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Chapter 5– Quidditch and Dueling
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Scowling in irritation, Jacob left the fireplace and stepped inside the Potter camp.
Both of his parents were already moving towards the tent flap, having just recieved a patronus from aunt Bella claiming they've arrived.
Jacob didn't need to be told who 'They' were.
It wasn't all bad really. Sure Harry might try making his life difficult but atleast Jake would get to meet aunt Bella. His dorm-mates were so going to die of envy when he tells them who he met this summer.
Bellatrix Black was widely regarded as the most sought-after witch for marriage. Not only was she supposed to inherit the lordship of one of the most feared houses in England, she was also considered as the most beautiful woman in Europe for the last decade.
The only thing that kept people from scheming for her hand was the fact that she herself was extremely feared across the entire continent, having been named the strongest duelist of this generation.
All of this didn't matter to Jacob. What mattered was the tightening of his breeches whenever the woman came in his thoughts. She alone had filled his dreams on all those... lonely and desperate nights in castle.
Jacob stumbled forward as he felt someone push him from behind.
"Why in Merlin's name are you blocking the fireplace like a statue, dummy?" Dorea's irritated voice barked in his ears.
"Oh shut up, Rea. I'm not in the mood to fight." Jacob muttered, straightening his clothes from any wrinkles. He wanted to look his absolute best today.
"First of all, I wasn't trying to fight." His elder sister sniffed haughtily. "Second of all, you wouldn't have won anyway so your mood doesn't matter."
Annoyed, he swiped at the redhead, entangling his fingers in her hair before pulling hard.
Dorea shrieked like a banshee before wildly waving her wand in his direction, and suddenly he found himself being knocked out of his feet and thrown across the room.
Jacob groaned, pushing himself to sit up. "You're so going to be in trouble for using magic, you absolute moron."
His sister stared at him confused for a second before breaking out in uncontrollable giggles. "D-didn't...hehehe... didn't dad tell you? Oh you stupid git. We are free to use magic here."
"What? Why?" He asked bewildered.
Dorea shrugged, unconcerned. "Who cares. We can use magic even in the stadium, and that's what matters."
He grunted dismissively, but inside he was fuming in anger. Of course James forgot to mention it. And Lily, for that matter. It wasn't like informing him about things like this took priority in their life right?
Whatever. He wasn't going to make an issue here. Especially not in front of aunt Bella.
James suddenly poked his head through the flaps.
"Everyone, gather around." He said with a clap of his hand as Rose reached them last. "Bella is here with your brother, so drop your scowls and put a big smile on your faces."
Dorea ignored him, Jacob showed his teeths in a grimace, and Rose tugged her lips up with her fingers in a creepy little smile.
James sighed. "I guess that's the best I can make you do. Maybe if I ask your mother..."
All three of them began smiling widely. Jacob was sure the world has never seen a more nervous smile than what the three of them were sporting.
"Great." James clapped again. "C'mon then."
They followed after their father, entering the first section of their massive 3-bedrooms tent.
James and Lily were waiting with baited breaths, actually looking a little nervous. Jacob felt a small pang of sympathy for his brother.
Knowing how quite and antisocial his brother usually was, this was gonna be a very very awkward meeting. He wondered if maybe his parents and him would end up just staring at each other silently, neither knowing what to say.
Just the thought was enough to make him smirk.
This might actually be a good day for him.
Finally, after another deep breath, Lily walked forward and opened the main tent flap, revealing the potter family to the outside world.
Jacob's breath quickened as he took in the absolutely stunning figure of Bellatrix Black standing outside, looking bored. He didn't even notice the taller figure next to her, such was the mysterious spell that the gorgeous woman wove on him.
"H-Hello Harry." His mother stuttered slightly, making Jake cringe in his shoes. Lily's face gained a deep shade of red, a perfect picture of the shame Jake himself was feeling inside.
Instead of being similarly flustered as Jake expected him to be though, Harry surged forward with a slight smirk and tightly embraced Lily.
It took a moment for Jake to realise what was happening and he still couldn't believe it.
What. The. Hell.
"It's good to meet you again, Lily." He spoke softly in her ears, but Jake and his sisters were close enough to hear the murmuring.
Jake quickly looked away from the scene. The way Harry was hugging his mother was making him uncomfortable. He just couldn't help but notice how her... substantial chest was being squeezed against Harry.
When he looked back, they were still locked in the embrace and he just caught aunt Bella winking and sending a thumbs up at his mother.
'For Merlin's sake, this was so inappropriate!' A small part of his mind protested.
The larger part was just wondering how on earth Harry had the balls to do this. Just the thought of hugging either of his parents made Jake cringe in his shoes. He didn't get how Harry could be shameless enough to act like this in front of a whole audience.
Thankfully, they let go of each other soon after and Harry moved to shake hands with their father.
"That was sweet of him, wasn't it?" Dorea whispered from the side. "Do you think he might've actually changed? I'm beginning to think so."
He stared at her, uncomprehending. How in Merlin's soggy pants was that even remotely 'Sweet'? It was cringy and inappropriate is what it was. Seriously, the way they were behaving, you'd think they were reuniting after years of long distance or somethings...
Which wasn't exactly untrue, but he was too pissed off to consider that.
"Well, my job here is done, I'll pick Harry up at seven." Aunt Bella said, turning to Harry. "I take it you would be fine staying with Lily if the match finishes early?"
"Actually," James interrupted. "We have a portkey for France at 5 in the evening, regardless if the match finishes or not. We'd be glad to have you with us Harry. It's a Dueling tournament, one of the most famous infact. Maybe you would like to participate?"
"Oh, I would be thrilled to." Harry replied casually, oozing with confidence.
"Okay, now that's definitely not Harry." Jake muttered under his breath.
"Great, that's settled then." Aunt Bella wrapped her arms around Harry in a quick hug, muzzing his hair lightly. "Send a patronus if you need me alright?"
"Sure thing, Bella." Harry waved, looking absolutely unconcerned with being in such close proximity with the hottest witch of the decade.
Jake stared away again, this time the discomfort was much sharper and painful. Almost like a demon was clawing out of his hollow chest.
'Goddammit!' He cursed in his mind. He knew his godmother for half his life and yet he never had this close a relationship with her, ever.
Whatever. Not like he cared about petty stuff like this anyway...
Aunt Bella soon left for her work with a goodbye wave towards Jacob and the girls, and Harry seamlessly joined along with them as if he'd always been a part of their family, and hadn't spent the better part of 3 years scorning and taunting the Potters.
Still, Jacob kept his doubts and feelings to himself, not wanting to be a spoilsport in case his brother actually did want to start over freshly with them.
Who knows, sometimes miracles does happen.
Jacob wouldn't be holding his breath for it though.
"Now it's Alexandru with the Quaffle and she's off towards the English posts, but Martin is there to tackle her..Oh what a splendid dive there, Poor Martin is still confused what happened but Alexandru is already away, and here comes her iconic long pass! The Quaffle is off of her hands to the other side and Ana-maria is there to catch it...Ana-maria is looking to take the shot! But no! That's just a feint! And the English keeper has fallen for it! Marius is there from behind to smack it to the left post, what a slippery fella he is! Another beautiful goal from Transylvania, and they make it look so easy too! 240-10 is the score now, and England must be looking to just end this day without further embarrassment. Even a miraculous snitch-catch couldn't save them here."
Harry smiled in satisfaction, quite happy to realise that there wasn't any difference in his world and this when it came to quidditch.
Beside him, James groaned in despair, burying his face in his hands. Jacob on the other hand, broke the England flag that he'd been waving in two and threw them away.
"Let's just go, dad." Jacob muttered hopelessly. "England's a boatload of rubbish this year. Andrei is probably getting the snitch too, so there's no point in wasting time here."
"You're right." James sighed, before turning to Harry in annoyance. "You happy now, Harry? Told you it was bad luck to bet on those Gypsies."
"James!" Lily whacked the man.
"Alright alright, I'm sorry!" The man raised his arms. "You were quite right to bet against England Harry, I was just joking! Oh yeah, totally right..."
Lily whacked him again for good measures.
Harry gave the man a very dishonest smile. "There there, james, it's alright. Atleast I'm going to make almost 9000 galleons from it, eh?"
Jacob, who had been trying to ignore him all day, snapped his head towards him instantly, his eyes bulging to comical degrees.
He wasn't the only one though. Even James and Lily looked shocked when they heard that, and it was understandable. 9000 galleons was a lot. Almost a small inheritance, really. If he'd calculated it right, then as the head of hit-wizards it would take James a whole year to earn that much.
"How much did you bet exactly?" James asked, the others turning to him curiously.
"300 galleons on England losing with a goal difference of more than 350."
The man whistled with raised eyebrows. "That's a big gamble there, Harry. You could lose a lot if England gets the snitch, you know?"
"Nah, it's alright." Harry waved it off. "I have faith in Transylvania's ability to absolutely thrash England."
The man winced painfully. "That's harsh, but can't deny the results. We still have an hour before our portkey, so I guess we can wait till the match finishes."
"Thanks."
The sudden force that turned their world upside-down came as no surprise to Harry, making him one of the 6 people to land on their feets when the portkey finished transporting them.
Sprawled upon the ground were his 2 new siblings, and Neville Longbottom.
The Longbottom family had joined them just after England's shameful defeat. Apparently they'd made these plans with Potters quite a while back.
Now 9000 galleons richer, Harry was in a very happy mood, and was looking forward to test his skills in the dueling tourney.
Honestly? Today was shaping up to be a bloody decent day. Lily was as charming as ever, and always fun to talk with. James was surprisingly clingy, and for all his attempts at casual attitude, couldn't hide his own excitement and happiness at Harry's presence.
His siblings on the other hand were...wary. And understandably so, considering their history. But both of his sisters quickly warmed up to him without any problems, even though he barely put any extra effort in healing their relationship.
Dorea was a perfect combination of James and Lily; blessed with her mother's hair and father eyes, and with a spitfire personality that reminded him of the adult Ginny. She seemed the most relaxed around him out of all his siblings, trying to engage him in conversations multiple times.
Rose, on the other hand, was a loud chattermouth and wannabe prankster, who just couldn't keep her mouth shut for even a second. He mostly ignored the youngest Potter due to how white and black she viewed the world as, though even he couldn't escape the nonsense shower of blabbering that the little hellion launched at him.
His twin was the one to prove most stubborn of the lot, always holding himself at an arm's length from Harry. Not that Harry actually tried to talk.
To tell the truth, while he liked Lily, the Potter family mattered little to him. He would definitely want their help should he fail to finish off Tommy and a war breaks out, but he didn't have any emotional bonds with them.
And he couldn't care less about creating new ones either. He doubted anyone in this world could ever fill the massive chasm that the previous life had left in his heart.
Except perhaps Bella and Lily. Bella herself could never hope to replace Sirius, but she had taken a unique position in his heart. A position of friend and trusted partner.
Though he'd be lying if he said her stunning beauty didn't have a part to play in that.
Lily, on the other hand, he wasn't so sure about. Did he consider her his mother? He didn't believe so. He was fond of her of course, she was everything he would've wanted in a mother had he actually been 14. But he wasn't. His need for parents had long since vanished.
He still wanted to experience it...but it simply didn't matter to him as much as it did once. Whatever the case, Lily was still the only person beside Bella that he remotely cared about so she certainly occupied a small portion of his cold heart.
"Everyone alright?" Frank Longbottom asked, helping his son up.
The narrow-faced man looked more alive than the last time Harry saw him. Though that wasn't saying much; anyone can be more alive than a vegetable.
"C'mon then, let's go." The man beckoned them as he started marching onwards. "We're wasting time."
"What my husband means," Beside him, his wife dug her fingers in his arms, stopping him in his tracks and making the man wince. "Is that you'd be surprised by how quickly this place is going to be filled up. It's better to find some seats as fast as we can."
Alice Longbottom looked nothing like the woman he'd seen in St. Mungo's so long ago. In fact, she looked very pretty. Her hair were long, sweeping past her shoulders, and her face sported two cute dimples as she smiled at them comfortingly.
James snickered at her words, only to be silenced by an elbow to the gut from Lily.
"I agree." His mother said while James wheezed beside her. "We also need to register your names as participants so let's be quick."
The kids seemed embarrassed by their parents antics, exchanging grimaced looks. Jacob in particular made sure to avoid Harry's eyes, looking beyond mortified.
Except for Rose that is. The girl was crouched behind James, trying to tie his shoe laces together but failing miserably cause the man kept absently pushing her away. Not that it seemed to discourage the girl, who simply giggled and went right back to it.
Finally, James became aware of what was happening below him and peeled the girl off of his shoes with a sigh.
"Well then, come along." The bespectacled man waved them over with forced enthusiasm, a dangling Rose cheering in his arms.
They started their journey forward, making their way into the massive stone structure that suddenly came into view when they crossed an invisible line.
It didn't come as a surprise to him, having seen and experienced many such wards in his time. The other kids however, made appreciative sounds of awe and shock.
"This," James spread his arms wide. "Is the Dueling chamber of France. One of the grandest of its kind, this chamber has witnessed some really legendary duels. People from all over the continent make their way here each month, hoping to carve their names in it's memorials. In the last 10 years, the European championship was hosted in this very chamber for 5 times, the highest of any country."
Towering over in front of them was a dome-like structure with a pointed top, standing around 70-80 feets in height. Completely Royal blue in colour, the entire thing glittered with a strange hue under the rays of sun. Exotic runes were carved upon it's surface, all the way up top, visible even from the ground.
All in all, it looked like an ancient structure, if said structure was renovated to be more luxurious...and modern in some ways too.
"The French created this barely a few centuries ago, but decided to make it similar to the ancient dueling chambers, only with modern facilities." James informed them as they came to a stop behind a long line of people.
The stream of people were a mixed bunch. Most of them were french wizards and witches, but Harry also saw quite a few foreigners like them.
The line wasn't organised or anything, and both the Potter and Longbottom families stood together in a group, with Lily dropping back beside him.
"Hi!" She greeted with an excited smile as the line slowly moved forward.
"Hullo, mother." He replied, before smirking slightly as the woman's eyes widened in happiness.
While he himself placed little to no value in the word 'Mother' itself, it seemed to mean a lot to Lily. And she showed how much it exactly meant everytime he said it.
"So, did you need something?" He asked casually. The two of them were at the rear end of their group, so it gave them just a bit of privacy. "Or were you looking to pass the time?"
The rest of their group was absent in their own things. The kids stood together in the middle with Alice, while James and Frank brought the front.
Lily leaned closer to him as if to tell a secret, and he bent down slightly for her to reach his ears. "I just wanted to ask if you're sure about participating today."
Harry turned to his mother quizzically. "Of course. Why ever would you ask that?"
"Well...Bella's informed me of your...recent changes. If you participate today you won't be able to keep your... abilities, a secret. Even Bella and I can't do anything to cover this up. The Annual European championship is a big deal, so if you intend to make a splash, you're almost guaranteed to become famous."
Harry frowned, mulling the words over while Lily tenderly placed her head upon his shoulder.
Would it make a difference in his mission if the world knew what he was capable of? Well, no. Tommy had his own problems right now, so he wouldn't be reading some random french newspapers to find information about a Potter.
Plus, Harry wasn't The-Boy-Who-Lived here. Jacob was. Even if he does become famous, Tommy should have no reason to care. And it's not like he intended to reveal everything he was capable of.
His main goal today was to experiment with his newly enhanced physique, and put his recently studied magical theories to practice. Not just the ones Bella recommended, but also some of the magic that Sly!Harry had learnt in all these years.
Basically, he'd be treating this tournament as his testing ground, familiarising himself with some new streams of magic. Sly!Harry had a very solid grasp on Transfiguration, having delved into N.E.W.Ts levels of theory. Now it came upon him to transform all that knowledge into use.
So honestly, he'd only be showing a small part of his true level. Plus this way, he could ease people to his new level of skill and avoid any major suspicions later on.
His mind settled, he turned to Lily, who still had her face buried in neck.
"I think I'm fine with it. If any ministry officials come, I'll handle them myself so no worries."
"Well, if you're sure." She turned slightly, giving a lazy smile and looking about to doze off on his shoulder any second.
Snorting, he reluctantly put his arm around her body while adjusting her head properly. "Was this just an excuse for you to use me as a pillow?"
She just snuggled deeper. "...Maaaybe?"
Shaking his head, he ignored the redhead as their turn finally came.
He didn't know what type of competition he might be facing, but he wasn't worried too much. Absently, his thoughts turned to another french girl that he knew of, and he wondered if he would get to meet Fleur today.
Fleur...now that was a sad subject. She'd been one of the few that Voldemort had kept alive to punish him. It had hit even someone as Jaded as Harry hard, when he first laid witness to the ruined and naked sight of the French Veela in middle of Hogwart's courtyard...
She'd been treated like an animal, which Voldemort and his army actually believed her to be. Her and her kind. The blasted Dark Lord had given her away as a plaything, and publicly displayed her ruined and damaged body as a message.
But not this time. This time, Tommy will pay. For her and hundreds like her. He will pay, and Harry will make sure of it.
The European championship was famed to birth legends. One such legend was Bellatrix Black, the winner of 657th edition of the Championship, who was still widely regarded as the greatest duelist of this generation.
Every year, the best of the the best arrive to compete for Fame, Glory, and a grand prize that changes with it's host.
One thing that remains common though, is that the tournament's always divided into three rank: Open, Under-18, and Under-14.
Another common thing was the list of spells that can be used in the tournament. Which meant only a set no. of spells were allocated for each rank, and anything outside of this will result in the offender getting automatically disqualified. It was done due to how obscure and varied magic was, making it difficult to judge if some lethal spell could be branded as dark.
For U-14, only 40 basic spells were listed as usable. For U-18, that no. increased to 84. Only the Open section didn't have any such stipulations, as apart from the unforgivables, everything else was allowed.
Currently in the tournament, the U-18 section was in full swing, with 256 participants fighting in front of an audience of over 10 thousand people, all (Except 2) hoping to impress the crowd and win the tournament.
One of the participant who couldn't care less about the crowd was, of course, Harry Potter. He'd just finished defeating his 7th opponent of the day and was looking forward to the finale.
None of his opponents till now had been particularly challenging, all ranging from Lvl 2 to Lvl 3 duellers. The only one that lasted more than a few exchanges against him was one, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, a 7th year student from beauxbatons who the commentator announced as a Lvl 4.
The other participant who cared not for the crowd, was the two times former U-17 Champion Fleur Delacour.
She was a familiar face to most who've kept up with Dueling. The French beauty has been fighting since she was 11 afterall, having won U-14 tournament three times in a row, and now continuing her domination in the bigger section.
So it came as no surprise to her when the crowd cheered her on as she took to stage for the final round.
But while the crowd enjoyed her presence, Fleur's mind was somewhere else entirely.
'A Delacour never loses.'
Her father's words resounded in her mind as she climbed the stage to face her opponent.
'A Delacour never loses.'
These were the words she'd grown up hearing the most. To lose was to bring dishonor to their family. To lose was to show weakness to the enemy. To lose...was to shame her father.
And Henri Delacour did not like being ashamed.
Her opponent was three years younger than her, but had shown himself to be incredibly formidable.
With long raven dark hairs neatly placed behind his ears, and startlingly vibrant green eyes full of confidence, he looked like a handsome supermodel more suited in one of their french magazines than on this stage.
Harry Potter, Fleur remembered his name. She usually didn't like knowing her opponents name, it made them too human, but this one stuck due to the fame of house Potter.
She cannot lose to one of them. This fact had been properly forced in her mind.
Anything related to a Potter was bound to be in tomorrow's newspaper all over the continent, most likely making the front page. Losing to them would show the Delacour family as weak in the eyes of the entire Europe. Which would make Henri Delacour quite displeased. And when her father became displeased, he tend to...punish her.
And so she must win. Just like she always did.
It was a good thing that the other two Potters were already out of the tournament. Dorea Potter had been a strong opponent, clearly Lvl 4. But Fleur's experience and skills won out in the end, and she ended up defeating the eldest Potter child in the semi-finals.
Jacob Potter, on the other hand, was considerably less impressive than his two siblings. Just a basic Lvl 3 Dueller, he'd been defeated by some random french witch in the round of 32. Lvl 3 for a 14 year old was still impressive no doubt, but it was nothing compared to his twin brother.
Harry Potter will prove to be a true challenge. But she will prevail in the end, like she always did.
But even as she climbed the stage, hearing the cheers of thousands, knowing exactly what was on the line, her heart was not in it.
Even as she called for her magic, letting the comforting warmth and power spread through her body, she did not feel alive.
This was like a routine to her now, instead of the passion that it had once been. Dueling was something that she'd always wanted, but winning was something that has been forced on her, taking away any joy that she felt from this sport long ago.
Once upon a time, a powerful opponent like Harry Potter would've made her excited. Made her look forward to fighting, and specially, enjoying the challenge that came with it.
Now it was just a job. No matter how powerful of an opponent, she will defeat them. Because she has to.
She knew just how happy their rivals would be if she lost of course. Knew how they would pounce on the opportunity and try to besmirch their reputation, Knew her father wasn't pushing her on simply due to his own insanity...but even knowing all this didn't make a difference to her
She was just tired of it all. Tired of these fights, tired of the crowd...and most importantly, tired of her father. To be honest, a part of her was hoping her young opponent could defeat her.
Sure, her father would hit her for losing, but so what? She just didn't care anymore. The ambition that has turned her once happy family into this dysfunctional toxic thing, the politics that forced them to calculate everything they did, even the crowd that just liked watching two children try to blast each other to death...it was all just a game to them.
And a nightmare to Fleur. And she was about done with it all.
Sometimes, the idea of simply slitting her throat didn't seem all that bad to her.
"Participants, get ready!" The ref bellowed, and she took this time to remind herself of her opponent's skills, trying to build up a feasible plan.
Harry Potter fought unlike anyone she'd ever met. He used basic spells to great effects. Most of his spells were those that were listed in U-14 section, and can be learnt easily enough by most decent wizards. But the way he utilised them, and the way he fought...it reminded Fleur of aurors.
As she kept staring at the boy though, she was hit with a sudden realisation. There was just something different about him. The expression on his face...
Fleur Delacour had always been an excellent judge of character. She didn't need legilimency to know what other people thought of her.
And as she looked in the younger boy's eyes, she noticed that hidden beneath the cold and calm of his occlumency was...sadness.
'Yes', she confirmed. He looked sad. Sad and melancholy. Almost as if he knew her and wished to help...but couldn't. Regret and sadness.
It sparked a rare moment of hope in her that she quickly squashed with a shake of her head. Her days weren't that bad that she must drag a 14 year old in her troubles.
The boy most likely had a bad day or something. She'd just look like a weirdo by pouring her heart out to a stranger.
No, she was here to do a job, and that job was to win.
The rest? Well...the rest is up to fate.
But one thing was clear; her troubles wouldn't get solved by themselves. She needed to take a stand for herself.
Or else...or else the choice would be taken out of her hands, and she would have a very dark and depressing future indeed.
AN: Chapter 5 done! And Fleur has entered the fic at last. Tell me what you think of her character.
So the idea came from the famous Fanon of Veela Bonds. It's a bit ridiculous but quite a fun plot, where a Veela's inner animal loves power, and naturally just bonds with the uber powerful mc and start pursuing them like some bitch in heat. Now, what would happen if everything didn't work out perfectly in the end? What if a Veela bonds to a...not so good person, let's say?
Now they're stuck in an unhappy relationship with no way to end it. That's what's happened to Fleur's mother.
Let me know if you liked the introduction to Fleur, the next chapter will have her duel with Harry.
Also, like I said, I've finally finished creating my Pat reon account. So if anyone wants to read my next chapter, i.e Mystique Soldier Chapter 7, 4 days in advance, you can now do so for just $2!
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See ya in the next chapter!
P.S: Yeah, this chapter is a little late than what I promised on new year, but it geniunely takes over 30 minutes to simply copy paste a chapter from this app to pat reon, let alone talk about editing. My first goal in pat reon is literally to switch from mobile to PC as fast as I can, but that'll take time. I'll try my best to keep up with the schedule now, and hopefully this won't happen again. Cheers!