moment, looking at Harry as if they were unsure of what to do. Angelina spoke first as they exchanged a brief glance. "You did something that hurt Katie really badly," she began. Harry winced slightly, but didn't say anything. "I would've liked to start screaming at you for being an inconsiderate jerk, but I feel that would be inappropriate given that you already seem to regret what happened."
"I do," Harry said, and meant it fully. "It was one of the worst mistakes of my life. I never wanted to hurt her like that, and I hope you guys believe me."
Alicia spoke up next. "Well, we've known you for a few years now, and you definitely don't seem like the type of guy to do something like that," she said, echoing Fred and George's thoughts. "Can you tell us how or why, though?"
Harry repeated his story that he had told Fred and George, starting from when Katie had left Harry and Fleur alone to when she had come back and seen them kissing. He knew that it wasn't a very good explanation for what happened, but didn't think that sugarcoating it was a particularly good idea.
"Well, I guess that makes more sense," said Alicia when Harry finished. "At least, it fits what Fleur told us happened."
"You talked to Fleur?" asked Harry, feeling surprised.
"Actually, she came to us," said Angelina. "She said she wanted to find Katie and explain what happened. Her story was the same as yours, and I guess we really just wanted to find out if yours matched up. I guess you're right."
"Then – that's great!" exclaimed Harry. "All I need to do is just talk to Katie about it, right? Do you know where she is?"
Angelina and Alicia looked uneasily at each other. "Well, actually, we were also coming to ask you if you knew where she was." Angelina confessed.
"Me?" said Harry, feeling stunned. "Why would I know?"
"We thought maybe she wanted to confront you or something," said Alicia lamely. "None of her dormmates have seen her since last night, and everyone we've talked to hasn't seen her either."
Harry was very concerned. If Angelina and Alicia didn't know where Katie was, that was not a good sign. "Where would she go if she didn't want to be disturbed?"
"We're not sure," said Alicia, frowning now. "We've looked in the common room and the Great Hall, but this place is huge. It could take a while."
"You guys go get some people to look inside the school, and I'll check outside," Harry told them. "Fred and George were looking for you two, and Katie. They'd probably be willing to help."
After making plans to find Katie, Harry found himself walking outside with his Firebolt. He figured that he'd be able to cover more ground outside with his Firebolt. Besides, flying always made him feel better. That was one thing he and Katie had in common that he learned last night.
Harry stopped in his tracks and smacked his hand to his forehead. It was so obvious where Katie would be.
He quickly hurried down the trail that led to the Quidditch pitch. He walked through the entrance doorway that led to the inside of the pitch. Sure enough, when he was inside, he saw a broom flying on the opposite end towards the goalposts. It was Katie. Harry watched as she did a complicated maneuver and spun the Quaffle that she was carrying towards the left goalhoop.
"Nice shot!" Harry yelled at her. Katie turned, smiling at she looked to see who said that to her. When she saw Harry, however, her smile vanished. "Thanks," she said, not looking the slightest like she appreciated Harry's compliment. Harry frowned. He wasn't sure how to go about apologizing to her now that he had found her.
"Can we talk?" He called to her as she flew lazily around the pitch. She slowly came to a halt and dismounted her broom, holding it over his shoulder and walking over to him. She stopped a few feet away from him, waiting for him to speak. Harry took a deep breath.
"Look, I'm really, really sorry about what happened last night, and I have no idea how it got to that point. Fleur was still drunk and I was just trying to help her feel better, so I got her some pumpkin juice and thought she'd be feeling a little better, but I guess she was still pissed, because she just sat there and stared at me, and then I don't know how it happened it was all so fast – "
"Harry," Katie said, stopping Harry, who hadn't realized he was rambling. He stopped and stared back at her. It was then he noticed that Katie's eyes weren't even red, and she didn't look remotely sad or angry. In fact, she looked relatively calm. "I'm not mad at you," she said simply.
Harry stared at her dumbly. "You – you aren't?" he finally asked.
"No," she replied, looking back at him. "Look, I knew that you didn't like me the way I liked you. Fred told me a few days ago not to expect much because he didn't want me to get my hopes up for nothing. He told me you'd probably tell me yourself sooner or later. I just wish it wasn't like that."
"It wasn't on purpose," Harry said automatically. "I wish I could've let you know any other way than that. That was a horrible thing for me to do and I feel absolutely awful about it."
"It's fine," said Katie soothingly, patting Harry on the arm. "I didn't know how to react at first, or what to do about it, but it's over and done with, and there's no point in staying in the past. We should just both move on. I'm already feeling better and so should you."
Harry breathed a sigh of relief. "You're amazing for being so nice about this, you know," he started. "I was expecting you were going to hex me or something."
"Who knows, maybe I will," Katie smirked. "Okay, okay, I won't, I promise," she said, laughing softly at the look on Harry's face. "I just want you to be happy, and if being with Fleur makes you happy, then that's great."
"I don't even know if I want to be with Fleur," Harry blurted out. "It just happened so quickly, I don't know if it really meant anything."
"Mhm, alright," said Katie, looking at Harry skeptically. "I've seen how you look at her, and when you talk about her you get this look in your eyes. You've definitely got it mad for her."
"I definitely do not," insisted Harry. "I'm still a little mad she just kissed me last night, you know. So. I really don't know what you're talking about."
"If you say so," said Katie, laughing again. "I wouldn't lose a good thing while I still have it if I were you though. Just think about it."
"Okay," said Harry, still trying to convince himself he didn't have a thing for Fleur. She had very nearly cost him a friendship he cherished dearly, and if it weren't for the fact that Katie was such a forgiving and understanding person, there would have been a serious possibility of losing her as a friend. No matter what he felt for Fleur, he knew he wouldn't be able to speak with her. At least not right now.
He flew with Katie for a little bit, playing as her Keeper and doing his best to block her shots. Harry wasn't a bad Keeper. Of course, he wasn't even close to the level of their old Keeper, Oliver Wood, but he managed to block a couple of shots, even if they were more or less freebies thrown by Katie. After an hour or so of this they both walked back up to the castle together, talking as friends and laughing about other things that had happened at Fred and George's afterparty.
As they walked up the steps into the entrance hall, they saw Angelina and Alicia hurrying over towards them, with Fred and George trailing behind them. "There you are!" Angelina cried as she walked briskly towards the two of them. "We've been looking all over for you two! You were supposed to tell us if you found Katie, Harry!"
"Oh yeah, I kind of forgot," said Harry sheepishly. "We were just playing some Quidditch outside."
"So, you two are fine?" asked Alicia, looking surprised.
"Yes, we're perfectly fine," said Katie, smiling at the four older Gryffindors.
"Brilliant!" Fred declared, wringing his hands together. "Why don't we go back to the common room and my fellow twin and I show you our newest invention?"
The group returned to the common room and met up with Ron and Hermione, who were quick to rebuke Harry for not letting them know where he was all day. They quickly forgot about that, however, when Fred and George showed them their new product, called Nosebleed Nougat. What happened was that Fred ate a small orange candy and within seconds was bleeding heavily from his nose into a bucket that Lee Jordan had conjured for him. George then shoved another candy into his mouth and he immediately stopped bleeding and dabbed at his face with a handkerchief, showing to the common room that he had no trace of bleeding anyway. Ron roared with laughter at this, and even Hermione cracked a smile.
Soon it was time for dinner and Harry headed down to the Great Hall with Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and several other Gryffindors. After the fiasco that occurred the previous night, Harry was glad that by then nearly everyone had believed he hadn't intended to hurt Katie, and it helped that Katie was telling people not to get angry at Harry. Dinner that night was entertaining, as Fred and George continued telling stories that were unfinished from the afterparty the night before, and Harry was enjoying himself immensely, feeling much better than when he had gotten out of bed that morning.
"Hey, Harry, I think someone's looking at you," Dean muttered to him from across the table.
Harry turned around to see who Dean was referring to. It wasn't too hard for Harry to figure out who, as he saw Fleur was staring at him from the Ravenclaw table. From her expression, it seemed she had been trying to catch his eyes for quite some time now. Harry turned back around. He still wasn't in the mood to look at Fleur, much less speak with her.
"Mad at her still?" asked Ron, who had noticed who Harry was looking at.
"She nearly ruined my reputation," retorted Harry, now staring resolutely away from Fleur. "I'm not going through that this year again."
Ron didn't say anything, but Harry could tell that he and Dean were still watching him as Harry tried to focus on Lee Jordan's story about the time he went flying and nearly smashed into a building. Harry did his best to listen, but he himself was too preoccupied with his own thoughts. Eventually he got up from the Gryffindor table and told Ron he was going to go for a walk, deciding that it would help clear his mind of the swirling thoughts going around.
Fleur had been sitting at the Ravenclaw table for quite some time now, barely eating or drinking anything. Marie had been recounting her time at the afterparty the previous night to her, and Fleur had been nodding at the right moments, but she was barely listening to her. Fleur was too busy thinking about her own night at the afterparty.
She still felt horrible. What had possessed her to kiss Harry when she so clearly knew that Katie was still there, she had no idea. It had also been quite evident during the actual Yule Ball that Katie had fancied Harry, and Fleur had ruined her evening by kissing him. She had not spoken to Harry since, and from what she gathered from his classmates, it seemed he was very angry with her. Perhaps he fancied Katie as well?
Fleur couldn't keep thinking down that path. It hurt her heart too much.
She looked over at the Gryffindor table. Harry was sitting with a lot of people, some of whom she recognized from the afterparty. It seemed that one of the older boys was telling a story that everyone was listening to. She stared at him for quite some time, hoping that he would turn around and look at her at least. Fleur saw another boy mutter something to Harry, who turned around and met her eyes. His brilliant green eyes stayed on her for a moment before he quickly turned back around and back to the table, away from Fleur. Fleur felt her chest constrict as it became painfully obvious he was ignoring her. Not that he didn't have a reason to; if she were him, there would have been a good chance she'd do the same.
"Fleur?" Fleur was snapped out of her thoughts when she turned to see Marie looked at her concernedly. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, yes, I'm fine," Fleur responded absentmindedly. Marie continued to look at her, a slight frown visible on her face. "You're still thinking about Harry and Katie, aren't you?"
Fleur was about to say no when she realized what she really needed was someone to talk to. She nodded her head yes.
Marie sighed softly. "You know, Katie's friends already told you that it wasn't your fault, and Katie told you herself she didn't blame you for anything, and no one else in this school does, so there's no need to be so down about it."
"Someone does," Fleur muttered softly as she snuck another glance at Harry, who had just gotten up from the Gryffindor table and, without looking at her, left the Great Hall. Marie followed her gaze on Harry as he left the hall.
"Look, he'll come around, he's not one to hold grudges from what I've heard," said Marie consolingly.
"I hope so," murmured Fleur, still looking at the entrance of the Great Hall and not looking at all as if Marie's words had helped her.
"You're worried that he fancies Katie, aren't you?" Marie said bluntly.
"What?" Fleur said, taken aback.
"Come on Fleur, I think it's obvious that you have a thing for him," said Marie calmly as she drank from her goblet. "If you consider what happened last night, it's clear as water for anyone who knows anything about girls."
Fleur sat there silently. Sure, she had always found Harry an intriguing person, but she had never seriously considered the fact that she fancied him…he was definitely handsome, and tall, and talented, and…
Now she was just getting sidetracked.
"I don't know about that," said Fleur.
"Well, even if you don't want to admit it, I promise you that Harry doesn't fancy Katie," said Marie confidently.
"How do you figure that?" Fleur responded despite herself.
"I asked Fred and George about them and they said that Harry told them he's not interested in her like that," replied Marie.
"Maybe he didn't tell them the truth," offered Fleur, despite her secretly feeling relieved.
Marie stared at her intently for a few moments. "Maybe," she finally said, still observing Fleur's features.
"I'm going back to the carriage," said Fleur after sitting there for a minute or two in silence. Marie only nodded, still eating her dinner as she watched Fleur slowly make her way down the Ravenclaw table and out the Great Hall. Fleur walked down the steps of the entrance hall, onto the grounds, deep in thought as she reflected on the previous night once more.
Fleur hadn't told anyone this, but when she had kissed Harry, she had not actually been drunk. Yes, she had been very drunk that night before Harry had used the Sobering Charm on her, and she didn't think that she had ever been more drunk in her life. But she had done so as an escape from having to watch Harry enjoy his night with Katie, laughing and talking and looking as if he was having the time of his life, while Fleur was forced to watch with a date who would do nothing other than gap at her.
She did not know the mess it would create.
Fleur walked slowly across the grounds with no destination in mind. She stopped next to a tree and took a deep breath as she looked across the grounds. The sun had very nearly set and so an eerie calmness was felt. Fleur watched as students started to either head back to the ship, carriage, or castle. She felt oddly separate from all of them. Maybe it was because of the fact that she'd been chosen as a champion, but the feeling of loneliness inside Fleur started growing larger and larger by the moment as she stood there.
A movement out of the corner of her eye attracted her attention. Fleur turned her head as she saw someone walking up slowly from the lake. As the person got closer, Fleur recognized who it was, and her heart skipped a beat. It was Harry.
Harry didn't see Fleur for a few seconds until he had gotten closer and noticed her standing by the tree. He stopped in his tracks, making eye contact with her. Fleur was tempted to say something, but she couldn't figure out what to say. Eventually Harry turned away and proceeded back up to the castle without looking back at her.
Fleur wanted to scream. She'd had her chance to be able to set things right between her and Harry, and instead she'd wasted it staring at him like an idiot. She sighed deeply and turned to head towards the carriage, deciding that maybe some sleep would help her think.
A few days later, just a couple days before term resumed all the fourth year Gryffindor boys were still feeling lazy and tired from the holidays. They all went to breakfast together and ate quickly before returning to the common room, intending to spend another day relaxing by the warm fire. Harry was sitting in his favorite armchair by the fire, watching as Crookshanks ran around the room, chasing a Fanged Frisbee that someone had let loose in the common room. Most of the students in the common room were doing the same, watching with interest as Crookshanks would leap into the air and come up short.
"I'm getting a bit bored of watching this, to be honest," said Ron after Crookshanks dropped from the couch a fourth time.
"Why don't we take a walk down to Hagrid's? We haven't seen him in some time," said Hermione.
"Good idea," said Harry.
The three exited the portrait hole and began making their way downstairs towards the entrance hall. Along the way, they speculated about what the professors would teach once term resumed. Normally, Harry wouldn't discuss such an educational topic, but he was feeling particularly cheerful that morning, and so was Ron, so they indulged Hermione in speaking to them about the importance of keeping up with their homework.
They were just about to step out onto the grounds when a voice called out behind them.
"Harry! Hey, Harry!"
Harry turned around to see Cedric hurrying up the stairs from the Hufflepuff common room towards them. He grinned as he got closer.
"Hey, can I, uh, speak to you for a minute?"
"Sure," said Harry, not moving.
Cedric glanced at Ron and Hermione nervously. "In private if you don't mind."
Hermione shrugged and said, "Okay," while Ron merely grunted. Harry followed Cedric to a more private part of the entrance hall.
"So, look," said Cedric once they knew no one was eavesdropping. "I owe you one for telling me about the dragons. If you hadn't told me there's no way I would've been able to get past them."
"It's nothing," muttered Harry. "Anyone would've done the same thing."
"Exactly," said Cedric, looking around again to ensure they had privacy. "That egg that we got, have you solved the clue for it yet?"
"No," said Harry, wondering if Cedric was about to ask him for help.
"Good," said Cedric. "Listen, take a bath with it."
"Take a – what?" said Harry, feeling very confused.
"Go to the bathroom, and just uh – take a bath with it," said Cedric sheepishly. "Hey, why don't you use the prefects' bathroom? It's on the fifth floor, fourth door on the left past that statue of Boris the Bewildered. Password's 'pine fresh'."
"Wait, what do you mean take a bath?" asked Harry.
"Well uh, just take your egg there…and mull things over in the hot water," said Cedric, looking around once more. "Trust me, you'll solve the clue there."
He grinned at Harry again before rushing off to join his friends, who were waiting for him at the marble staircase. Harry stood there for a moment, puzzled, before returning to Ron and Hermione, who were waiting for him at the steps.
"What'd he want?" said Ron suspiciously, watching Cedric and his friends retreat up the stairs.
"Just champion business," said Harry. He didn't know why he wasn't telling Ron and Hermione what Cedric told him, but he figured it would be best to keep it private for now, at least until he confirmed Cedric's hint. Not that it was really a hint – what kind of a hint was telling someone to take a bath with an egg?
The trio strode across the grounds on the way to Hagrid's hut, with Harry and Ron continuing to listen to Hermione's long and winding lecture on working harder in Potions (something that frankly Harry knew would be impossible). Eventually they arrived at Hagrid's hut and Hermione knocked on the door.
"Whaddya wan – oh, it's you lot."
For Hagrid had just roared at them when he opened the door and caused them to jump, until he saw that it was Harry, Ron, and Hermione. He turned to walk back into his hut and Ron looked at Harry and Hermione apprehensively before entering.
"Um, how are you, Hagrid?" Ron asked nervously as they sat down at Hagrid's table.
"I'm doin' fine, thanks for asking!" said Hagrid loudly. He was clearly not in a good mood as he slammed three mugs onto the table and caused one of them to smash into pieces.
"Here – let me – Reparo," Hermione said hastily, pulling out her wand to repair the mug before Hagrid poured tea.
"So, uh, ready for term to begin?" said Harry lamely. He knew it was a lousy conversation starter, but he wanted to try and distract Hagrid from his bad mood.
"Oh, yeah!" Suddenly Hagrid was beaming at them as he sat down in his chair. "I got a lot o' special things for me classes, you all just wait,"
"Are we still going to be working with Blast Ended Skrewts?" asked Ron warily as he looked out the window.
"Yep!" said Hagrid happily. "They're still growin', they are. On'y problem is, they've bin killin' each other off too fast, I need to make 'em stop."
"Oh, that's really unfortunate," muttered Ron sarcastically. Hagrid didn't hear him.
"Yeah, I got some other things planned ou' though," said Hagrid enthusiastically. "Managed ter get sum salamanders and other creatures o' the sort. It'll be real fun, you just wait 'n see."
"That's great," said Harry, feeling relieved that Hagrid had gotten out of his bad mood. "So, uh, how was the Yule Ball for you?"
He knew at once he'd said the wrong words. Hagrid looked at them blankly for a moment before scrunching his face up angrily and turning.
"Oh, I had a real great time!" he roared, going back to his kitchen to get some rock cakes. "'least I have the decency to admit who I am! I ain't ashamed o' it, either!"
"Did something bad happen?" asked Hermione timidly.
"Nothin' bad, if you want 'o say it like that!" said Hagrid loudly. "'Course some people prefer lyin' instead o' bein' honest 'bout themselves!"
"Who – who are you talking about?" stammered Ron, who looked slightly frightened by Hagrid's rant.
"No one that you need ter know 'bout," said Hagrid, calming down a little bit but still looking very angry. "You lot are good people, don't need ter mess wit' lyin' scumbags…"
Hagrid remained moody for the rest of the time Harry, Ron, and Hermione were there, so they bade him farewell quickly and set off back to the castle, theorizing what happened at the Yule Ball that made Hagrid so angry.
"Never seen him so angry, really," said Ron as they approached the entrance hall. "Out of character for him, you know."
"I do hope he's alright," sighed Hermione, turning back to look at Hagrid's hut.
"You know him, he's not the type of guy to stay angry for long," replied Harry.
The three entered the Great Hall for lunchtime. After eating quickly, they returned to the entrance hall, where Harry said he wanted to visit Hedwig in the Owlery. Ron and Hermione left for the common room, saying they'd wait for Harry there, while Harry set off for the Owlery, taking the corridors that led to the West Tower where the Owlery was located.
When he entered the room many of the owls hooted at him. He looked around, trying to find Hedwig. It took him a minute, but he finally found her perched near the very top of the tower. "Hedwig!" he called.
Hedwig flew down and perched on his arm, hooting after she saw Harry had no letter.
"Sorry Hedwig, I don't have anything for you to take right now, but I brought you some owl treats," said Harry, extending his hand. Hedwig hooted happily and flew onto a perch in the center of the room while eating from Harry's hand. Harry stroke her beautiful white feathers as she ate, watching her eat happily. Eventually she finished and let Harry continue stroking her, stretching out her wings.
"I'll find something for you to deliver soon enough," said Harry. "Maybe to Sirius." Hedwig hooted to show she understood.
Just then the door behind Harry opened and he turned to see Fleur standing in the doorway, a letter in her hand. "Oh!" she said as she saw Harry. "Hi, Harry."
"Hello," said Harry. An awkward silence settled between them, and for a few moments they stood there, just looking at each other.
Hedwig hooted annoyedly to remind Harry that she was still there. Harry turned to her and said, "I need to go now, Hedwig. I'll be back later." Hedwig hooted, pecked him softly, and flew back up to the perch she had been sitting on originally. Harry turned back to see Fleur had been watching Harry's interaction with Hedwig and was now looking back at him, her beautiful face looking slightly afraid.
"Well, don't let me keep you waiting," said Harry, and began to make his way towards the doorway.
"Wait, Harry," Fleur said, stepping into his way. Harry stopped and glared at her. "What?" he finally said.
"Can – can we talk?" stammered Fleur, staring back at him. His eyes were just so vividly green…
"There's nothing to talk about," said Harry, averting his gaze.
"Look, I just need to say this," started Fleur, shaking her head slightly as she looked back at him. "I'm so, so sorry for what I did at the afterparty. I don't know what I was thinking, really."
"Clearly you weren't," muttered Harry. Fleur frowned.
"Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" she asked. "I really just want to be friends again." Even as Fleur said this, she knew it was a lie. She didn't want to 'just be friends' again with Harry. She wanted something more than that, but she obviously wasn't going to tell him that right now.
Harry stood for a moment, looking down at his feet. Then he sighed. "I don't know, really," he said. "I guess I'm being a bit silly myself."
"Nonsense," said Fleur. "You had a good reason for ignoring me. I just want to end whatever tension is happening between us and be friends again."
Harry frowned slightly as he thought for a moment. Then he shrugged. "I don't see why we can't be,"
Fleur's face broke into a smile. "Really?"
"Really," said Harry, grinning back.
"That's brilliant!" said Fleur, hugging Harry and releasing quickly so as not to make things awkward again. Then she turned to call down a school owl, which flew down in front of her. Harry watched as she began to attach the letter to the leg of the owl. "Who's the letter for?" asked Harry.
"My sister," replied Fleur as she finished tying the letter around the leg. "She is coming to visit in a few weeks so I'm writing to her a bit about Hogwarts so she is a little more familiar here,"
"That's nice," said Harry, watching as the owl took off through the window and into the distance. "Do you write to each other a lot?"
"Every week," said Fleur, turning to leave the Owlery with Harry. "We are very close to each other, so she wants to know everything that happens while I'm at school."
"Wish I had a brother or sister," said Harry.
"Ah, well it is not always good between us," replied Fleur.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, sometimes we argue," said Fleur. "Nothing too serious, but it upsets us. Luckily it is not very often that we do,"
"That's good," responded Harry.
"What about you?" asked Fleur, turning the questions onto him. Harry looked at her warily. "What about me?" he queried.
"Do you have any siblings?" Then she realized what she asked. "No, wait, that was a stupid – "
"Don't worry," said Harry, chuckling. They had stopped by a window that opened to the grounds and were now standing there, still talking. "You'd be surprised by how many people ask me that."
"Really?"
"No, I just thought saying that would make you feel better," said Harry, grinning. Fleur blushed and looked away from him for a moment. "Well, do you have anyone you were close with when you were young?"
Harry's grin vanished. He turned to look out the window, gazing at the peaceful lake that looked undisturbed. Fleur noticed his sudden change in demeanor and immediately began backtracking. "Oh, I'm sorry, i – if you don't want to talk about it – "
"No, no, it's fine," said Harry, still looking out the window. "I guess I should tell someone anyway. People will find out eventually." He continued gazing out the window for a little bit, deep in thought. Fleur didn't say anything, instead just watching him. Harry took a deep breath.
"I grew up with my aunt, uncle, and cousin," he started, still peering out the window. "They don't like magic, my relatives. In fact, they hated it. Called anyone who did it or was related to it freaks."
"That is horrible!" Fleur exclaimed. Harry smiled ruefully.
"That's not all. My parents were both magical, so I was a sort of special case for them. I didn't remember anything about magic, having been taken in by them at such a young age, so they raised me like a Muggle. They didn't tell me anything about my parents, just that they died in a car crash. So, I never knew about magic until I got my Hogwarts letter."
"What an awful thing to do," said Fleur. "Lying about your family like that."
"Well, that's not really the worst of it. You see, they still hated me. They might have raised me as a normal Muggle, but they still treated me like a freak. So I was always second fiddle to my cousin. I got his old clothes, old toys, basically anything he didn't want to use anymore. And then at school, he'd always bully people, and said that if anyone ever tried to team with me whenever we played games or anything like that, he and his gang would beat them up. So no one ever really talked to me. Not that I did anything wrong, it was just no one wanted to get beat up by Dudley. It was the same for classes. Muggles learn different subjects and such, you see, but no one would ever work with me on them. So I never really made any friends. I was just a loner," finished Harry, still gazing out the window but looking like he was much deeper in thought.
Fleur was horrified. Her childhood was far from an ideal one, having grown up with few friends that would look past her veela qualities, but Harry's childhood far surpassed her in terms of how despondent it was. It seemed that he had learned to grow up without socializing with many people, instead keeping to himself for the first fourteen years of his life. Perhaps that was why he seemed so quiet and reserved sometimes.
"I am sorry I even asked that," said Fleur. "That was an inconsiderate thing for me to ask."
"You know what? I'm already feeling better just talking about it," said Harry, turning to give Fleur a small smile. "Here, I'll walk you down to the carriage."
"Are you sure?" asked Fleur timidly. "I did not mean to be nosy or anything of that sort."
"If you were being nosy, I would have told you," said Harry, smirking slightly. When Fleur still looked a little bit nervous, he reassured her once more, saying, "I only talk about my childhood to people that I trust."
Fleur returned his smile, feeling pleased by his subtle compliment. "I am glad that you trust me," she said.
"I don't think I will regret it," replied Harry. "Now, shall we?"
And together Harry and Fleur departed for the Beauxbatons carriage together, talking and laughing as if the two had never quarreled before.