Hey everyone and welcome back to D.A Teacher Susan Bones! This is one of the chapters I have been really looking forward to show to you guys. This is definitely a more fluff chapter so don't expect too much plot. But the core premise is an idea that I loved and knew I had to find a way to bring into a story somehow.
I won't keep you guys any longer so enjoy!
Susan made it a point to no longer bring up anything related to the last D.A session or the conversation with Harry afterward. No matter how many her friends talked about it, she together with Ernie made sure to change the topic as soon as possible. Each time it happened she could feel Hannah's teasing gaze burning in her neck. But while her friends made it hard to move on from the embarrassment, the other houses made it downright impossible.
Every day at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, groups of students approached Susan to praise her spell work or quietly ask what they were doing for the next session. Each time the Hufflepuff girl denied that she did anything special or that she knew anything about the next lesson. With every rejection, the rumor mill only picked up more steam.
The rumors became so widespread that even some of the teachers (with the obvious exception of Snape and Umbridge) started to give her extra points for mundane things. She still wasn't sure what professor Babbling meant when she gave her 15 points for "giving proper respect to the stone tablets" during Ancient Runes. The number of points she had gathered in just the last three days was enough that some of her housemates had started to whisper about the chance of Susan single-handedly winning them the house cup that year.
An even bigger of opinion over the last days came from the Gryffindors. The fifth years went out of their way to greet and talk to her in the corridors. She was interrogated about which broom she owned by the chaser trio (who promptly walked away disappointed when she told them about her seven-year-old Cleansweep.) And her meals were spiked with prank potions and candy by the twins at least twice.
The pranks were mostly harmless with a hiccup sweet being hidden in her dessert and a potion that changed her eyes to green being dropped in her goblet during breakfast. Remembering what Harry had told her about the twins before she tried to explain to an angry Ernie that she was only targeted because they were her friends. She wasn't quite sure if she herself was fully convinced about that.
Unfortunately, not all attention was with the same good intentions. While Hufflepuffs normally only had to deal with the occasional mocking comment from the Slytherins, Susan had become one of the main targets for their sneers and complaints across the castle. Beyond this, she could feel professor Umbridge's eyes on her during every meal. She was now on the undersecretary's watchlist.
But the worst of them all was her best friend. While Hannah had luckily stopped talking about Harry's imaginary crush, she had soon found her newest joke and was delighting in the attention her redheaded friend was getting. After the first time, people asked the redhead about the next D.A session, she had quickly promoted her friend from Susie to Professor Susie. Much to said girl's horror.
It took less than a day for the blond to stretch her latest joke to its absolute limit. The Hufflepuffs were having one of their usual study nights in their common room. Each time Hannah had a question or wanted to say something she would raise her hand and ask Susan for permission. When after an hour she raised her hand to ask if she could go to the bathroom, the redhead snapped. "Hannah I am not teaching the D.A. I didn't even help Harry that much."
"Oh. So, you were just his assistant?" Any other time she would have caught her friend's words right away, and if not Hannah's sly tone and grin easily gave the girl away. But after four days of rumors and people badgering her, any patience Susan had was long gone.
"Sure." As soon as she said those words, it suddenly registered what she had agreed to, and the girl's eyes shot open in a panic. "No wait."
Hannah's grin made it clear, she was too late. Far too late. There was blood in the water and the rest of their group jumped at the chance to join in with the jokes. "Never took Potter for one of those guys who would hire an assistant. That seems much more a Slytherin thing." Megan said while shooting Susan a sickly-sweet smile.
"Maybe Harry just wants a pretty witch at his beck and call." Leanne quickly caught onto her friend's plan. "That is way more Gryffindor after all."
"It would fit nicely with his 'savior of the world' thing." Justin struggled to keep his laughter down as Susan looked on in betrayal. "You can't be a hero without your entourage."
"What! She isn't just someone's jewelry." Fully committed to the act and seeing a chance to escape her one dreaded subject, potions, the normally studious Hannah slammed her hands on the table and rose in mock outrage. "Don't worry Susie, I won't let you become Potter's arm candy. I will force him to make you co-leader of the D.A. or he will face the Abbot wrath."
With that the girl quickly ran out of the common room, with Susan, buying her best friends act just like she always did, chasing right after her. "Don't hex him, Hannah. You'll get in trouble."
While the rest of the group burst out in laughter, Ernie turned back to his homework with a scowl.
Either someone had overheard the study group or Hannah's inability to talking quietly in the great hall had gotten Susan into problems again. By the following day, the rumors had escalated, and everyone was now calling the redhead everything from Harry's assistant to the boy's soul-bound servant after he saved her life from a manticore.
As soon as she had heard the latter story, Susan made it a point to avoid the great hall at all costs. Instead, she took her meals in the common room with the courtesy of Professor Sprout and an apologetic Hannah. "I'm sorry Susie. I forgot how ridiculous the rumors can get with Potter involved."
Susan nodded at her friend's words. She knew her friend never meant for it to go this far, so she couldn't stay mad at her. The rumor mill always had the tendencies to go over the top whenever the Gryffindor golden boy was involved and anyone who spent time with the boy was bound to get dragged in as well. Now, it seems, it was her time in the spotlight. That day made the boy's tendency for secrecy a lot more understandable. "You didn't come up with the manticore or the vampires. I'll just avoid Harry until some other rumor pops up."
During the coming days, the rest of her friends joined her in the common room during mealtime. Reassuring her that the rumors would surely die down soon. Unfortunately, when Harry Potter was involved, one could only avoid trouble for so long.
It was the following Wednesday afternoon and the Hufflepuffs were making their way from another boring defense against the dark arts lesson when someone called out to her. "Susan wait." Turning around the girl started to panic as she saw the cause of all the rumors quickly making his way towards them. "Are you busy right now? I wanted to ask you something." Harry panted. They hadn't shared this last class so he must have run all the way over to her. How did he know they had defence before this?
Ignoring Hannah's playful jab in her side Susan was about to respond when Ernie grabbed her hand and took a half step in front of her. "We need to get to our next class Potter."
"I'll be quick." The Gryffindor took a small step back at Ernie's actions but beyond that stood his ground. He was nervous and uncomfortable by the stares of the group.
After five years at Hogwarts, she knew Harry wasn't someone to walk up to others just for a friendly chat. So, whatever it was, it must have been something important. And she had a feeling that she knew what it was about. "What is wrong Harry?" Susan asked the boy.
He sighed in relief when he realized he wasn't being sent away. "We have that Care for magical creatures' essay due next week and I could use some help. So, I wondered if you had time to study?" Now Susan was confused. Since when do we study together? Did he actually mean it after the last D.A session? Did Hannah set this up? The blond in question cleared her throat with a grin making both her and Harry slightly waver. Of course, her friend seemed to understand what was going on better than her.
The boy grabbed his arm and looked away in embarrassment. "Study together I mean. Not with you as my assistant or anything." Oh... ohhhh. Susan's eyes widened at the mention of those rumors. This wasn't about the care essay, he wanted her to help with the D.A. again. "Like I said, you were a big help last time."
She averted her gaze from the boy. The rumors were finally slowing down but if they were seen "studying" together they would flare up even more than before. Let alone if she helped him with another D.A session. She knew that saying that she couldn't help would only cause the boy to disagree again. Why did he had to ask for help? And why did she want to do it? "What about tomorrow? An hour before dinner?" Susan relented. Maybe she could give him some suggestions about what to do for the next session and then hopefully avoid having to lead it. That sentiment didn't ring true to the girl.
"Would two hours work for you? It's a lot of work." Two should be possible she would just need to finish her charms essay today. Meaning another late-night homework session. She really should take up Hannah's offer to learn how to say no to people again.
But before she could answer, her boyfriend again jumped in. "Susan, you forgot we were going to work on our runes homework then." His grip on her hand tightened as he continued to glare at Harry.
"Ernie, we were meeting after dinner remember?" It was Hannah that pushed back against the boy's excuse. "You and me, have Arithmancy that first hour anyway."
With that, the blond turned to Susan with a large smile. "Don't worry Susie we can finish runes after dinner like we always do." She linked her arm with the girl before turning to Harry. "And you mister. You better keep your wand where people can see it. You have already caused enough rumors about my dear Susie and she is a taken witch, understood?" The boy couldn't nod his head fast enough much to the bemusement of the blond. "Bye Potter. She'll meet you in the library."
Susan blushed a light crimson at her friend's crude humor before being dragged away, the rest of her friends following closely behind them. The blond pulled her friend closer to her with a soft smile. "Told you I would get you promoted."
Thursday quickly came around and luckily their conversation in the halls hadn't caught the castle's attention. Instead, the focus had turned to its next topic as everyone was discussing how Ron Weasley was going to perform in the upcoming Gryffindor, Slytherin match. At least the whole castle except for Susan's friends. They weren't letting go of the most recent developments with Harry anytime soon.
All day the girls tried to pull her into different schemes to get Harry to reveal some of his secret spells (the number and purpose of which have long been discussed by the rumor mill) during the next session. The boys on the other hand were more focused on a different secret, namely the Gryffindor's Quidditch playbook. And the two classes the Hufflepuffs shared that day with the house of the brave were filled with teasing looks and mock winks from nearly everyone present.
The biggest reaction however came from Ernie. The boy became more standoffish whenever the D.A. or even the subject of studying in general was mentioned. Susan tried to cheer him up and made sure to spend as much time together as possible. When it was just the two of them, she was still able to get some smiles from him.
Surprisingly Hannah was the most considerate about the situation of them all. Which for her best friend meant that the teasing was limited to when it was just the two of them. Susan knew how hard that must have been for her friend. She was glad that she had the blond at her side.
Now all her classes were over and after walking Hannah, Ernie, and Megan to their arithmancy class, Susan finally found herself in a secluded corner of the Hogwarts' library. Harry had secured them a table and had already grabbed a few books. "Hey Harry."
The boy quickly stood up from his seat. "Hey Susan." He nervously straightened his robes. "Thank you for helping again."
"No problem. So uhm… how do you want to do this?" As she reached for her chair, Harry suddenly snapped to attention.
"Ohh let me." The boy stepped forward to pull out the chair for the girl, but she was too fast for him.
"Don't worry, I got it." Sitting down she looked up to see the Gryffindor look on in failure. "Should we start?"
"Yeah, we probably should." Harry fell back in his seat. "I think it's the best if we continue focusing on control and casting endurance a little longer. Do you maybe have any ideas from when you practiced?"
"I used to practice with Lumos." She was treading dangerous waters and needed to pull back. Already she could see the boy ready to jump in. "It's maybe too boring for everyone to do though. Maybe we can find something in the books?"
"I… I didn't get far in them yet." He pushed one of the books, a large dusty tome, across the table. Picking it up Susan saw it was a near ancient work on the link between physical health and magical strength. "I think I saw Hermione read some of these before."
Cracking open the book, and ignoring the cloud of dust that rose up in the air, she gave the boy a soft smile. "Maybe we can find something."
"Yeah… maybe." A lot more reluctantly Harry grabbed his own book.
If there was one way Susan would describe her text was that it was filled with interesting ideas separated by long paragraphs of dense explanations and side tangents. More than once, she found her eyes wander away from the page to watch the dust floating in the sunlight. At least she could say that her focus was better than Harry's.
Looking over the edge of her page she saw him impatiently flipping through the pages. He was fidgeting in his seat and his attention seemed to be anywhere but the text in front of him. She was pretty sure he hadn't read a single page yet.
After ten minutes of reading, he gave up. "I heard that Fred and George got you with the hiccup sweets." He grinned as he put down the book.
"They did." Just because she was able to focus a bit more than the boy, didn't mean Susan wasn't dying for a distraction as well. "And they turned my eyes green." She replied.
"They did?" Harry averted his eyes as the heat rose to his cheeks. "I can ask them to stop. I know you aren't a big fan of pranks."
"You don't have to do that. These were kind of funny." She gave a shy smile. While the hiccups became got annoying after the first minute, it was fun to see herself with different eyes. The potion lasted nearly a day and Susan's dorm mates used the chance to have a little fashion show that night. "You didn't ask them to pull those pranks?"
"They told me about them during lunch today." Scrapping his courage together, Harry looked back at her. "Why do you think I asked them? Did they say something?"
"No, they didn't." Now was the best time to figure out what has been going on over the last week. "It's just... Your housemates have been really… nice lately."
"They have been?" Only for Harry to immediately retreat behind his book. "I didn't notice. Maybe they just enjoyed spending time with you last session."
The mood turned tense and awkward as the pair continued to read. After a little more than five minutes, Susan couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her, and she was sure that she hadn't heard Harry turn his page even once. He knew something but just asking him wasn't going to get her the answers.
Trying to lighten the mood she attempted to channel her best friend. "For someone with your own book series you don't seem to like reading much." She said with a teasing smile. All the while praising herself for a joke even Hannah would be proud of.
Only to be met with a groan from the boy across from her. Panicking like she always did when one of her jokes fell flat, Susan tried to salvage the situation. "So you don't like reading?"
"It isn't the reading." Harry sighed. "I just don't like those books."
If there is one thing that she struggles with is when she made people sad or annoyed. Before she could think her mouth started running off again. "I hate your books too. I mean... I don't like the Harry Potter books either."
This caught the boy off guard. Closing his book, he looked up towards the girl. "You don't? Are they that bad?"
"Not really. It's just..." The heat crept up to her cheeks as she thought of the real reason for her dislike of the popular children's book series. With how each new installment would always become the best-selling book of their year, saying that they were just popular might even be an understatement. She was definitely in the minority with her opinion on the series. Seeing no way out she summoned what little courage she had. "You just... You were mean in them."
The corner of his mouth twitched at the revelation. Pushing his book fully away from himself, he leaned forward. His attention was now fully on the Hufflepuff. Leaving her no way out without explaining herself. "Mean? Like, I acted like Malfoy?"
Of course, the boy had never read them before. That fact didn't surprise Susan as much as she expected. She wasn't sure she would have liked reading a book about herself either. "Not that bad, it's complicated... you would need to know the story to understand." Even the prospect of a long story about himself wasn't enough to dissuade Harry. Seeing the boy's interest, she relented despite the embarrassment. "Well, the first book I read by myself was Harry Potter and the Jewel of Lancelot."
"Let me guess, I needed to find the Jewel of Lancelot in that one." Harry said, rolling his eyes at the straightforward title. Still, he smiled. It was simple, charming and he could probably describe some of his years at Hogwarts with a title like that one.
"Well... yes. You go to France after your butler tells you the legend of Lancelot's hidden treasure." Susan faintly smiled as she began to recount the story.
"I have a butler? Please tell me it isn't a house-elf." The Gryffindor was surprised and a little frightened by the fact. No one could know what would happen if Hermione would have ever read the book. Though knowing her she might have read the entire series already.
"No Silverclaw is way cooler!" All of her hesitation evaporated in the blink of an eye. "He was a Hippogriff that you saved in the forbidden forest and is the best flying butler in the world." Silverclaw has always been one of her favorite characters. After she read those first few chapters, she had begged her aunt if they could get a butler just like that for their home. Unfortunately, there were no actual talking Hippogriffs in the world. Let alone those that knew how to make a good cup of tea.
Harry tried to suppress his laughter. His made-up counterpart's life was even more ridiculous than he could have imagined. Having a flying butler would be cool though. "What happened next?" The boy made himself comfortable in his seat. Judging by Susan's enthusiasm just for the butler's name, she had read the story more times than she was letting on.
Just that little intro was enough to fully emerge the girl back into the story. Their objective for meeting forgotten, she jumped into recounting the events of the book with all the silly voices, sound effects, and dramatic pauses necessary to make for a thrilling tale. "As soon as you arrived in France you met a young Veela girl named Marie..."
She was the youngest Veela in all of France. At home, she was often teased for being different from everyone else. Where her sisters loved to sing and dance, Marie liked reading, solving puzzles, and exploring the woods near her home. She was unlike any other Veela in her colony, and nothing showed this more than her eyes.
Where everyone else had the typical blue eyes of the Veela, Marie's were a soft amber color. Something more fitting for a housemaid than a being of love and beauty. Sick of being treated like a child, she left her home in the woods. She was going to prove herself to her sisters and everyone in the colony. She was going to find the legendary Jewel of Lancelot.
The path of the two children crossed as they arrived at Paris' train station. Harry tried to buy some candy from a local stall, but the salesman didn't speak a word of English. Seeing the young boy struggling to explain himself to the locals, Marie cast a spell on him so he could understand the people of France and they could understand his English.
Delighted that he could finally talk with people, Harry bought a large bag of candy. Thanking the young Veela, he offered to share his candy with her. Sitting down on a bench together, the pair dug into their snacks and soon they started to talk about what brought them to the city.
After hearing her story, the boy immediately offered his help in searching for the jewel. When the girl asked why he wanted to help her, the boy had his answer ready. "Adventures are more fun with friends."
The real Harry had to stifle his laughter at Susan's impression of 8-year-old him. "That's the best you can do?" The girl sounded like professor Flitwick whenever he became too enthusiastic in class.
Flushed, the girl crossed her arm. "For your information that was how squeaky your voice was in the first year. And I don't hear you do it better."
"I caught one! Hannah, Ernie look. I caught it!" Her blush only grew at Harry's rather solid impression of her "victory lap" from the last D.A session. He even went as far as throwing his arms in the air to mime her jumping up and down.
Susan coughed before quickly moving on with the story and away from that embarrassing memory. Much to Harry's enjoyment.
Marie was able to provide the boy with more information about what they were looking for. The legends told that the Jewel of Lancelot was a valuable treasure that the young knight had stolen when he fled from Camelot after his affair with Queen Guinevere. He managed to escape King Arthur's wrath and made his way to France. "They say Sir Lancelot made his way across the sea with only the sword on his hip, the clothes on his back, and the treasure bundled close to his heart. At least that is what the legends say."
Using what little knowledge they had, the pair decided to visit Paris's Museum of Magical History. The country's largest source of information on the legends of old. After walking around the exhibits for hours, Marie suddenly felt a tug at her magic.
Following this pull, they snuck into the museum's storage facility where they found a sword hilt supposedly forged by river nymphs. The inscription on the blade was written in old English which Harry managed to read. "Her tears guide me across the storming sea. Her tears built me a home safe from war. Her tears guard my final duty deep within the Eastern Woods."
"Lancelot was raised by the lady of the Lake. This has to be his old sword." Marie exclaimed in excitement. But they only had a short time to celebrate their success as they were captured by the evil French lord, Malin Vieux. The older man was after the treasure as well. But while the kids only looked for adventure, he wanted it for the jewel's reported power to make those who held it the master of all Veela.
He took the sword hilt but with Harry's quick thinking the two heroes managed to escape the man's henchmen. With only the clue on the sword hilt to lead them, the pair traveled to the forests in the East of France. Right on the heel of the evil lord Malin.
At the edge of the forest, they met an ancient druid and the guardian of the woods. Having felt the combined magical power of a Veela and the boy-who-lived, the man appeared before the two to judge their intentions for entering his forest. It was clear to the ancient wizard that they carried nothing but kindness in their hearts, so he decided to aid them in their quest. But only if they were able to answer his riddles.
Three different riddles tested their minds and souls. But the pair weren't tricked by either his clever words nor tempted by greed and managed to answer all three correctly. The druid smiled down on them as a hidden path opened behind him.
Curious as to why the man was helping them Harry asked just that before turning to the path. "It is my duty to protect that which Lord Lancelot loved most. However, I believe it is time that the world learned the truth about my master and his greatest accomplishment." The children continued along the path but took a quick peek back only to see that the Druid was gone.
Armed with this new information they made their way through the forest where they faced all manners of dangers. From magical plants to a large pack of wolves and even a pair of giants. But no matter what crossed their path, the duo managed to outsmart their opponents and continued onwards. Heading ever deeper into the woods.
Finally, at the center of the forest, they found the ruins of an old castle. The ancient buildings around the courtyard were long ago reclaimed by nature and the magic and mortar that held the stones together were starting to crumble. Nobody had lived there for hundreds of years. This was it, the castle of Sir Lancelot.
The duo explored the ruins desperate to find the next clue. But when the place was abandoned those who lived here had taken everything of importance, leaving nothing for the children to find but weeds, dust, and broken furniture. Despite all of this, the place felt familiar to Marie.
Night fell and they had yet to find anything. With every minute they spend in the ruins the Veela girl felt the sadness in her heart grow. Despite their decrepit state, the paths, buildings, and rooms called out to her. Awakening memories and emotions she could no longer ignore. She missed her colony, her sisters, her mother. She was homesick and the pain grew with each step.
Harry noticed how his new friend grew quieter with each passing hour. Not wanting her to be sad he stepped in and gave her a comforting hug. It all became too much for the Veela girl as she tightened the embrace and softly started to cry.
But as one of her tears fell onto the stones below, crystals all around them suddenly started to shine with a bright, soothing, light. After calming down, Marie pulled back from the hug and was awestruck by the sight of the crystals bathing the ruins in a beautiful glow.
Glad to see that his friend had calmed down, Harry reached for a handkerchief to hand to the girl when a realization struck. "Her tears guide..." Looking at the lights around them, he spotted a trail of crystals, shining a little brighter than the rest, leading towards the large building at the center of the square. His eyes widened before turning to his friend with a bright smile. "Marie, you figured it out!"
"How did fake me know what to do?" Harry said, looking impressed at the actions of his counterpart.
"The clue was pretty obvious, right? The riddle kept saying tears over and over again." Susan blinked in confusion. He hadn't figured it out yet? It was a children's story for crying out loud.
"No not that. I had a hunch about that since the museum. How did he know what to do with Marie?" The boy was looking at her with wide eyes and waving his arms around wildly. "He made it look so easy! And who even still has a handkerchief on them!"
"That is what surprises you?" A chuckle escaped the redhead as she looked at the jealousy in Harry's eyes. Who knew the boy who lived's greatest weakness was dealing with girls? "So that is why you are still single."
Her chuckle turned into full laughter as his composure broke before her. The Gryffindor's head slammed against the desk in shame. "So where do the crystals lead?" Taking pity on the poor boy Susan decided to go along with his weak excuse.
As the two followed the path, they were led deep into the main building of the castle. Making their way through a maze of hallways and rooms the path came to an end before a large stone door. The stone doorway was beautifully decorated with floral patterns and images of animals. But looming above the door was an ominous messaged carved into the wall. "If thou share her gift, enter. If thou shun her gift, leave. If thou are an enemy of her gift, perish."
Before they could figure out if it was safe to enter Lord Malin walked around the corner, clapping his hands, and thanking them for finding the path for him. The kids were bound with ropes and could do nothing but watch as the man used a variety of unlocking charms on the stone door.
With a heavy groan, the door slowly opened, and air rushed into the room that hadn't been opened in centuries. Ordering his henchmen to guard the kids, Lord Malin entered the room with an evil laugh.
Harry and Marie struggled against the ropes when suddenly a harsh screech emanated from the room and a large, bright fire burst to life. Lord Malin screams echoed through the halls and his henchmen rushed into the room. Only for them to join him in his cries of pain.
The tendrils of flames made their way through the doorway and into the hallway. "Marie now." Acting quickly the duo managed to roll onto their sides and get the ropes close enough to the fire to burn through it, setting them free.
Jumping up they ran to the door and using all their strength pushed the surprisingly cold, stone slabs close just as Lord Malin's final scream rang out. Both the light of the flames and the crystals died, leaving the kids alone in the pitch-black hallway.
Leaning back against the door, their eyes met. "Harry, do you trust me?" Marie whispered. The boy nodded. He did because that is what friends did. After making extra sure no parts of the door were hot any loner, they pushed it open and stepped through.
The room wasn't a treasure vault or armory like they had speculated. Instead, it was a small nursery decorated to look like a forest bathed in silver and blue hues and filled with ancient toys. In the middle of the room stood a crib with a comfortable chair beside it. There were no signs of fire nor of Lord Malin and his men.
Harry picked up a doll with long silver hair and bright blue eyes. Despite its age and signs of heavy use, none of its colors had faded in the slightest.
Marie was drawn to the center of the room. She let her hand run along the soft wooden frame of the crib when her eyes landed on the chair and the small bronze locket that laid on it. She reached out with hesitation and as her hand inched closer to it, the locket shook. Marie jumped back in fear.
Pocketing the doll, Harry walked up to his friend and put his hand on her shoulder, gave her a reassuring nod. Steeling her nerves, the Veela leaned forward and touched the top of the locket. It immediately shot open, revealing the small portrait of a beautiful silver blond woman wearing a magnificent golden crown and a crimson red dress with gold embroilments. The text in the locket read. "Fair Guinevere, holder of half my heart."
The woman awoke at the children's sharp intake of breath and at once her eyes narrow at the sight of Harry. "Who dares disturb me?" The Queen's voice, the same they had heard when Lord Mailin entered, was laced with rage as feathers started to sprout around her neck and cheekbones.
Marie quickly pulled her friend behind her before he could meet the same faith as the evil man. "Please don't hurt him. He is my friend."
The Queen's blue eyes met Marie's brown ones and at once the woman's harsh glare and feathers faded away to a kind smile. "How long have I waited to see those eyes again? You have finally come my child."
By now Harry was leaning forward and softly biting his lip in anticipation. He hadn't interrupted her once over the last few minutes. Clearly, Susan wasn't the only one enjoying the story.
The Queen recounted the story of how she had met and eventually married King Arthur. As a Veela she was the only one whose love was strong enough to support a man who had to carry the weight of the entire kingdom on his shoulders. With her by his side, the legendary king was able to ascend his father's throne, repel the Saxons and create the round table.
But the world was wilder in those days and its men more vicious. For every enemy Arthur defeated, two more would inevitably rise. Forcing him and his man to leave their homes and march out once again. "At times, I spent more days away from my husband than I did by his side. Being away from the people we love is hard. Especially for us Veela."
At the Queen's words, Marie wiped at the tear stains underneath her eyes. Those words rang true beyond romantic love. Harry grabbed his friend's hand and gave a comforting squeeze.
"Those months I would feel colder than during the harshest of winters. Then I found someone who could warm my heart. A man who loved my King just as much as I did." When Arthur was gone, Guinevere and the young knight Lancelot would find relief from their grief and fear in each other arms, and a gentle love was formed.
Arthur knew. She could never lie to him. When she told him, he looked hurt. Both for her actions but even more so for his own. He knew that his continued absence is what brought his wife such anguish. But he was a King, and his duty was to his people first. Until he could find a way to end all wars, he wouldn't be able to heal his wife's aching heart. He accepted this bond and appointed Lancelot as the Queen's personal guard whenever he had to leave Camelot.
The king turned a blind eye, but fate didn't. This love between Queen and knight couldn't be. When the King next ventured out on a campaign to the North, the Queen and Knight were forced to make a decision that broke their hearts.
"My dear Lancelot stole away in the night and secured himself passage on a ship. He set off from the coast towards France with only his sword, the clothes on his back, this locket and his treasure bundled up against his chest." Guinevere's voice cracked as she wiped away her tears.
"Only when the English shore had disappeared behind the horizon did, he dare expose the child's face. A girl carrying the silver hair of the Veela, looked back at him with those beautiful amber eyes that mirrored his own. And our daughter smiled as she saw her father."
"I knew it!" Harry hit the table in delight, his eyes sparkling with the joy of hearing you guessed a story's twist correctly.
Susan giggled at his enthusiasm. She remembered how she had burst into her Auntie's home office to tell her after she first read this part all those years ago. Unfortunately, the group of aurors there for a meeting didn't agree with her that this was the most important thing ever.
Arriving in France, Lancelot made his way East to be as far away from England as possible. He planned to go all the way to the mountains of Russia but during his journey, he passed by a Veela colony plagued by raids from both men and beast.
Being the true knight that he was, he offered his sword to the Veela and made his home in their forest. There he would build his castle and became the protector of the colony. Giving his daughter the chance to grow up safely surrounded by her own people. This was the true story of Sir Lancelot, knight of Camelot
Taking the locket with them the friends left the castle of Lancelot behind and returned to Marie's colony. As soon as they arrived at the girl's home the girl was taken into a deep hug by her mother and sisters, who cried tears of joy at finally having their Marie back. Harry looked at the tearful reunion with a smile for his friend.
A feast was organized to celebrate the return of the two heroes. The entire village was in awe of the mythical treasure they had found. All wanted to meet the Queen, dance with Harry, and praise Marie for her success. Fires burned and music played throughout the late hours of the night.
The next morning as the village slept, Harry snuck out of the guest room and made his way to the colony's borders. There, with the locket open, Marie waited for him. Queen Guinevere had declared that she wouldn't part with her heir no matter what. His friend had carried the locket on her ever since.
The adventure was over, the treasure was safe, and they both knew it was time to go home. Still, the young Veela girl couldn't stop her tears. She didn't want to lose her friend. "We will see each other again, won't we?"
"Of course we will." He smiled at the girl. "We are friends, aren't we?"
Queen Guinevere spoke up. "Remember dear, you are a Veela princess now." Harry laughed as his friend blushed at her new position. The portrait was adamant about her heir taking up her proper title. "And you young Harry. Remember it's a knight's duty to come whenever his princess calls for him."
The kids' eyes sparkled, and Marie picked up a branch from the ground. Harry knelt before her and the girl knighted the boy "Sir Harry of house Potter, protector of the colony and best friend of the Veela Princess."
Standing back up the two friends looked at each other before bursting out in laughter. Not even Queen Guinevere could contain her smile at the silly antics of the children. As the pair calmed down, Marie leaned forward and kissed Harry on the cheek. "Goodbye Harry." With that, the girl ran back to the village to be with her family.
Harry continued to wave towards his retreating friend until she disappeared out of sight. Lowering his hand, he turned around and set off on his way. "It's time to go home."
"The end." Susan clapped her hands together. Hours had passed since the two first met. The setting sun now basked the library in an orange glow. Dinner had started some time ago and it was now only the two of them in the library.
She giggled softly as she spotted the goofy grin on Harry's face. Trying to save face the boy cleared his throat and brought the conversation back to what started this retelling in the first place. "Was that why you thought I was mean? Because Marie kissed me?" He remembered the many glare and insults Fleur had receive from the girls at Hogwarts last year and so had the boys who couldn't stop staring at her. He himself was put on the receiving end of plenty of them for a while after the second task and the lake.
The redhead's eyes widen. "Of course not. That was the best part!" She hit the table with such intensity that the boy scooted back to avoid her fury.
"Uhm then why did you hate it?" Harry asked confused. Fake him seemed like a rather standard fairy tale hero after all. Even if he might be a bit too optimistic for his taste.
"I... I didn't." The heat crept up to her cheeks. There was no way out. "It is... was my favorite book ever. I read it again and again until the next one came out a year later."
"Was that one really bad?" The girl shook her head at his guess. "Then what was the problem?" Harry instantly knew he said the wrong thing as the redhead's eyes burst with fire.
Years ago, a young Susan had bought the next Harry Potter book the moment it came out and devoured it in a matter of days. While it was about as good as The Jewel of Lancelot there was one massive problem. "The next adventure didn't mention Marie once. And you were acting like you didn't know her at all!"
Ever the true Hufflepuff she took that betrayal against her favorite character, one she could see herself in, very personal. When she first finished the book, she had torn it to pieces and swore to never read a Harry Potter book again. Her Aunt even needed to intervene so that she wouldn't let it cloud her judgment over the real Harry when both would ultimately go to Hogwarts.
Turns out she still wasn't completely over it. "In fact, you were suddenly all buddy-buddy with some stupid mermaid. How can you betray Marie like that?" She crossed her arms and looks away from the boy across from her.
Right at that moment, she realized just who she was talking to. Looking back at the blank-faced boy she tried to stutter out an excuse. "I... I mean..."
Only for Harry to burst out in roaring laughter. Holding onto his gut, and with tears forming in his eyes, the boy struggled to speak. "That must be the most Hufflepuff thing I ever heard."
"Hey!" Susan's embarrassment quickly faded as she too broke in the light of his infectious laughter. The two students didn't even try to retain their composure as their laughter filled the stuffy school library.
So what did you guys think of Harry Potter and the Jewel of Lancelot. The idea of their actually being made-up Harry Potter stories within the Wizarding world is just a goldmine of story ideas and character moments. Honestly I am surprised Warner Bros has managed to withstand the temptation of making an animated series around that idea (though I think animation is definitely the wrong direction to go with Harry Potter).
I knew that this story needed a "date" moment where we just had Harry and Susan sitting down together having fun and this just fit perfectly. Hopefully you enjoyed the tone I chose for the fairy tale. I wanted to make it give off that glorified image of Harry that he was confronted with when he first entered the Wizarding world and I would think that when these books were written they would also be used by people on the light side to push their ideas to the forefront. Hence having a Veela heroine who isn't just a pretty face and having an evil pureblood lord villain (I am also very proud of the ridiculously dumb name I managed to give him) Let me know what you thought of the tale? Would you read the Harry Potter fairy tale stories? Would you want your own Hippogriff butler?
To the reviews!
Merry 1995 - Thank you! Yes having Harry around definitely makes it hard not to shift focus too much. There is just so much characterization in his character from all the books and movies that it becomes too easy to imagine his reactions to anything that happens. So making sure that his "screen"time doesn't overshadow the other characters is a struggle and the temptation definitely got the better of me a few times this chapter.
BlackjaxCXXIII - That's great to hear! Yes having a non main character as your lead takes of some of the pressure of needing them to reach a certain stage quickly. The fact that the end of her character development isn't predetermined by canon makes for a nice clean slate.
Kairan1979 - Thank you for the continuing support!
Next week I will be on a much needed holiday so I won't be able to post. The chapter is finished and it's a big one (word wise) so no need to worry it won't takes months to get it to you. I hope to post in two weeks after which I will probably switch to an upload every other week model. One chapter a week was a bit too optimistic on my part haha.
Have a great weekend people!