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Chapter Twenty-Six: James Bond, He Isn't
The Yule Ball was in full swing when, at Luna's direction, Harry moved in on an obviously bored Fleur Delacour, who was dancing with Roger Davies.
"Madam," Harry said with a short bow. "I was wondering if I could have the honour of a dance with my fellow champion."
Delacour raised one elegant brow. "Oui," she finally said. "Roger will not mind, will you?"
"Not at all," the besotted Davies said. He walked away, stumbling as if in a trance.
They began dancing a waltz since the band was still in the formal phase of the ball. "I did not know you danced so well, 'Arry."
"Lots of lessons," Harry said with a nervous grin. "Sorry if I step on your toes."
"C'est la vie," she said with a casual shrug. "You did well at zee first task. I admit I was, oh, comment dirais-je, surpris? Surprised. Yes, surprised at how well you did. Perhaps you are not such a leetle boy after all."
"Oh, I'm pretty short even for my age," Harry said, still with that wry grin.
She looked at him curiously, and then in a short burst unleashed her Veela allure. Harry felt a wave of intense heat and desire so strong his pants became uncomfortable and he stumbled in her arms, but at the same time the past two years of training kicked in almost of their own accord and his fledgling Occlumency shields rose. Though he could not have prevented a concerted Legilimens attack on his mind, the Veela allure was diffuse enough that he was able to block it.
Fleur, though, had no way of knowing that. "Would you come walk with me, 'Arry Potter?"
"Yeah," Harry said, acting the same as he saw Roger Davies a few minutes before.
"Tres bien!" She took his arm and led him into the decorated maze outside the great hall the school created just for the ball. "Tell me, 'Arry, do you love me?"
"Oh yes," Harry lied.
"Very good," she said, suddenly without a trace of her accent. "Because if you truly love me, you'll tell me everything you know about why Dumbledore pushed so hard for the tournament."
Harry blinked, not bothering to hide his confusion. "I don't know. I thought it was Scrimgeour who pushed for the tournament."
"Non, it was Dumbledore. He visited Madame Maxime personally. But if you don't know…do you not receive special instruction from your headmaster?"
"No."
"Interesting. Tell me, Harry. Where do you live?"
Harry paused, concerned. She let off another blast of the allure, and then even more dangerously, she began to undo the buttons of her dress robe. "Don't you want me to come visit you, Harry?" she whispered. "How can I visit you if I don't know where you live?"
Even with his Occlumency, Harry was having difficulty speaking. This had less to do with her allure and more to do with the perfect, cream-colored bosom that was slowly being exposed before him. "Don't you want to touch me, Harry?" she asked.
She continued unbuttoning and started to peel back the cloth of her black lace bra to reveal more and more of a perfect mound. Harry couldn't help but stare—it wasn't the allure controlling him now, it was pure hormones. But a dry voice in the back of his mind that sounded disturbingly like Luna pointed out that the French should not know exactly where he lived.
Surprised at the strength of his voice, while still continuing to stare at the increasingly exposed breast of Fleur Delacour, he said, "Is this how your grandmother seduced Grindelwald's lieutenant?"
The moment ended with a snap. The allure broke apart like a stiff breeze parting before a tree, and she straightened her robes with a sharp glare. "What are you talking about?" She didn't even sound French any more.
"Your grandmother, Antoinette Delarue. Did she train you?"
"Foolish boy," she muttered as she buttoned up her shirt. "You would have had the best time in your short, stupid life."
He swallowed in a dry throat. "I believe you. I'm just not sure I could pay the price for it. So are you French Conseil des Mystéres?"
Her eyes narrowed. "You're unusually well informed, Mr. Potter... Too well-informed for a boy not receiving special instruction."
"Just call me Bond. James Bond."
"James Bond would have waited until after sex before outing me."
"I'm only fourteen."
"Frankly, that just makes it worse. Can you think of any other fourteen-year-old boy who would, or even could, turn down a sexual advance from a teenaged Veela?"
"Can't think of a one," Harry admitted. "Except maybe me. I just…I don't like the idea of sex as a weapon."
"It is the most powerful weapon women have. Remember that, 'leetle' boy."
She turned to leave, but Harry caught her arm. "Why did Madame Maxime agree to the tournament? You asked about Dumbledore. Why did she agree?"
"You did not answer my question, why should I answer yours?"
"Ask another question, then."
"Where were you before you came to Hogwarts?"
"I lived with Muggles. Why did Maxime agree to participate?"
"We wished to find out what was happening with your dark wizard. Rumours were coming across the channel that his old network was starting up again. Is it?"
"Yes. If he returns, how will France stand?"
"With the French. English problems are for the English to solve. If the conflict extends into French soil, we will take aggressive steps to stop it. The last administration allowed him to work on the continent. The new administration will not. Will he return?"
"Yes. Would the French ministry take action to control any money flowing across the channel? The Malfoy family still has revenue-producing estates in France."
"I do not know, but it is likely the Conseil would not take action against a tax-paying legal estate unless we had absolute proof, and even then action would be questionable. Why do you think he's coming back?"
"He did not really die. I faced his spirit my first year; it was possessing a professor."
"Ahh, Quirrell. We were unsure about that detail. Interesting."
"If petitioned, would France give sanctuary to my family and friends?"
She eyed him closely. "Not you?"
"I have to stay. But I've read about the last war. He goes after families and friends first. If he comes back, everyone I know and love is at risk. I'm not asking this of you in your role as an operative, Fleur. I'm asking as a fourteen-year-old boy who doesn't want his friends to be hurt."
For a moment, the haughty expression on Delacour's face softened. "Non," she finally said. "We would not grant asylum to any British. If Voldemort revives and takes that much power, then granting asylum to his enemies would just invite him to attack us. You would have better luck with the Americans. That might change, though, if you came as well."
Harry nodded. "Good to know. Thank you."
She started to leave, but paused. "Watch Krum," she said at the last. "He is no friend to wizard-kind."
"Thank you."
Harry was not surprised when Luna appeared from under his invisibility cloak after Fleur was gone. "Interesting. Krum is still dancing with Hermione."
That was a surprise to see the two of them together before the ball began. Hermione never told any of them who her date was, though she seemed happy enough. "Who's watching him?"
"Both Ginny and Ron, though Ron is watching only to pout."
"And Ginny?"
"Watching for signs of the Imperius. Hermione knows a lot that Russian intelligence would like to have."
That worried Harry as the two made their way back into the great hall. The formal music had finally ended and people were now dancing energetically to modern dance music from the Weird Sisters. Harry noticed that Hermione and Krum were dancing very closely, and that Krum was whispering in her ear.
Harry walked over to Ron, who was watching the pair with a forlorn expression. "Go ask her to dance," Harry all but ordered.
"She'll say no."
"I learned some things about Krum that worries me. Go ask her to dance. Now."
While Ron's self-pity was one thing, Harry knew his friend genuinely cared about Hermione. The threat of her safety was enough to overcome his self-pity and he was moving determinedly through the crowd. From his distance, Harry couldn't hear what the red-head said, but Krum nodded graciously enough and allowed the two to dance.
Ginny arrived at Harry's side, flustered from a round of dancing with Neville. "Learn anything?"
"We were spot on with Fleur."
"And Viktor?"
"We'll just have to watch and see."
The evening proceeded without any further adventures and more dancing than Harry would originally have thought. But it turned out he actually enjoyed dancing so long as it was with Ginny. Luna strangely did not dance. She got out on the dance floor and moved, but it was less like dancing and more like odd, disconcerting undulation that made the other dancers keep their distance.
Still, and all, Harry enjoyed the evening a lot more than he thought he would have. Until, that is, he got back to the Common Room and discovered Hermione had never come back.
~~Unspeakable~~
~~Unspeakable~~
"I WAS watching her!" Ron said. "I don't know how she disappeared." Harry went for the map, but she was nowhere in the castle. Neither, Harry noted, was Viktor Krum.
"Ginny, go get Luna," Harry said. "Take the cloak, just in case."
Ginny grabbed his invisibility cloak and ran out of the common room. Harry, meanwhile, said, "Point me, Hermione!" His wand spun about wildly. "She's under some type of ward, then."
He looked around and noticed they were starting to get a few stares from their classmates. "Come over here," he muttered, leading Ron to the far corner of the common room. "All right, keep watch, okay? I'm going to try a ward piercing detection spell."
"Didn't know there were any," Ron said.
"I'm not sure I'll be able to do it. It takes a lot of power. Hold on." Harry closed his eyes and summoned his magic just like in training. He said the Greek spell: "Spáste tous toíchous gia na vreíte Hermione!" and then poured every ounce of power he had into it.
He felt a strange pushback on his magic, as if something were resisting, so he pushed harder and harder until the resistance broke. His wand spun about and then angled itself in his hand. He stepped forward and looked out the narrow window, and with a start saw the wand was pointing right at the Durmstrang ship.
Forcing his magical exhaustion aside, he muttered, "Oh bugger me."
Just then the common room door opened and Ginny walked in, still in her beautiful green dress. "She's outside."
"Okay, let's go."
They slipped out of the room despite the curfew, and met Luna who was standing beside the portrait of the Fat Lady in a pair of set of pink cotton pyjamas and a thick, garishly pink bathrobe. "Have you tried the Spáste charm?" she asked.
"Yeah, she was close enough I got a read even through the wards. She's on the Durmstrang ship. And why are you wearing that?"
"No time to change," Luna said with a shrug. "Karkaroff is still with the other headmasters in the Great Hall. Likely Krum planned to obliviate her and then return her before anyone knew. We have to go now."
"What about Adonis?" Ron asked.
"We don't have time," Luna said with certainty. "She knows too much about the DOM program. If they use force to break her, the Unbreakable Vow will kill her. Let's go."
The managed to squeeze under the cloak, largely because of Ginny and Luna's small stature, and the four of them quickly made their way out of the castle, through the courtyard and down the grassy slopes to the quay leading to the ship.
"Do you have your broom?" Luna asked Harry.
"In my pocket."
Ron stared under the cloak. "Why do you have your broom in your pocket?"
"Because he's not really that glad to see you?" Luna asked. "I have a better question. Why did Harry stop Fleur from exposing her breasts to him?"
Ron started gagging on an abortive cough while Ginny said, "Really?"
Harry felt his cheeks flame, "Yeah."
"Why?"
"She was trying to allure me into giving up my address."
"I'd try and cop a feel at least," Ginny said.
"Ginny!" Harry said, shocked.
"Didn't you see her dress? Merlin, she even made me a little randy," The younger redhead said.
"Try squeezing Harry's arse," Luna suggested. "It is wonderfully tight and firm from his Quidditch. It might make you feel better."
"Please stop trying to embarrass me during our rescue mission."
"Just taking your mind off it," Luna said without even the hint of a smile. "Harry, Ginny, you need to sneak aboard. Non-lethals only. It is likely that anyone you encounter has had some defence training and is probably older and physically stronger, so use your speed. Once you're within the ward structure, you should be able to use a simple point-me."
"Right."
"What about me?" Ron said.
"You and I will stop him if Krum attempts to leave the ship," Luna said.
"Right, this is it then." They stopped by the last oak on the grounds before the quay. Harry fished out his shrunken Firebolt and enlarged it to full size. He and Ginny slid on while Luna led Ron around the tree.
"Remember your training. This isn't an exercise any longer," Luna said with an intensity that they had rarely seen. "If you need me, fire red sparks, but don't fire unless you need someone killed."
"Understand. Stay put."
Wrapped back up in their cloak, which was just large enough to cover the broom, Harry and Ginny slid noiselessly to the ship. Neither spoke as they reached the wardline that surrounded it. It was a standard intent-based DO NO HARM ward with what felt like a wicked confundus charm to enforce it. Remembering their training, the two used their fledgling Occlumency and a deep wish simply to help their friend to pass through the ward with only a warning tingle against their magic, until they alit onto the deck of the ship.
They cast silencing charms on their feet as they came in to land. Harry silently cast the shrinking charm on his broom and the two of them began walking carefully across the deck. Only one person was on the deck—a thick-necked seventh year with a shaved head and a bulbous nose that was already turning red from many years of drinking firewhiskey.
They slipped past this lone sentry into one of the doors leading below deck, and after walking down a staircase found themselves in a hallway at least twice as long as the ship itself. The interior had been radically expanded.
"Point me Hermione!" Harry whispered. His wand spun about a moment then pointed forward and slightly to the left. The two walked down a wide corridor decorated with Persian carpets over the wooden decking, golden lamps on the walls and portraits of old Bulgarian wizards. They continued down until they found the door the wand was pointing at.
"Homenum Revelio!" Ghostly images appeared over the tip of his wand—three men and nearby a sprawled girl or young woman. Hermione. "They must have cast silencing spells, I can't hear anything."
"Good, that helps us," Harry said. With a nod, the two cast silencing charms around them in the hall. Once that was done, he said, "On three, blast and stun."
"Got you," Ginny said.
"One, two, three!"
"Bombarda!" they yelled together.
The door exploded in splinters as the couple separated—Ginny with the cloak, Harry without—and dove into the room. Harry rolled to his feet and launched a flurry of stunners at what his reveal spell told him should have been the nearest wizard. The man was already moving, but not fast enough to avoid the onslaught.
Ginny's target was actually blasted off his feet by the explosion. Ginny stunned him anyway.
That left the third wizard, and Harry saw it was Krum. The wizard retaliated not with a stunner, but with a vicious and lethal disembowelling curse. Harry raised his shield and blocked it before dropping the magical barrier and rolling forward not with a curse, but a kick.
Krum spun away from the attack and cast a levitation charm. Harry felt himself go weightless and used his own mass to spin and fire a conjunctivitis curse almost at point-blank range. Krum just ducked his head and punched Harry right in the face, breaking one of the lenses in his glasses. Krum then followed with a front jumping kick that caught Harry right in the stomach and sent him into the ceiling, since he was still levitating.
He did not have a chance to hit or kick Harry a third time due to a silent Expelliarmus that hit him from just inches away. The blast sent him tumbling into the far wall while his wand flew into the now visible hand of Ginny Weasley.
Harry fell to the deck and threw up. "Wow he kicks hard," he gasped.
Ginny stunned Krum and then performed the reparo spell on the door, sealing them back into the room. Only then did she kneel by Hermione. "Hermione, are you all right?" Hermione's dress was partially undone, but with a blushing look at Harry she confirmed that Hermione still had her knickers on underneath.
"Just interrogation, then," Harry muttered. He picked himself up on shaking legs. "Damn, he kicked my arse. So much for being James Bond."
"Who?" Ginny asked.
"Muggle thing."
"Oh, okay. I can't get her to wake up, Harry."
Harry stunned the other two wizards again, and then bound Krum with ropes before reviving him. The Russian/Bulgarian wizard's eyes bulged dangerously. "Vat do you zink you are doink?" he all but roared.
Already, as if reading Harry's mind, Ginny was casting silencing spells about the room.
"I was going to ask you the same thing," Harry said. "What were you doing to Hermione?"
"I don't haff to answer to stoopid little boys," Krum all but snarled.
"This stupid little boy has you tied up with a wand in your face," Harry said. "I've only killed one man in my life, but for hurting my friend, I'm willing to make an exception."
"We need to get Luna in here," Ginny muttered.
"She wouldn't be able to make it past the wards, since she does want to do harm." Harry made a quick decision. "But maybe we can take them to her."
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Author's Note: Special thanks to Teufeul1987 for Beta reading and Brit Picking, and also to JR and Miles for additional beta reading! This chapter especially they helped a lot.