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Chapter 36 – Back to France
Harry sat down in an empty private compartment and waited for his friends before they went into the third year compartment; he had arranged that Sirius would drop him off earlier so that the man could get back to London for the final round of his treatment. He had finished the physical treatment which meant he could find a job if he ever wanted to and he was going to be sitting with a master Legilimens to work on his Occlumency and rebuild his mental shields now that his mind was whole again.
Harry had to admit that it was endearing that the man was going through all this to be close to him and he had to admit that Sirius had brought a missing piece to his life. He was having fun like a regular person, they had been to amusement parks and checked out women on the beach. Sirius taught him that life was there to be enjoyed and it could be done while he was achieving his goals, he didn't have to put it all off until after he achieved all his goals.
He smiled and shook his head
The door was thrown open and a very angry Veela sat across from him
"Tell me why! Why does my entire family sing your praises? Why do they trust a boy they know very little about?" she demanded in French
"I do not know" he said and looked at her intently for the first time. She was gorgeous but she looked so sad and frustrated. He could see it in her eyes, those blue eyes mirrored his before John had come into his life.
"You have no idea how lucky my sister is to have you" she said all anger gone from her voice "She can be irresponsible and let go because you're not 'affected' and you can protect her"
"Let go then" he said simply "I will protect you too you know, you're her sister and I would do anything for my friends"
"What if you're not immune to mine?" she asked shocked
"Oh but what if I am?" he said and cast a locking spell on the door
"What are you doing?" she demanded nervously
"Here" he tossed his wand at her "Now I have no wand and even if you're allure is strong enough to call others they won't be able to get in"
"You are crazy" she said in English now
"Let go Fleur" he said
"I can't, if you weren't immune I would be hurting my sister"
"Let go"
"No, I won't do it" she said and crossed her arms
"You're scared, here I thought Delacour women were tougher than that" he goaded, he needed that sad look out of her eyes
"I am not scared" she snarled
"So. Let. Go" he shrugged "We have a long train ride"
"Harry please?" she begged "Do not make me do this?"
"Let go Fleur" he said, for the first time doubt entered his mind. Was her allure really that strong? What would happen to Gabrielle if his gamble failed?
He didn't get much time to consider failing because it was then when he felt it hit him; unlike Gabrielle's gentle taps to his psyche this was a battering ram that hit hard and repeatedly. The hits amplified and came more frequently when he looked into those blue eyes which were filled with shock
"Is that all?" he goaded her a little more and watched as she let go of those reigns which had been held so tightly. It was like watching a dam burst and he had put himself in its path like the foolish boy he was
For a moment he worried that he would fail which meant he would fail Gabrielle; he would lose her friendship and follow Fleur around like some love-struck puppy. He watched as the tears fell from her eyes; slowly and then freely. There was one word for all that emotion; relief.
Theo and Blaise walked down the passage of the train looking for Harry when they felt it; something was calling them so badly. She needed them and she wanted them; they let their magic lead them forward to find her. They moved through the train and eventually ran into a queue of boys trying to get into a compartment
"She's calling us! She wants us! We can make her happy!" they shouted
Gabrielle had taken a seat next to Daphne and Hermione who were chatting about mind healers and what they could do. Gabrielle listened half-heartedly, she didn't care for healing magic other than what was useful in a fight. Then she sensed it, it was so strong that even the women on the train had interrupted thoughts as evidenced by Hermione turning as if someone had tapped her on the shoulder. Fleur, she thought and got up to find her sister when all of a sudden it ended
"Better?" Harry asked
"How?" she managed through sobs and then "Thank you"
Harry got up and sat next to her and took her into his arms and let her cry as much as she needed. He saw the crowd disappear looking disappointed and confused; then another set of blue eyes looked at him. He waved his hand and unlocked the door so Gabrielle could enter
"Was that what I think it was?" she asked and he simply nodded "You foolish boy"
"I'm sorry Gabby" Fleur said "I shouldn't have let him push me"
"It's okay Fleur, how do you feel?" she asked kneeling in front of her sister
"So much better" she smiled
"Ms Delacour there's something wrong with your sisters face, I've never seen that expression before" Harry joked and received two slaps
"Thank you Harry James" Gabrielle said
"Anytime Ms Delacour" he grinned "I should go find Theo and Blaise and tease them for being weak" he said and got up gingerly removing Fleur from him.
"Harry" Fleur said when he reached the door "Can we do that again sometime?"
"I expect we will" he said looking at Gabrielle "This one likes to experiment"
"Thank you" Fleur gave him a full smile "It means more than you know"
He walked down the hall and shook his head when he saw his friends
"What was that Harry?" Neville asked
"That was the allure of a very powerful witch Neville paired with the foolishness of one Harry James Potter"
"You let Gabrielle's sister test you" Justin said "Merlin Harry almost every male on the train could have hurt her"
"No they couldn't have Justin, it would have taken tremendous power to undo my locking spell. I was the only danger to her and it was a near thing"
"What happened to you?" Theo asked "Did you feel her calling you?"
"No, it was like someone trying to break into my mind. I think she had held that all in too long and that's why it was that strong but I guess we'll see when we try again"
"That could have been dangerous had she been in a place surrounded by men with no protection. Creatures like that need to be…" Justin started but was blown backward by the sheer force of Harry's magic
"She is a witch not a creature. Do you understand me?" he asked
"Alright she's still dangerous" he said standing
"She is. But your biased attitude is what's wrong with the wizarding world" Blaise said
"You sound like Professor Scamander" Justin whined
"Listen and listen well because I'm only saying this once" Theo said with venom in his voice "We are going to change the world and we are going to get rid of all that bias and all that hate towards power. She is dangerous and so you respect the power you don't put it in a cage. So get on board or fuck off"
"Get off me" Justin said and swung for Theo who caught the fist and twisted the boys arm
"I guess you're choosing the fuck off option" Theo said and broke the arm followed by a stunner "Harry, I think it's time to memory charm him and remove the tattoo"
"Alright" Harry said and got to his knees. He used the tattoo to establish a strong link and then wiped all memories of the tattoo, the meetings of the hard hitters, the training and left him with the impression that he had been rejected and become a loner. Then he removed the tattoo and watched the boy pale slightly
"Daph, please can you heal his arm?" Harry asked and the blonde complied
"Please put him in the front of the cabin" Harry said to Blaise
Gabrielle walked in seeing Justin being moved
"What happened Harry James?" she asked coming to his side
"You don't want to know Ms Delacour. How is your sister?" he asked
"She is doing much better but we're going to take you up on your offer" she said smiling
"I expected nothing less" he smiled
"The Duelling tournament will be starting after Valentine's Day, will you be entering?" she asked as everyone too their seats
"I know Theo and Neville want to but I'm uncertain if I do. Are you going to?"
"I am, I think that I'm ready" she smiled
"Then I definitely won't enter" Harry laughed
"Scared of a little competition Harry James?" she countered
"Something like that Ms Delacour" he smiled
Severus walked through the gates of Hogwarts while the warders were at work creating new and more powerful wards around the school. The teachers had all been called in so that they could be linked to the wards; no longer would only the headmaster be aware of the wards. The changes at Hogwarts would make for a tougher situation for Harry if he planned on leaving to handle business, they would have to keep using the Floo.
Sirius sat in a chair across from the master Legilimens and his assistant; the room was warm and very comfortably furnished. It resembled nothing in the rest of the hospital, it was almost as if he stepped into a new dimension when he walked through the door
"I understand this is frustrating Mr Black but it is the only way to make your mind a fortress once more"
"Alright, let's try from the beginning" Sirius said
"Close your eyes and imagine an empty field, now imagine the thing most important to you in the middle of the field. It is completely vulnerable; defenceless; you are to protect it. So imagine the safest and most impenetrable structure or place if you prefer"
"I think I've got it" Sirius said
"Now I am going to try and break into your mind, I'm going to be ramping up my attempts every time you manage to keep me out until I can't get in anymore"
"Be warned, it's not a pretty place" Sirius said
"No worries, that's why my assistant is here she will stun me if things go south to protect my mind"
"I'm ready"
"Legilimens" the man said and found himself on a shore looking into the mist. In the distance he saw another island with a massive structure. The environment was gloomy and even though the sun was blazing hot he felt as if he was freezing.
He pushed forward and entered the water which was thicker than regular water; it was as if he was wading through mud. He kept going until he needed to start swimming in this thick liquid, his arms aching and the air getting thinner as if he was gaining altitude
He ended the spell not having gotten close to the next island
"Well done Mr Black that should keep any cursory glances away" the man said exhausted "That was tough"
"Please give it your all" Sirius said feeling exhausted himself
"Okay here we go. Legilimens"
He found himself on the shore again; he conjured a boat and dragged it onto the water. Next he cast a wind charm at his sails and went across the water at a speed but the island didn't come any closer.
'It must be intent based'
Then he changed course as to pass the island; at last the island seem to be getting closer and at the last minute he changed direction and closed his eyes and kept the boat going straight until it hit land and he was thrown from the boat. When he opened his eyes he was faced with a massive structure; completely black in colour. The mist was thicker and the sun was missing completely, he was freezing now.
When he reached the door of the building a hooded figure reached for him and then everything went black. He woke looking at his assistant
"You're vital signs were dropping violently so I stunned you sir"
"No problem Anthony. Mr Black that was impressive, why didn't you do that before?"
"I don't like thinking that I'm using that place as my protector when for years it broke me" he said
"It will keep you quiet safe, your memories that is. Now you need to work on keeping that up without the effort, it should not take so much out of your reserves to keep up the shield. If you have anyone you trust with your secrets I would have them randomly cast the spell to test your shield."
"I will practice then" Sirius said happily
"I would like to try another technique before you go, I rarely get someone who can fortify their minds so well through my doors"
"What do you mean?" Sirius asked
"Well mostly I work with patients who want to close off a single part of their lives so I help them build cages or I help them recover memories that they've locked away subconsciously"
"I understand. You'll love my godson then, he showed me his protections. I'll bring him along sometime and see if you can crack him"
"I look forward to it. Now I'd like you to think about a beach, you have quite a tan so I'm guessing you went recently" the man asked
"I did" Sirius replied
"On the beach you stumble across a treasure chest. It is ornately decorated but secure; surely something valuable and dear is locked away in it" he said soothingly "You step closer to the chest and notice it has some writing on it"
"Yes it does"
"It says Property of Sirius Black, you've put your most valuable secrets and treasures in it. Why not take a look?"
"Sure" Sirius said picturing himself opening the box
"Legilimens" the man said quietly and saw himself behind Sirius on the beach. He ran up to the chest and looked inside and saw a Dementor reaching for him
"Well done Mr Black. Remember the trail won't always be so obvious"
"I know, I could hear you cast the spell though and that's what tipped me off"
"I think that's enough for today, bring your godson with sometime I look forward to seeing what he is like"
"I will" Sirius said and made for the door
"By the way Mr Black, how proficient were you before Azkaban"
"Auror level. Even Moody couldn't get into my mind" he grinned and left
"Anthony I think we were hustled" he said to his assistant who was sniggering
AN – There we go I hope everyone has enjoyed it. So please review and please favourite and follow if you haven't already.