|-OvO-|
Harry had started to notice a trend, his relatives were sullenly ignoring him. He had a suspicion the visit from Hagrid had scared them stiff for now, Dudley certainly ran from him every time their paths crossed. He was spending every moment he could reading his magic textbooks, how exacting things were surprised him. There were no long flowery poems or swooping wand movements, it was all one or two words and small twitching movements with the wand. It reminded Harry of video game cheats, or combos Harry had seen Dudley do in his fighting game.
Harry was too scared to say things out loud, bringing the wrath of Vernon down on him when they had been good enough to ignore him so far was not at the top of his to-do list. Instead, he practiced each motion carefully, doing it over and over. Fleur said it was like muscle memory, so Harry practiced flexing his magical muscle over and over, he imagined the spells happening. He felt a bit silly, but eventually he would say the incantations and with any luck, his practice would pay off.
His potions book was both fascinating and a little boring at the same time. It sounded a lot like baking, Harry was good at baking, he had been cooking for his relatives since he could reach the stove. Being exacting was to be expected, the interesting part was the ingredients and what they suggested of the magical world. It was vast, and must be somehow completely hidden from non-magical people. He was doing his best to memorize the ingredients and what they were used for. When he heard a light tapping at his window, he hopped up and opened it letting Hedwig inside. She put her leg out until Harry took the letter, he was getting better at that.
He leaned against the wall and read. He was surprised that she could understand how he felt, it sounded like she had it a lot worse. He had not read anything about Veela in his school books but made a mental note to check the school's library, he wasn't sure how big or helpful it would be but it couldn't hurt. It was pretty awful that they were enslaved and treated like animals. He pulled over a parchment, wanting to put his thoughts to paper.
Dear Fleur,
That is awful, you looked plenty human to me. Very pretty, but human. How do they know you are a Veela… I suppose it isn't something you should have to hide anyway.
It sounds like the wizarding world has its own problems. If there is anything I can do to help just say so. I wish I knew anything about my school. I met a boy when I was getting my robes and he was very full of himself and asked me what house I was going to be in, he seemed to think he would be in Slytherin and it was the best. All I know is that's the last House I want to be in. Do you know anything about Hogwarts?
I don't feel deceived, you can hardly help recognizing someone. You probably know all about me, but I never asked about you, where do you live? Do you have siblings? What do your parents do?
Your friend,
Harry
Harry didn't want to flood her with questions, if he really sat and thought about it he would never stop. He attached the letter to Hedwig and watched her go for a moment before turning back to the long list of ingredients in the back of the potions book, maybe he could rewrite the list and group them based on effect.
|-OvO-|
Fleur stopped her kata as Hedwig landed on the open sill of the window she took the letter and sat at her writing desk spreading out the letter carefully. She knew Harry would be understanding about her being Veela, she was surprised that she felt happy and flattered at being complimented. She had noticed in the past weeks that the mentality of her past life was fading into the distance like the memory of someone else, she could feel it there as a set of knowledge but she very much felt like the thirteen-year-old girl she now was. In a way she was almost as lost as Harry, she had been hounded by men in her past life, married young to the wrong man then found Harry. Her experience as a young woman had been sheltered.
And Fleur had to admit to herself, she had been arrogant, selfish and short-sighted. Well, she could fix all of that. It would put her adrift in open waters, but she had chosen the wrong person to trust her heart with the first time. This time she knew she could trust Harry, and as much as she wanted to save him pain and smooth the scars that had gathered on his soul she could do the same for herself. She was this Fleur now, she had to give herself a childhood worth remembering as well. She pulled out her writing material and took a deep breath before writing.
Dear Harry,
I live on the coast of France, my family has owned this land for generations. I live with my mother and father, my mother is a healer of great skill and my father is a businessman. He trades things with Britain. I have a younger sister named Gabrielle. The world only knows about how your parents died Harry, and that in the attempt to kill you Voldemort died. People will also recognize your scar, but I am sure you know that.
I know a little about Hogwarts, there are four houses. There is a magical hat that helps you make the decision which is best for you. Slytherin is supposed to be for people who value cunning, Ravenclaw for those who value clever ways to solve problems. Hufflepuff I am not sure about but I remember the name. I have been told Gryffindor is for the brave, and has much to recommend it. Many of the most famous wizards were in Gryffindor. Many players of the Britains International Quidditch team come from Gryffindor.
I hope that is some help.
How are you doing Harry? Finding out about the magical world must be a surprise, and suddenly being a zoo animal can be hard. At least we can send notes from our cages.
Your friend,
Fleur
Fleur leaned back into her chair and sighed, she wished she could tell Harry. She wished Harry knew like she did, the burden of knowing was heavy. She was glad that she felt young again, glad that it was slowly fading into a set of memories she could pull from rather than something that felt immediately her. She sent Hedwig off with the letter and finished her kata, martial arts was always relaxing.
|-OvO-|
Harry had given up on his history of magic book, it was written in such a way to make giant wars sound boring. Instead, he continued to practice wand movements from his books and picturing what should happen, he was currently looking at the wooden leg of some toy Dudley had broken long ago and imagining it turning into a matchstick to Harry's shock the foot-long jagged piece of woof suddenly morphed into something resembling a drumstick. He had done magic, sure it was supposed to be much smaller and have a striking head, but it was damned close. He looked at his wand then at the drumstick thing, he hadn't used words, his book did not mention not using words.
He poked it with his wand as it slowly shifted back to the jagged piece of wood it had been, Hedwig hooted at him from the dresser. He had not even noticed her show up, "When did you get here girl?" He lovingly stroked her head as he took the letter. Harry read her reply with interest then chuckled sardonically at the end, it was a lot like sending letters through bars, at least he had someone now. He felt a warm glow whenever he thought about her. The information on Hogwarts was new, a magical hat… that was neat, on his first day he would get to use a magical object. He made up his mind to go for Gryffindor, if it was high in Fleur's estimation from out of the country it really must have a good reputation. But her letter did draw some questions forward. He pulled out another sheet of paper, at this rate he would need to buy more for his classes.
Dear Fleur,
What is Quidditch?
You live on the coast, that is really cool. I have never been myself, do you live near a beach? I have always wanted to go to one. I should probably learn to swim first, I wonder if Hogwarts has somewhere I can learn. I am doing okay, I am getting more excited to be anywhere but here. My relatives really hate me, the school had to send a half-giant to make them let me go to Hogwarts. They seem pretty scared of him now but they are ignoring me completely. It is an improvement.
I was practicing magic using what you said, imagine what I want to happen, then visualize it happening. I turned a piece of wood almost into a matchstick. I didn't say anything, is that normal?
Your friend,
Harry
Harry figured Fleur would know what was going on, she had years of magical experience. She had at the very least cast one successful spell, which if he remembered his math right was one hundred percent more than he had. Harry sent the letter off with Hedwig and went back to practicing.
|-OvO-|
Fleur had her school things packed with the books on top so she could unpack them first. She only had a handful of days left before returning to school and she had to make a plan to get into Hogwarts on a regular basis. She had started to write what she could remember about Harry's tales of Hogwarts down, she had a lot of ideas about how she could reach her goals but was unsure about the specifics. No plan survives contact with the enemy, it was a quote from a muggle general in Germany that she had taken to heart. Harry had always thrown himself into things and time after time he had survived. A thought struck her, causing a tear to track down her cheek. Until he hadn't.
Hedwig interrupted her dark thoughts, she snagged the letter and sat on her school trunk to read it. Of course, he didn't know what Quidditch was yet. And he had managed silent casting already, Fleur was slightly shocked until she remembered that he had managed a Patronus at thirteen. Harry had been undriven but a fairly talented wizard in his youth.
Dear Harry,
Quidditch is a lot like soccer on broomsticks. It is the biggest wizarding sport there is. Brooms work a lot like wands, you just have to firmly imagine what you want them to do. Speaking of which, it is amazing you have managed to start casting without words. It is called silent casting. It is something most adults can't do. I wanted to wish you luck on your first day, I know you will do well.
Your friend,
Fleur
|-OvO-|
Fleur levitated her trunk into the corner of her dorm, she had her parents drop her off as early as possible. Claiming she didn't want to make them miss a workday, it was still dark outside. She balled up a pair of black robes and climbed out her room's window, the school had afforded her a private room because her ancestry could cause issues, she had full control of herself this time around but Miss Maxime did not know that. She hurried off, once she was out of her school's wards so she disillusioned herself and changed robes. She apparated to the Banque de France and hurried through unseen, the quick Floo to Gringotts took seconds. She apparated directly to platform nine and three quarters. She watched as train yard workers prepped the train for his voyage, it was an old train that could not have made the trip without magic. She looked on wistfully, her school did not have such a whimsical way to transfer students, it really separated the outside world from the school. Fleur thought it was a stroke of genius.
She snuck on and got familiar with the train itself, the overheads and the food storage area the most interesting. She squeezed into a small cupboard full of various candies and snacked as she waited. She heard children start to enter and found a small corner where she could watch the entire hall so she could follow Harry when he entered. She remembered Harry mentioning he met Hermione when she was looking for a frog. Fleur wanted to encourage that relationship but wasn't sure what she could do, if she kept the frog from getting lost he may never meet her. If she put the frog in the compartment with Harry that could be a good start.
She kept an eye out for Neville, she knew him as a strong handsome man. But he had always said he started out awkwardly, she was shocked when she saw a chubby shy boy enter the train clutching a frog. She could hardly believe that this boy had become the Neville she had known, the man that had held ground at the battle of Knockturn Alley for three whole days. He had died a hero, Fleur almost grasped his shoulder to comfort the lost-looking boy. Instead, she gently picked up his toad as he set him down to wrestle his trunk into a rack in his compartment. She took one last look and went back to her post waiting for Harry, absentmindedly petting the toad. She spotted Harry and had to loosen her grip on the toad as it ribbited in protest as her hands tightened.
She watched him enter the train and followed him to an empty compartment, she gently tossed the toad in as he closed the door. She watched as a young Ron looked into empty compartment after empty compartment until he found Harry's. She was not sure how she felt about that, he had not been a great friend to Harry. She went back to her snack-filled hidey-hole and settled in for the ride to Hogwarts, she knew she was missing getting her schedule at school but she was pretty sure she remembered it anyway. She was jolted awake when the train stopped, she crawled out of her hiding space and stretched.
Making her way off was easy, she just followed anyone with an all black robe then heard a loud voice booming out "Firs' years!" She managed to climb into the boat with Harry, Hermione, Ron and Neville. "No more 'n four to a boat!" Hagrid shouted to the group, she figured she hardly added enough weight to worry. She was more concerned with being spotted or touched. The trip was quick, she did notice Harry sitting next to Hermione instead of Ron like he had told her. Hopefully Harry took that relationship more seriously earlier, they both deserved to be better friends earlier. Perhaps Harry's fighting spirit will rub off on Hermione better, the intelligence division of the resistance might have survived Daphne's betrayal if Hermione had been a better fighter. She watched the school loom large in the twilight, it was austere but as beautiful as a mountain crag.
Fleur mentally waved goodbye to Harry and ran up the stairs. She had been in the castle for almost a whole school year, she had some idea of where to go. An odd cat followed her the second she entered the school, almost as she found the correct hallway an odd man that looked like one of the wretches that licked algae drippings from the leaks in the vats in the sprawl. She waited as he sniffed around the area talking to the cat. He eventually wandered off muttering darkly. She walked back and forth thinking hard about a way to get from Hogwarts to Beauxbatons and contacting Harry easily, maintaining the two concepts in mind was made easier by her experience controlling her Cyberware system, casting magic and moving at the same time. It was almost a requirement of survival to be able to think multiple things at once.
A door appeared, it had interconnected planets on it. She pushed it open and almost gasped at the room of spinning silver circles with the clicking of clockwork filling the room and mirrors covering the walls. She recognized the two-way mirrors of varying sizes, she was careful to avoid the spinning silver hoops that seemed to appear and disappear into lines on the floor in the center of the room. She gently touched one of the palm-sized mirrors and watched it glow briefly. She looked around and spotted the back of her head on the other side of the room, she carefully pulled them both down. She would send one to Harry later, writing letters was nice. But being able to talk to him would be nice. She carefully pocketed them and looked at the structure in the middle of the room, she cast a detection spell on it and got back a confusing mish-mash of information. It was ancient, it had a purpose she could not grasp, but it would work for what she wanted, it connected two mirrors so not only were they able to transmit sound and image but you could go through it. She pulled down two mirrors that were about two feet square, she felt like it was just big enough for her to make it through even as an adult.
Fleur carried them into the circle in the middle of the room timing the silver hoops, she needn't have worried, they seemed to avoid her. She set them down and stepped out, the circle spit out dozens of interlocking hoops that spun and danced. She watched as the mirrors were bathed in a golden light then the hoops collapsed into the ground without a trace. She tiptoed over and picked them up, she set one against the wall and gently touched the other. Her hand appeared out of the other with a light tingle. She smiled, the room was really a wonder, thousands of years of forgotten magic intelligently available. Fleur hesitantly left the room and made her way across Hogwarts, she did not know exactly where Gryffindor tower was but she knew a fat lady's portrait was the guardian and it was a tower.
Fleur paused after a moment and looked up at a painting of a witch smelling a potion vat, she released her disillusion spell "Pardon, where can I find Gryffindor tower?"
"First-year? Dear, you are lost. Go down this hall, take a left and go up the stairs." Fleur shot the witch a dazzling smile and ran off. She was not sure how much longer she had. She saw a portrait of a rather large woman in a large pink dress up ahead, she disillusioned herself again and snuck up and cast a sticking charm on the back of the mirror and stuck it to the bottom of the portrait frame hidden from sight. The school was likely to be locked down but to the best of her knowledge the wards did not cover the dark forest, she quickly made her way out, she was lucky to catch Hagrid heading out the large front doors to his hut. She followed him down and went into the forest until she felt the wards disappear, with a crack she was gone and on her way to her dorm room.
The trip through the banks and back onto Beauxbatons went without a hitch, Fleur reflected that the school did not expect people to want to leave, or really, for the students old enough to have the skills to do so easily to have any reason to. She carefully slid the large mirror up into her window careful to cast a levitation spell on it slowly letting it settle before she climbed in after it. The mirror was dark, and if she touched the front she felt a slightly rough texture. She pushed gently and saw a crack of light and heard the excited talking of students, she heard "Caput Draconis." stated with confidence a few times, she looked around the room trying to think of a good place for the mirror. She put it face down on her writing desk, if anyone looked at the back of the painting it should show a dark square of wood attached that way.
|-OvO-|
Fleur flopped onto her bed, she was dedicated to being the best she could but going through classes in person was going to be a bit of a struggle. Knowing everything that was going to be said was like watching a slow and boring movie. She hoped her in-depth homework and high control of magic would get her moved into more advanced classes quickly, for that to happen she needed to not only review everything she had learned at school she needed to push further. She had two whole libraries at her fingertips, Hogwarts was well known for having one of the larger collections and Beauxbatons had inherited the collections from the age of enlightenment.
Fleur pushed herself up, she would tell herself that she could rest when she was dead, but she knew damn well that wasn't true, turns out that for her, rest came when she had broken the chains that bound Tom to this world then made him pay for every life he had taken, would take. She heard scrabbling at her window, Hedwig waited patiently for her to open it, she was not sure how Hedwig resisted the school's wards that directed owls to the owlery. She took the letter letting Hedwig in while she read the letter.
Dear Fleur,
My first day was brilliant, you were right about the sorting hat. Some kid tried telling us that you had to wrestle a troll. I was put in Gryffindor. There was so much food I hardly knew where to look. I can't wait for class tomorrow.
Your friend,
Harry
Fleur smiled, she enjoyed seeing Harry happy and carefree, it was a new side for her. She picked up her quill and quickly wrote before Hedwig became inpatient.
Dear Harry,
I am attaching a two-way mirror, we will be able to see each other and talk through it. I will keep this letter short, because I will be able to talk to you the second you get this. Don't show anyone the mirror, they are kind of rare.
Your friend,
Fleur
Fleur carefully wrapped the mirror in parchment and cast a sticking charm to keep it closed then wrapped it in her letter and tied it to Hedwig "Zis is very fragile 'Edwig, take care of it Oui?" Hedwig gave her a hotty look and flew out the window. Fleur shook her head and went back to studying, she was currently near the end of her third-year books and was grateful she had the fourth to move on to. She might have to buy the next set, her parents would probably raise an eyebrow at her going two years ahead. She needed more money, sure her family had money but that wasn't the same as her having it, she had brought her entire life savings in her trunk. It was time to bet on the winner of her school's first Quidditch match, it would take some effort to spread the bets out between enough of the students that took bets so she did not clean anyone out too much.
|-OvO-|
Fleur walked into her room and tossed her bag on her bed. She pulled out her Charms book and pulled it over to her desk. She looked at the essay she had to write and thought for a second then pulled out the fourth-year Charms book as well. Everything she did had to be amazing. She was halfway into the essay when the small hand mirror glowed without her noticing "...Fleur?" Harry's hesitant voice came out from underneath a stack of notes. Fleur dropped her quill and dug around "Oh, one minute 'Arry." She felt the mirror underneath one more piece of parchment, she flipped it up and saw Harry's large bottle green eye filling the entire surface. She laughed "'Arry, back eet up ze mirror is to close."
The mirror pulled back and Fleur saw Harry's face framed by curtains and a pillow behind him "Fleur! This is brilliant. Is that Beauxbatons?" Fleur carefully moved the mirror so Harry could see her room, then aimed it out her window so he could see part of the grounds; it was too dark to see most of it. "Wow, you have your own room?"
Fleur hopped onto her bed and leaned against her pillow "Oui, ze ozzer girls… Zey do not want to be civil."
Harry looked perplexed "They bully you?"
Fleur flushed, the longer she spent in her new self the more she was once more her thirteen-year-old self "Oui, 'Arry. I told you Veela are not well thought of."
Harry leaned towards the mirror "That is stupid, I am sorry Fleur. I wish there was something I could do."
Fleur smiled her dazzling smile at him "'Arry, you are 'elping right now. I can not tell you 'ow much your friendship means to me."
Harry blushed, a voice Fleur didn't recognize piped up "Harry? Are you talking to someone?"
Harry looked to his left, "Oh, uh, no, just getting ready for bed." He shot Fleur a look and got closer to the mirror to whisper "Forgot for a moment I wasn't alone. Your friendship means a lot to me too, Fleur." He paused and looked around. "Wish there was a way we could talk without people hearing."
Fleur held up a finger and ran over to her charms books, she flipped through it quickly and found the silencing spell and held it up so Harry could see it "Fleur, it's in French." Fleur looked down at the book and rolled her eyes.
"One minute 'Arry she mumbled." She snagged her quill and some of her notepaper and wrote out the spell then held it up for him "Zink you can cast eet?" Harry looked nervous.
"Well, I have one day of magical education now… worth a try" he whispered. He reached out from his curtains and grabbed his wand off his bedside table, he looked at her writing then at the hangings around him and whispered "Silencio." his wand lit up briefly but flickered.
"'Arry, like zis." She flicked her wand in a diagonal slashing movement.
Harry tried again "Silencio." He hissed out, his wand lit with a greyish light. The small noises of the other boys moving, talking around him faded and disappeared.
Fleur bounced and clapped "Magnifique 'Arry!"
Harry grinned "Wouldn't have managed it without you. Now we can talk whenever."
Fleur could not help but smile, she felt like she had never smiled this much in her life "Oui 'Arry, every night if you wish."
Harry nodded enthusiastically "I should go for now, I need to get some school work done, a girl I met, Hermione said she would be in the common room doing it."
Fleur made a shooing motion with her hand "Do not keep 'er waiting zen 'Arry, I 'ave school work as well. Do not be shy about asking me for 'elp."
Harry shot her a grin and slipped the mirror into his pocket. Fleur saw the cloth slide over the surface of the mirror and then it went dark.
|-OvO-|
Fleur checked in with Harry morning and night, she left the connection of the mirror open full time. She got used to the sounds of Harry's daily life. She figured out how to lower the volume on the mirror by modulating the silencing spell, she kept it just loud enough for her to hear it from her chest pocket. She was eating her lunch when she heard an oily aggressive voice start describing potions making in the most grandiose terms she had ever heard. Suddenly she heard "Potter! What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
She was about to try whispering to him when she heard "The drought of living death professor?"
Fleur felt a surge of pride when the oily voice made a growling noise and snapped "What is a bezoar?"
"A stone from a goats stomach?" said Harry hesitantly.
"Don't know what it is good for?" Snape snapped.
"You didn't ask, professor." Fleur heard a female voice say.
"Five points from Gryffindor." Snape shot.
"Cures some poisons when swallowed?" Harry almost asked.
"What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?" Snape's voice came again. Harry had not exaggerated his tales of this man, Fleur thought.
"That's the first ingredient in the glossary. They are the same thing, Aconite." Fleur could hear the relief in Harry's voice.
"Why aren't any of you writing this down?" Snape snapped.
Fleur shook her head as she finished her lunch, she had no idea why Dumbledore allowed that man to abuse students.
|-OvO-|
Fleur continued her studying, she was starting to feel like she needed a schedule to keep everything going. She needed time for all of her classes and the work given for them, she needed to keep up her martial arts training, worse she needed to relearn all of it. Fleur was very much a thirteen-year-old girl now, and this thirteen-year-old girl had not searched the world for thirty years learning any form of combat she could. At least she knew it all, she just had to instill years of muscle memory. She pulled out a large piece of parchment and started using her quill and her wand to draw straight lines to form a weekly schedule. She saw Harry out of the corner of her eye getting comfortable and silencing his surroundings, she had propped the two-way mirror up on a pile of books aimed at her while she worked.
"Fleur?" Harry said as she finished a line.
Without looking, Fleur replied "Bonne Soiree, 'Arry. 'Ave a good day?"
Harry flopped backwards throwing his arms up "My potions teacher HATES me for some reason."
"Oui, I 'eard zat earlier. You did well." She said as she looked at the seven squares in a row on the paper and nodded absentmindedly at it.
"You did? Well, I am glad you told me to read my books, no idea what would have happened if I didn't know the answers. Would quit potions if it was allowed." Harry said in an exasperated tone.
Fleur looked over and shot him a sympathetic smile "I understand 'Arry. Eet is a tough subject with a good teacher. But eet is one of ze strongest forms of magic. An unprepared wizard is a dead wizard, and potions go a long way when you know what you will need."
Harry rubbed the back of his neck "Yeah, I suppose. How long do potions last? Can you brew up a lot and keep them on your belt like in a video game?"
Fleur quirked an eyebrow "Video game? I am sorry 'Arry I 'ave not tried one. But potions can last many years. I do not see why you could not keep some on you if you were careful with zem and zey were properly stoppered."
Harry looked thoughtful "So it isn't normal for wizards to carry some wherever they go?"
Fleur shook her head. "Eet would be unusual."
"Wonder where I can find a list of potions and what they do. Snape made it sound like some could be really useful, why aren't they used more often Fleur?" Harry inquired.
Fleur paused to think "Expense is part of eet, Ze ozer is probably laziness 'Arry. Eet is mostly 'ouse wives zat take ze time."
Harry looked thoughtful "Thanks, Fleur. I got to finish some school work. Talk to you in the morning?"
"Of course, 'Arry. Bon nuit."
"Good night Fleur."