Voldemort lounged at the end of a long, ornate dining room table, inside an estate that wasn't quite as...luxurious as he preferred. His time as a shapeless wraith had done little to dull his preference for the finer things and instead had, if anything, made him more aware of the times he was lacking proper accommodation. However, it was not yet time to become more visible to the larger world, and nothing came ahead of his grand plan.
"It is an...acceptable plan," he said, once again focusing his eyes on one of his most loyal subjects.
"Thank you, My Lord," Barty Crouch replied, bowing low. "Please know I would not suggest you alter your form were there another option. The boy has been rather difficult to deal with and has thus far refused to cooperate."
"I would not bother with him were it not for the prophecy. Once I have it in my hands, there will be little he, or Dumbledore can do to get in my way any longer."
Barty Crouch grimaced, bowing lower. "We will likely lose our bid for the Ministry, My Lord, though I have little doubt of the success of our plan to remove the prophecy. While the old oaf is prattling on to the Wizengamot, the prophecy will be yours. He has brought the ICW to support the Ministry during the transition to war, and it is unlikely we will be able to successfully use our agents to destabilize the critical departments enough to take over with the additional oversight the ICW will bring."
"It is no matter," Voldemort said with a lazy wave of his hand. "Instruct them to prepare a more definitive and sudden end to their respective departments. It will take time to avoid arousing suspicion. We will secure the prophecy, and eventually, the boy. Once he is ours, it will be a small matter to take over, especially once we remove the Ministry as an obstacle, International Confederation or no.
"For the time being, you will return to your necessary post. Continue your charade, as well as your attempts to capture the boy. Bribe him if need be, threaten, torture, I do not care how you bring him to me, he merely needs to be alive to be our pawn against Dumbledore." A slow smile grew across Voldemort's face, his vicious countenance twisting in malevolent glee. "Return to your position, and do not return until you have the boy. The less suspicion that surrounds you at this juncture, the better."
XxXxXxXxXxXxX
The first few days back at Hogwarts had been relatively calm, despite Ron's almost compulsive need to remind Harry that he was dating the most beautiful person either of them had ever seen. It wasn't quite the jealous reaction Harry had been dreading, but was, in its own way, almost worse.
Light, usually obtuse comments from Luna helped to blunt Ron's enthusiasm, much to Hermione's mix of delight and confusion. The strange girl had been waiting for them on the train, seamlessly and silently integrating herself into their small group. There hadn't been any discussion or even much acknowledgment of the oddity of her presence. A quiet glance between the three old friends when Luna had joined them for dinner one evening had acknowledged her status as the newest member of their group. Even without speaking, Harry could see the gears turning behind Hermione's eyes as Luna situated herself next to him at the dinner table.
"Luna?" Hermione called out to the girl while the majority of the students filed out from the Great Hall after dinner.
"Hmm?" Luna replied, fixing Hermione with her disquieting unblinking stare that meant you had as much of her attention as she was able to give.
"How would you feel about a little...supplementary Defence Against the Dark Arts work?"
Harry gaped at Hermione, their little group having mostly slipped his mind during the holidays. Hermione noticed his surprise and leaned over.7
"Just because you were preoccupied over the holiday doesn't mean that I forgot."
"I had wondered when someone would get around to teaching that class this year," Luna said, tapping a finger on her chin. "I'm not surprised to find that it is the three of you."
"We're not really teaching a whole class," Harry pointed out, eager to ignore Hermione's jab. "It's just the three of us and Fleur."
"Oh? I wouldn't think Ron would be able to keep his senses around someone like her," Luna pointed out bluntly, turning her protuberant eyes on Harry.
"Oi!" Ron added halfheartedly
"We have a workaround," Harry answered. "I don't think she'd mind teaching another person. It's not like she'd be teaching a whole class."
"Why not?" Luna asked, the dreamy haze she usually affected almost completely absent. "Daddy is preparing to report on the Wizengamot session that the Headmaster has called to convince the Ministry to acknowledge the return of You-Know-Who. Shouldn't we be more prepared than we are?"
"Your father is...remarkably well-informed," Hermione said, blanching. "How does he know all that?"
Luna smiled serenely, a hint of pride seeping into her unique voice. "Many people in the Ministry found his exposé of shape-shifters and vampires in the ministry to be rather revealing, and have let him know when other interesting things are taking place."
"Vampi-Anyway," Hermione said, recovering quickly. "I'm not against more people joining," she said, looking pointedly at Harry. "We have a good working method. Fleur explains the technique, and Harry shows us how it's done. There's no real difference between showing three people how it's done and showing a whole class."
"I can ask…" Harry said slowly, turning to Ron, who only shrugged in reply.
"It wouldn't hurt. You've seen more danger than almost anyone else here, and people will probably want to do something once they know he's back," he said. "Even I've gotten better after our practices, so there's no reason other people wouldn't get something out of it."
"You see?" Hermione said, flashing Ron a quick smile. "Luna, is there anyone in Ravenclaw who would be interested?"
"All of them, I would expect," Luna answered, looking lazily over to the mostly empty Ravenclaw table. "Nobody is happy with Professor Umbridge."
"That's great!" Hermione said, unable to suppress a small clap of delight. "We'll have you invite them when we know our next meetup date!"
"Oh," Luna said, her tone and pitch unchanged, but Harry could somehow feel Luna's mood shift. "If I invite them they won't come. Harry should. They talk about him often."
"Oh," Hermione answered, flushing scarlet. "We'll figure something out. I'm sure most of Gryffindor would as well."
"The 'Puffs probably would," Ron said. "Seems like Cedric being named one of the champions really lit a fire under them. Fred and George said they're even making a commendable push for the Quidditch Cup this year."
"That's quite a bit more people than just one class," Harry muttered, though there was no energy behind the complaint. He understood the desire to be stronger. How could he deny them something he wanted so desperately for himself.
"Then it's settled," Hermione said firmly. "We'll let you know when we're meeting up Luna, and we can talk logistics then. Harry, you talk to Fleur and see what she thinks."
Harry nodded, distinctly aware of Luna's big eyes focused unblinkingly on him.
XxXxXxXxXxXxX
The first Saturday of their return to Hogwarts found Harry called to the Room of Requirement for a continuation on his lessons with Dumbledore. He entered the room to find it configured in the usual vast, empty chamber, but standing next to the Headmaster, was a dingy wooden armoire.
"Thank you for coming, Harry," Dumbledore said as he approached. "We have much to discuss, and little time in which to do it, so let us begin."
"We will be covering two subjects today. Both of which you have some limited experience with. The Patronus, and a boggart."
Harry winced, prompting a gentle smile from Dumbledore.
"Ah yes, two particularly difficult subjects, I know. However, they are both necessary, and related. Can you tell me why?"
Harry pondered the subjects for a moment, the shame of his uncle appearing in front of his third-year Defence class attempting to resurface. That had spawned a few difficult questions to dodge.
"Well...a boggart turns into what you fear, and a Patronus has to be a happy thought. They're kind of opposites."
"You are partially there," Dumbledore said. "What do the 'Riddikulus' and Patronus charms have in common?"
"You…" Harry drew out the word, frowning as he thought. He tried to think back to Professor Lupin's lecture on the spell. "You have to focus on something specific for both of them?" he hazarded.
"Very well done! You are correct. Not only must you focus intently on a specific thought, but you must also do so under duress. With a boggart, your greatest fear is placed in front of you, and you must find some way through the fear to a humorous thought. With the Patronus charm, you would normally be in the vicinity of a dementor, which, as you recall, is a challenging situation in which to think clearly."
Harry nodded woodenly, recalling the plethora of memories the dementors could pull to the surface.
"We will start with the boggart," Dumbledore said, moving to the armoire. "As I recall from a conversation with Professor Lupin, your boggart was your uncle, correct?"
Harry nodded, noting with surprise a chagrined wince cross Dumbledore's aged features.
"I must again apologize, Harry," he said quietly. "Hindsight makes fools of us all. There were many clues that I should have picked up on."
"It's okay, Sir," Harry replied quickly. If he was about to come face to face with an angry approximation of his uncle, he'd rather just get it over with.
"It will help if you think of something beforehand to turn the boggart into. It will be much more difficult to think of something funny when faced with your fear."
Harry nodded, attempting to hold in his mind an image from many years prior when his uncle had tripped over one of Dudleys many toys, and been unable to right himself without help from the rest of the family. Harry had paid dearly for laughing, but it had been worth it. He felt the corner of his mouth twitch with the memory and raised his wand at the armoire.
"Very good," Dumbledore said. "Prepare yourself and focus on the image. Here we go."
Dumbledore pulled open the armoire door and stepped back. Harry tightened his grip on his wand, gritting his teeth in preparation for hearing his uncle's furious shouts for the first time in nearly half a year.
Nothing happened.
There was no guttural throat clearing or purpling mustached face bearing down on him. Instead, silence greeted them, causing Harry to loosen his grip on his wand to look over at Dumbledore, who wore an expression of worried surprise.
"Focus," Dumbledore counseled, his gaze never wavering from the piece of furniture.
Harry turned his attention back as instructed, frowning as a faint sound clawed at his memory.
A muffled rush of wind sounded from inside the cabinet, the odd noise sending chills through his body. The sound filled the chamber, the echoing reverberations driving the air from Harry's lungs. The boggart poured out of the cabinet in a tidal wave of hazy green water, filling an invisible cube taller than the armoire it spilled from. The water level rose and grew darker, murkier...and sinister. He felt as though he were trapped inside, fighting for air as his breath came in short panicked bursts.
The water settled slowly, a massive cube of inky darkness in front of him, filling his vision. An invisible sun suddenly shone through the surface, illuminating the murky water, and a familiar body suspended within.
The body writhed in its prison, bubbles escaping from her mouth as her hands clawed at her slender neck. Her silvery hair floated around her fear-filled face in a cloudy halo, her blue eyes peering out at him, pleading and wide.
"Harry," Dumbledore's voice called from some unfathomable distance. "Focus. Do it now!"
Harry's throat locked tight and his arm fell as Fleur's eyes grew somehow wider, and she spasmed in the water, a mirror to the phantom memory replaying against his skin as he was again forced to relive the horrific feeling of her near death in his arms.
"Harry!" Dumbledore shouted. His usually calm and caring tone was sharp and powerful. "It is not reality. Focus! If you cannot make it humorous, make it vanish. It is more difficult to cast successfully, but you can do it!"
Harry wiped his sweat-soaked brow, the motion and touch of his hand dispelling the weight of her limp body in his arms. This was precisely why he was here. To ensure that nothing could get to the people he cared about as long as he was there to stand in the way. He swallowed against a dry throat, trying to focus on the boggart causing his distress, rather than the horrible floating corpse in front of him. He raised his wand.
Never again. He would stop this. He would banish the boggart as completely as he wished he could scrub the memory from his mind. He would speak the word, and it would vanish.
Quite suddenly, it was gone.
The water, the body, and the armoire vanished, leaving Harry standing alone in a room with Dumbledore, whose mouth hung open in surprise.
Harry's shoulders sagged, and he nearly collapsed, feeling as though he had again swum the entirety of the black lake.
"You have...exceeded my expectations in an unusual way," Dumbledore said, slowly shifting his gaze from the spot the armoire had vacated.
"Did I cast it non-verbally?" Harry asked, peering down at his wand.
"No," Dumbledore answered slowly. "No, I do not believe you did. You appear to have wrested control of the room away from me in your desire to see the boggart vanished. I suppose that is as effective an example of focus as any other."
"I'm sorry, Sir," Harry replied.
"Oh my, don't be," Dumbledore said, his mustaches lifting in a wide smile while his eyes shone brightly behind his spectacles. "I hope I do not sound immodest, but minutes ago I would have thought that there was no-one in this castle capable of a strength of will that could outmatch my own. I am delighted to be proven wrong." He reached into one of his voluminous sleeves and produced his slender, knobby wand. "Now let us focus on happier thoughts, shall we?"
Harry nodded eagerly, the prospect of being able to cast such an impressive spell dulling the edge off his heightened anxiety. The sight of Dumbledore's shining phoenix Patronus driving the dementors away from him and an unconscious Sirius at the end of third year had been an inspiring sight, and he suspected it would have been even without the comforting feelings the silver bird had engendered with its presence.
"I suspect you recall the deceptively simple instructions to perform the charm?" asked Dumbledore.
"I have to think a happy thought, and say 'Expecto Patronum'," Harry recited.
"It would be more accurate to say you need to feel a happy thought. Let it fill you as though you were experiencing it for the first time, and then use the words to manifest that feeling." Dumbledore closed his eyes and took a deep breath. After a momentary silence, he raised his wand, and a silver phoenix burst from the wand-tip as he uttered the incantation.
Harry watched the magical bird soar around the room, trailing wisps of silver that floated slowly down to the stone floor.
"Now you try," Dumbledore said, allowing his Patronus to vanish. "Take all the time you need. If a memory doesn't work, try to examine your feelings, and figure out why. What part of the memory doesn't fill you with happiness?" He conjured a cushioned chair with a wave of his wand, and slowly sat down in it. "I will be here if you have any questions."
Nearly an hour of silent thinking and fruitless attempts at the spell followed as Harry cycled through the happiest moments of his time at Hogwarts. From catching his first snitch to winning the house cup in his first year, none of them even produced a flicker of silver light. He tried the memory of meeting Sirius and finding out about another tie to his parents. The private dance with Fleur outside the Yule Ball did nothing, and neither did the memory of seeing her alive and well in the medical tent, no matter how relieved he had felt at the time.
He moved gradually to newer memories, hoping the threat of Voldemort hanging over his head wouldn't taint them to the point of unusability. He tried his memory of being rescued from the Dursleys but quickly abandoned the attempt. Another half-hour went by as he held the memory of their first kiss in his mind, trying adamantly to get something to happen.
He eventually fell on the memories of Christmas Day with the Delacours, and a single moment in that wonderful day shone brilliantly in his mind, despite the embarrassing display that followed. Though he was exhausted, and he was pretty sure Dumbledore had fallen asleep, he raised his wand and focused as hard as he could on the feeling of finally being wanted.
"Expecto Patronum," he whispered, holding Apolline and Sebastian's nervous but earnest faces in his mind as solidly as he could. He could smell the comforting cinnamon from Fleur, and the warmth of her as she leaned against him. He could hear the crinkle of wrapping paper as Gabrielle shifted to look at him, her new books resting in her lap. The fireplace logs that he and Sebastian had gathered crackled and popped inside the roaring fire.
He saw a flash of bright light as a shining silver eagle burst from the end of his wand, circling the room effortlessly as it beat its mighty wings against the air. It circled overhead, the silver tendrils of light slowly drifting lower as it passed overhead. It landed gently next to Harry, its shining feathers moving in an invisible wind. He gently reached out and patted its head, the fine feathers soft beneath his hand. He grinned at the bird, the warm feeling inside him amplified by its presence. He looked up to see Dumbledore up on his feet, his expression a picture of stunned disbelief.
"I...don't believe it," Dumbledore muttered, visibly shaking himself before approaching the Patronus. "Harry, I have never heard of someone casting a corporeal Patronus on their first successful casting of the charm. Not in all my significant years. This is unprecedented."
"Oh," Harry said simply, his hand still resting atop the eagle's head. "That's...well…" he tried, shrugging uncomfortably when he couldn't come up with anything of value to say.
"You have given me hope today that I had thought long gone," the Headmaster said quietly, his blue eyes appraising through his signature half-moon spectacles. "Thank you, Harry."
"Er...you're welcome?"
Dumbledore chuckled and returned to his seat, conjuring another just next to him.
"Please, sit. There is one last thing we must do, and it is, unfortunately, a logistical discussion. I daresay it will be far less interesting than your Patronus, but it is necessary."
Harry joined Dumbledore, his Patronus slowly fading alongside the warm feelings inside him, leaving him surprisingly exhausted. He dropped heavily into the chair with a sigh.
"I will be as brief as I can be, as I am sure you are quite ready to return to your dorm," Dumbledore said after Harry got comfortable. "The session of the Wizengamot to recognize Voldemort's return and to authorize wartime measures will be at the end of this month. Sebastian and I have been working closely with the ICW, and the Minister has finally stopped impeding us. The only thing I will need from you is your memory of the event that night. We also need Miss Delacour's memory as well, as seeing the event corroborated from two different points of view will do wonders to silence those who would claim that your memories were altered."
"How do we give you our memories?" Harry asked.
"You may come to visit me in my office the next time you are both available to do so," Dumbledore answered, a slight smile on his face. "Whenever that may be."
"Would tomorrow be okay?"
Dumbledore's eyebrows raised in perfect surprise. "If she happens to be visiting Hogsmeade, even though it is not a Hogsmeade weekend, why of course. Were she here for any other reason, I doubt that it is something I should know about."
"Sir?" Harry began, puzzled. "We meet-"
"When and how you meet is none of my business, Harry," Dumbledore cut in quickly. "I do not need to know. Do you understand?"
"I...guess so," Harry replied, frowning.
"Wonderful. You did some truly excellent work today, Harry. I will be leaving, and I suggest you head back to the dorms as soon as you are able. It is well after curfew, so I suggest you utilize your cloak."
"Yes, Sir," Harry answered, rising from his chair alongside Dumbledore.
"Pleasant dreams, Harry."
"You too, Sir."
XxXxXxXxXxXxX
I just finished another lesson with Dumbledore. We're probably going to meet up tomorrow to go over what we learned. Do you think you'll be able to make it?
Of course! I look forward to it! What did you go over?
We went over boggarts and Patronuses. Can you cast a Patronus Charm?
I have only been able to manage an incorporeal one. That is a rather odd combination for your first lesson back.
Harry grinned down at the paper. For once he could do something his incredible girlfriend could not.
It was. I have a question for you. How do you feel about teaching more people than just us?
How many more?
We...don't know yet.
Fleur chewed absently on the end of her quill for a moment before spitting the small feathers out and wiping her tongue with the back of her hand. Could she teach more than just a handful of people the things that Dumbledore showed Harry? Would they want to take instruction from someone they couldn't see? Would they want to take instruction from her?
I assume this has something to do with the upcoming session in the Wizengamot? Everyone at work is losing their minds.
Yeah, Hermione invited Luna to join us, and then she wanted to invite everyone.
Everyone who?
Just...everyone.
That is a lot of people.
That's what I said.
I doubt everyone is going to want to join in, but if what you all have been saying about your Defence class is true, I would be unsurprised to see a significant turnout. I think we could do it, especially considering the fear that will follow the acknowledgment of Voldemort's return. What do you think?
Harry's reply didn't come immediately, though she saw the telltale drips of ink vanish as he realized he'd let his wet quill hang above the parchment for too long.
I think we sort of...have to. Don't we?
Fleur smiled down at his answer, pulling her feet under her in her small desk chair in her living room.
Why do you say that?
I don't want anyone to be unprepared, especially if there is something I can do about it.
Well said. I will see you tomorrow.
Fleur set down her quill with a yawn, eyeing the paper with concern. Maybe she was looking too deep into his words, but something felt...off. She tried to push the thoughts away as she readied for bed, but they continued to stubbornly resurface long into a frustrating night.
XxXxXxXxXxXxX
The following day couldn't pass quickly enough for Harry, the opportunity to see Fleur again...after a fashion, was usually enough to carry him through the boring Sundays. However, true to her word, Umbridge had used whatever Ministry granted powers she possessed to create her 'Inquisitorial Squad' and had evidently been inspired to start the new year off on a new, much more infuriating foot.
The group, led by a seemingly restored Malfoy had begun deducting points and assigning detentions to anyone they deemed fit. Harry had watched Susan Bones run from the snow-covered courtyard, near to tears as Malfoy assigned her detentions on every Hogsmeade day for the next three months, just for glaring at him. Ernie Mcmillan earned the same for standing up for her, prompting a shouting match that very nearly devolved into spell-throwing. As Harry turned to follow Hermione and Ron, he saw the vindictive mirth gone from Malfoy's face, replaced by a cold, narrow stare that stiffened Harry's spine as he caught the pale boy's eye.
"Potter!" Malfoy's voice called out, eliciting a simultaneous groan from Ron and Hermione.
"What is it, Malfoy?" Harry asked as the perfectly representative, entirely Slytherin Inquisitorial squad approached.
"I was told that I needed to thank you for ignoring Professor Umbridge's generous offer to be apart of our little group. Thanks to your typical idiocy, I have another tie in with the Ministry. Minister Fudge himself came to talk to us on our first day, not that meeting the Minister is all that unusual for me."
"Did you just come over here to brag about meeting Fudge?" Harry shot back. "I've met him too, big deal. I expect your family just pays him by the visit. That's probably how you and your parents got into the top box at the World Cup, wasn't it?"
Malfoy's jeering smile turned surprisingly wooden as his pale eyes bored into Harry's.
"Don't talk about my family," Malfoy ground out, ignoring Pansy, who had put her hand on his shoulder.
"Oh we can't talk about your family, but it's all you're able to prattle on about?" Ron cut in, affecting a passable imitation of Malfoy's trademark sneer. "'My father this,' and 'my father will hear about that.'"
"Don't talk about my father," Malfoy growled, his wand instantly in hand. "He was a better man than your whole worthless family put together."
Harry's eyes widened in surprise as he pulled his wand as well, a pain-filled memory of Voldemort vanishing amidst a hail of angry curses looming in his mind. Was.
"Serves him right," Ron countered, his own wand in hand.
"Ron!" Hermione said, pulling on Ron's raised arm.
Malfoy's furious countenance, however, was not focused on Ron, but instead on Harry, who stared evenly back. Draco commanded none of the intimidation that had been wielded so easily by his father, or his father's master.
"Looks like we have something in common, don't we Malfoy?" Harry said, watching with a perverse enjoyment as he saw the words needling the blond ponce. "Both of us lost parents to the same vile man."
"You and I are nothing alike," Malfoy spat.
"We agree on that."
"What is going on here?" Professor McGonagall's distinctive voice cut through the tension with blades as sharp as her tone. "Wands down! All of you!"
Harry let his wand fall to his side, mirroring Malfoys much slower response.
"Now, I doubt I will get an accurate recounting from any of you," she continued. "So, detentions for all of you." She gestured to the Inquisitorial Squad. "You will serve yours with Severus at the time of his choosing, and you three will be with me this Friday for two hours."
"Two hours!?" Ron burst out indignantly.
"It will be three for you, Mr. Weasley, if you do not quiet down this instant!"
Ron nodded his understanding before pocketing his wand. He quickly walked away, leading Harry and a fuming Hermione away from their irate Head of House.
XxXxXxXxXxXxX
"Two hours?"
"Bloody ridiculous, isn't it?" Ron seethed, having just finished embellishing the encounter to Fleur, who sat beneath the invisibility cloak in their now five-chair formation.
Luna had been completely nonplussed to meet Fleur, even with the older witch being invisible. She had merely nodded her understanding, and taken to quietly observing the friends catch up. It hadn't taken long for the encounter to come up in conversation, their mercifully Malfoy-free school year having come to an end.
"If you cursed or jinxed another student in the halls of Beauxbatons you would be expelled," said Fleur. "I am frankly astonished that the punishment is not worse."
Ron blanched and leaned back in his chair, his irritable energy seeping away.
"So!" Hermione cut in loudly, clapping her hands together. "Harry wouldn't tell us what he and Dumbledore worked on until you got here. So let's hear it."
"The Patronus," Harry answered, suppressing a smile at Ron and Hermione's shocked expressions. He heard a rustle of fabric and had to suppress a jump as Fleur whispered in his ear.
"I notice that you did not mention the boggart," she said, the whisper muffled further by the fabric covering her face. "And why on earth are you feeling so...smug?"
Harry turned towards her voice and grinned before whispering back.
"No boggarts," he said. "And you'll see."
Fleur harrumphed, though Harry could hear little true irritation in her voice.
"Dumbledore just had you practice the Patronus Charm the whole time?" Hermione asked. "I can see how that might be useful, but shouldn't something like that be more like...homework?"
"You are right, Hermione," Fleur said, though Harry could feel her invisible eyes on him. "It generally takes quite a long time for one to achieve even an incorporeal Patronus. For some, that is all they can manage."
"My mother could cast one," Luna interjected, her airy voice unusually pensive. "Daddy never quite got the hang of it. He still tries from time to time."
"Do you recall what form it took?" Fleur asked gently.
"A dog," Luna answered. "Which seemed to irritate her for some reason."
"What is yours?" Hermione asked, turning to Fleur's chair.
"I can only manage an incorporeal one," Fleur said. "Most Veela tend to have avian Patronuses, for obvious reasons."
Harry felt a blush creep up his cheeks, suddenly feeling bashful for having achieved a bird Patronus of his own before Fleur had.
"Can you show us?" Hermione asked, scooting forward to the edge of her chair, her brown eyes bright and excited. "And then Harry, I want you to tell us everything Dumbledore told you about how to cast the charm. Then we will all split off and practice."
Harry nodded, doing his best to keep his face neutral as thoughts whirled around in his mind. He did want to show off the impressive spell, and admittedly, to brag a little about surprising Dumbledore, but he didn't want his friends to feel bad if they couldn't do it as quickly.
"I would be happy to, though I doubt it will be very instructive," Fleur said, and Harry had the distinct impression that she was looking right at him as she spoke.
Her wand suddenly appeared in the air, and he heard her take a deep, calming breath.
"Expecto Patronum."
A fine silver mist issued from the end of her wand, settling slowly on the ground as it dispersed.
"Oh wow," Hermione breathed, her eyes wide.
"It's pretty," Luna observed, twirling a bare foot through the fading mist.
Their attention was quickly turned on Harry, who did his best to relay the instructions as close to Dumbledore's exact words as he could manage. His explanation seemed to do little to instill confidence in the group and they split off, each going off on their own to examine their happiest memories.
"I will be practicing as well, but feel free to let me know if you have any questions!" Fleur called out from beside Harry as the rest of the group settled into their chosen spots.
Harry felt a soft brush on his cheek, the warmth of Fleur's lips easily passing through the thin fabric of the invisibility cloak. He jumped in surprise, which elicited a laugh from Fleur.
"You figured it out, did you not?" she asked, though he heard little question in her words. "The Patronus?"
"Yeah…" Harry answered slowly.
"I knew you were feeling smug," she said, her voice clearly expressing the satisfied grin on her face.
"Sorry."
"You should be proud, Harry," she said, gently squeezing his arm. "It is unheard of, but why did you not want to tell the others?"
"I did. I do. I just don't want them to get discouraged if they can't do it too," he said.
"I doubt they would be discouraged," Fleur said. "If anything, it would be inspiring."
"Inspiring?" Harry echoed, surprised. "I'm not inspiring."
"I know precious few more inspiring than you, Harry," Fleur said, her voice fading slightly as she turned to answer a summons from Ron, leaving Harry to his stunned silence.
"How can I help?" she asked as she approached Ron, grinning a little when he jumped.
"I'm not used to being on the other side of that thing," Ron grumbled. "I don't have any questions about the spell, really."
"I see," Fleur answered with a sigh. She had been expecting something like this from him, especially being the last one to find out. "Well, go on then."
Ron smiled awkwardly in her direction and let out a small nervous laugh.
"I'm not gonna interrogate you or anything like Hermione might," he said. "I just...wondered when it happened. When did you start...you know...liking him like that?"
Fleur smiled at one of the questions that she had wondered of herself quite often in recent weeks. "I think it might have very first started after the second task," she answered after a moment's thought.
"You like him because he saved your life?" Ron asked, perplexed. "He told me a bit of what happened, but I could tell he was leaving stuff out."
"I like him because he is the kind of person who would save a life. Many people say they would take action, few truly risk themselves to help others. Though that is not the only reason." She followed Ron's gaze over to where Harry was pretending to practice casting the charm. "I do, however, wish he would find a more healthy balance between saving others and protecting himself."
"You and me both," Ron mumbled. He brightened a little, and his ears turned a surprising shade of pink. "Oh, I've been trying to practice a little occlumency. I know you won't really be able to get rid of the cloak if we get a whole bunch of people in here with us, but...well…" he shrugged and trailed off.
Fleur stared at him, struck speechless at the sudden revelation. Harry had been right. She'd been much too quick to judge him.
"Thank you," she said as evenly as she could manage. "I look forward to it."
"I figure that if you two are dating, you'll be coming around a lot, and it's not really fair for you to always have to hide beneath that thing if I'm going to be around," he said.
"I appreciate that," she replied. "I am going to check on the others now. Let me know if you need anything else."
Ron merely nodded, returning to his quiet attempts at the charm.
As anticipated, the practice session ended without even a single wisp of silver issuing from Ron, Hermione, or Luna's wands. After checking in with Luna and Hermione, Fleur had gone off on her own to practice as well but had found little success when her mind continued to wander back to Harry. She couldn't help but wonder at what his lesson with Dumbledore had been like.
At the end of the evening, Fleur bid everyone goodnight, waving reflexively as they left the room, before quickly shedding the invisibility cloak once she and Harry were finally alone. She detached her hair from the clingy fabric with an annoyed sigh, before stepping forward and pulling Harry into a hug.
"You have been fidgety and nervous all night," she said once they finally parted. "Is everything okay?"
Harry shook his head, silently using the room to materialize a fireplace and small loveseat. Fleur pulled him down to the seat by the hand and settled in, resting her head against his shoulder.
"We actually can't stay too long," Harry said. "We have to meet up with Dumbledore to give him our memories of the night in the graveyard."
"I see." Fleur sat up and grabbed Harry's wrist, deftly draping his arm around her shoulders before laying her head back down. "Is he expecting us at a certain time?"
"He just said come when we can. He actually refused to talk about us meeting up like this, so I couldn't get much more out of him."
"He does know we are training like this, right?" Fleur asked.
"I'm almost positive he does," said Harry, frowning at the crackling fireplace. "But he's never directly mentioned it."
"He must have some reason for it," she replied. "He led the resistance last time, after all. I am sure he knows what he is doing."
She shifted slightly looking up into his shadowed, far-away gaze. "Your lesson with Dumbledore really affected you," she said softly, her clear voice devoid of any judgment, filled only with gentle certainty.
Harry let out a deep shaking breath, and nodded, squeezing her shoulder tightly; a reminder of reality, rather than the flashes of fear-filled memory that had plagued him since the event nearly a year previous.
"The boggart?" she guessed. She sat up, keeping his hand on her shoulder.
He nodded, his mouth drawn together in a fine line, his hand tightening reflexively.
"Mine is my other form," Fleur said quietly. "It is nothing but passion and rage and nothing of myself. It uses its blue fire to burn those around me that I care about before being consumed by it."
"But you can't be burned by your fire," Harry pointed out, rubbing her shoulder as she shivered.
"Not all fears make sense, do they?"
Harry shook his head. "Mine used to be my uncle. We went over boggarts in our third year. I couldn't do anything against it, I was so afraid of everyone finding out what he was like. Professor Lupin finally stepped in and took over."
"I gather that it is different now?" Fleur asked gently.
"It's...it's you. In the lake," he managed before his voice failed him completely.
"Harry," she murmured, turning his head to face her. "You saved me, remember?"
"I know," he said, doing his best to shake the memory away. "I don't think it's exactly that. I'm afraid of something happening to you...er...again. With Voldemort and everything...it makes me worry."
"Were you able to overcome it this time?" she asked, hoping to redirect him away from the fatalistic turn in his emotions. To her surprise, she felt embarrassment begin to issue from him.
"Not...exactly," he said, his mouth twisted somewhere between a grimace and a smile. "I...took control of the room from Dumbledore and made the whole thing vanish."
"You...what?" Fleur asked, stunned. "You took control of this room from Albus Dumbledore?"
Harry nodded, his cheeks turning a faint shade of pink that always made Fleur's heart flutter distractingly.
"And then you cast a corporeal Patronus in the very same evening?"
Harry nodded again, a faint glimmer of pride seeping into her sense of him. That was okay, she would be proud enough for the both of them.
"Can I see it?"
"If I can do it again, sure," he said, standing from the loveseat and taking a few steps away. He brandished his wand, trying not to pay any attention to Fleur's wide-eyed expectant gaze.
He held the memory firmly in his mind, the lingering smell of cinnamon from Fleur bolstering him. He remembered the warmth that traveled all the way down to his toes as he read lines on a page that confirmed that someone out there truly wanted him.
"Expecto Patronum," he whispered, and let out a sigh of relief when the eagle burst from his wand and began circling the room. It spread its silver wings to slow its flight, alighting on one of the arms of the loveseat next to Fleur, who reached out reverentially and stroked its glowing feathers.
"C'est beau," she whispered, prompting a smile from Harry. To his eyes, the Patronus' beauty paled in comparison to the way the silvery glow reflected off his girlfriend's awestruck face and hair, though he doubted he could manage to say something so sappy.
A memory of his revelation about her during their walk Christmas evening prompted his mouth to move before he had the opportunity to examine the words before he spoke them.
"Not by comparison," he blurted.
His mild embarrassment paid off fully as Fleur blushed deeply in response, the flush traveling up to her roots and down her neck. The sight of her distracted him enough that his Patronus vanished, taking the silver glow with it, though it did little to diminish her beauty.
"Oh! You caught me off guard," she muttered, patting her cheeks against the grin that had come unbidden to her face. "Come along then. Let us go see Dumbledore, then we can spend a little more time together before I need to go home."
Harry nodded, sliding under the invisibility cloak before beckoning her underneath as well. The school had yet to catch wind of the information that Harry Potter was off the market, and though he had no doubt it would eventually happen, he didn't want it to be by way of sneaking through the castle after curfew.
Besides, the sooner they talked with Dumbledore, the sooner they could return to the privacy of the Room of Requirement.
XxXxXxXxXxXxX
AN: Dang. I thought I could get away without one of these this time.
I wanted to address something that's been mentioned a number of times in reviews now. It's not a mistake that Harry is just now learning the Patronus. In chapter 2 Sirius tells Harry to thank Dumbledore for saving them from the swarm of dementors. In Chapter 5 Moody tells Harry that Lupin left notes, and they included about how Harry had done well, but had never quite gotten the hang of the Patronus charm. Even in this chapter, it's mentioned about Dumbledore's phoenix saving him and Sirius, though I've made some additions to that line so it is hopefully a little clearer. Also, yes, Harry's Patronus was a stag. It isn't anymore. I wonder why that is :DI do appreciate the people who took the time to bring the issue to my attention, even if it wasn't really one. If such a major event isn't clear, then I haven't done my job to effectively pass along information, and probably should have had at least one more mention as a reminder a chapter or two ago. Ah well.