Author's notes:
Standard disclaimer, I own nothing. It all belongs to JKR.
This is just a little something that bit me after reading a number of similar stories and I thought I'd give it a try. You can assume the story is canon compliant up to the just about the end of Harry's rescue of Ginny in Chamber of Secrets. It goes AU when he falls unconscious before Fawkes arrives to drip tears in the wound on his arm.
This is a stand alone story not related in any way to any of my other works
I'm going to be posting very short chapters. Don't worry though, the story is complete and I'll post a chapter a day.
Enjoy,
Sorcerer's Muse
Finally, Peace.
Chapter XXII
I Most Certainly Will Not
"So you asked him to move in with you?" Gabrielle asked. Lis was spending the evening with her and they'd been sitting on the couch in Gabrielle's flat in Paris gossiping like the schoolgirls they'd been when the were twelve and just entering their second year at Beauxbatons.
"A week ago," Lis answered.
"And how's that going?"
"Believe it or not, it's perfect." Gabrielle gave her a dubious look. "Really. He's as meticulous as I am about everything being in its place. He never leaves a towel on the floor, or socks laying about or anything. I swear, Gabs, he's like the perfect man. I feel like I should write Hermione and thank her for training him so well."
"She's the ex, right? And you've actually met her, yes."
"Way back before I came to France. I really only knew of her though. I mean you know about that year. Saying I knew anyone abuses the definition."
Gabs pondered. "I can't believe you're shacking up with a man and I haven't even met him."
"Well maybe if you hadn't been traveling the last three months."
"And you finally ended it with Luna too."
"Don't start," Lis said. Gabrielle's disapproval of Luna was a sore subject between them.
"I only ever said you deserved better."
"So did she, Gabs. And I have better now."
"Well he better hope so," Gabs said.
"Promise me you won't use your Veela on him."
"I most certainly will not," Gabs said affronted.
"You're going to try and steal my boyfriend?"
"I'm not stealing him. I'm determining if he loves you enough to satisfy my concerns."
"That's not fair."
"If he's in love with you, it won't affect him but much of anything at all. If he's some weak-minded fool with a wandering eye he'll be drooling on the floor in moments. Why wouldn't you want to know the truth?" Lis glowered at her. "If it's not me, it will be Fleur or Mum. Best you find out before one of them hits him."
"It's wrong, manipulating people that way."
"It's nature, Lis. And some day you will run into a Veela who isn't your sister or mother and what, then, if she decides she wants him?"
"I don't want him to think I'm testing him."
"Then tell him. Warn him what will happen when he meets us. Let him decide what he will do."
"It's still manipulative. And what am I supposed to do if he refuses to meet you? You're my family."
Gabrielle reached for her hand. "Lis, ever since the bonding, you know as well as I do, the Veela is going all the time. We don't turn it on. We shut it off. I know it's not as strong for you, but him facing me or Mum or Fleur is no different than any woman, Veela or not, making a pass at him. If he loves you, respects you, honors you, you could be the most unattractive woman alive and he would be unaffected." Lis only frowned. "Wouldn't you want to know sooner as opposed to later?"
"How would you feel if I were to make a pass at every boy you ever brought home?"
"As if you and Fleur didn't when I brought home Brian the first time."
Lis grimaced. "I'm not going to talk you out of this, am I?"
Gabrielle shook her head. "No."
Harry frowned. "And this is standard operating procedure in your family?"
"They think they're protecting me," Lis whispered. I'll understand if you don't want to meet them."
Harry shook his head. "No. It's fine. I'll meet them. In fact, invite them to do their worst."
"Harry—"
"Lis," he talked over her. "It might be a bit different, but family testing the significant other in some way or another isn't something reserved by your family. If this is what satisfies them, I've got no issues."
Lis looked at him doubtfully. "You're sure?"
Harry considered a second before answering. "Frankly, Lis, maybe you should think about just whom it is that you are dating. We've not left the Muggle world since I got here. But there is another world in which you and I live and I can promise you there are women who will not give a damn one way or another that I'm dating someone already. They'll make passes at me right in front of you and they won't want to take no for an answer. I'm not worried about your mum or sisters or any woman for that matter. I know the girl I want and she is sitting right in front of me. So I'm not worried about my feelings getting hurt. I'm worried about your feelings as you deal with the passes, the press, the doctored photographs and everything else."
Lis frowned. She hadn't considered any of that really. They were in a sheltered little world here and as they moved forward that would change more and more. Harry was right, it wasn't as bad here as in the UK, but he still made the papers about once a month. In most cases the articles weren't flattering. She couldn't have told you why, but unless she was reading a direct quote she'd always doubted the veracity and even then she knew how a persons' words could be taken and twisted to an entirely different meaning than they had intended. But the sheer volume was so loud she'd wondered how Hermione had dealt with it. And then he'd walked into her life and she'd promptly forgotten it. Still…
"You're right. I'd forgotten just what they do to you. Silly of me, because I often wondered how Hermione dealt with it. But while I won't claim to suffer anything near what you do; I am a professional quidditch player. I, also, get my share of unwanted press, and attention and passes made at me. So I guess we're just going to have to deal with it together."
She could see she had given him something to think about as well and it didn't look like he was particularly happy about it. "You're right," he said. "We'll deal with it as it comes and we'll do it together. So the first question is, how do you want to deal with Gabrielle, and then your Mum and Fleur as well."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, seems to me we can just take it, or we can turn the tables on them."
Lis stared back at him, a slow smile building on her face. She leaned forward. "Here's what we're going to do."
Author's notes:
I like to think Ginny/Lis got a little bit of Veela out of the blood bonding and can keep up with her adoptive sisters when she chooses to.
Frankly, a redhead Veela sounds to me to be about the most dangerous woman alive.