Hello there and welcome to a brand new fic. A few things to get any possible confusion out of the way. Characters are aged up in this fic, or I should say that wizarding schools start later than in canon. Contrary to the age of 11, here, children start their wizarding education at 14. Which makes Harry a 17-year-old at the start of GoF.
This fic will feature a stronger Harry with a different personality. He will be more self-dependent but will still count on his allies. No lone wolf shit. Also, as disclosed in the tags, this will be a Harry/Daphne/Gabrielle fic.
Harry and Dumbledore might have some issues between them but I will not be making the old wizard into a manipulative old coot who is out for the Potter fortune only to leave clues behind like an idiot.
So, yeah. I think that's all for now. Let's get this shit started.
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"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
"SECTUMSEMPRA!"
Twin jets of lights, an ugly green, and a deep crimson collided in a blast of golden flames at the dead centre of the imaginary circle they had been threading. Time seemed to stop as hundreds of eyes took in the duel of epic proportions that was taking place in the Great Hall of Hogwarts.
The enchanted sky above was shining red, the sun showering the first rays over the occupants of the massive arena.
It was their final moment, the time when everything would be decided for good, and both of them knew it. The explosion that rocked through the Great Hall threatened to blow every occupant off their feet, but most of them somehow managed to stay upright. The same, however, could not be said about the pair of combatants who were fighting each other for their lives. The massive shockwave struck them head-on, and they fell into a heap. Their breaths were shaky, and twin groans of pain were heard as malicious crimson orbs locked on intense emeralds.
Casting the need for rest aside, Harry Potter and Tom Riddle shakily stood back up and shouted to the heavens. Bright light clashed against dark shadows as they threatened to overpower one another.
Harry could feel his arm vibrating, and his eyes widened. He took in the nasty smile on the face of his adversary and gritted his teeth. The beam in black was devouring the blinding white jet, crossing halfway through as the dark-haired wizard tried his best to push back. No matter how much he tried, there was no denying the strength his enemy had, even after the destruction of the majority of his soul. One final fragment tethered him to the plane of existence, and it was Harry's duty to do away with the abomination.
As Harry Potter looked at the devouring black shadows slowly crawling toward him, he closed his eyes in silent acceptance of his fate. He had to do this, for himself, for everyone.
He remembered everyone who had mattered to him. His parents who had bravely stood against the tyranny of the dark forces, his friends and mentors who had stood by him over the years, and his lovers who had stayed by his side throughout his struggles in this godforsaken war.
He had thought he would be able to take down Voldemort for good, but this battle showed him that even at his weakest, the Dark Lord was not someone to be taken lightly. He had been matched spell for spell, and at one point Harry was sure he was going to achieve what he had set out for.
However, it felt like he would come just short. The black shadows had crossed most of the way toward him now, and Harry could feel the malevolent energy that reeked of rot and horror. He still tried to keep it at bay, however, the enemy was too strong.
Just as he was about to play the final gamble, one with massive risk and an equally massive reward, their voice tore its way through the murky waters that had surrounded his mind.
"HARRY!"
Emerald eyes opened wide.
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Their story together began roughly three years ago.
The Triwizard Tournament had come to Hogwarts, and Harry had been selected as the Hogwarts champion. Normally that would've been a good thing, but the catch was that the tournament had been restricted to those who had passed their OWLs. Nobody knew how his name had come out, and as usual, Harry had been the subject of constant hatred from the student body except for a large part of the Gryffindor house.
Three months into the tournament and an encounter with a Dragon later, their scorn had abated somewhat. Not that Harry cared anymore.
It had been a harsh lesson; one Harry had finally come to learn. It didn't matter what everyone else thought as long as those who mattered to him had faith. It had become his mantra, and one he had resolved to live by until the end.
The Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament found Harry and his fellow competitors scouring through the Black Lake in search of something they'll sorely miss.
Only after they reached the pier did they come to know that they will have to rescue hostages who had been preserved under the Black Lake in some form of suspended animation. One look at the enchanted mirror hovering in front of the stands was enough to fill their hearts with dread. The egg had said that they would have one hour to find their thing, after which it won't come back. Harry couldn't believe they would endanger innocent lives in such a manner, but as he recalled the first task, he failed to form reasoning as to why they wouldn't. After all, they had already done so.
'Students stealing an egg from a Dragon. What could go wrong?' He thought sarcastically.
However, a large part of his mind was occupied by the image of his best friends who were visibly sleeping under the water. He could see a little girl of about seven or eight who he assumed was Fleur's to save.
The blow of the cannon and the task began. Harry thanked Dobby once again in his mind and swallowed a mouthful of Gillyweed and jumped. A few seconds passed and he could feel the required organs forming on his body before the temperature regulated around him.
He submerged himself inside the water and started swimming away. He had noticed that the hostages were tied to some intricate pillars, and the only logical conclusion was the merpeople village. Hagrid had taught them that a large colony of merpeople lived near the centre of the Black Lake, and that's where Harry went.
A small flock of grindylows was all he encountered which he easily dispatched.
Harry looked at his watch and saw that half an hour had passed and sped up. A few minutes later he emerged from the underwater hedges to what was a huge settlement. Scores of merpeople were loitering around, gazing curiously at the land dweller who had descended in their midst. Harry paid them no mind; he had other priorities. He quickly swam toward the centre of the township, where a massive pillar was suspended. To his immense relief, forty minutes had passed, giving him enough time to rescue his hostage. Quickly, he severed the bindings holding Ron and hoisted him upon his shoulder.
Frowning, he looked at the other two, and Hermione is particular and wondered where Krum was. Five minutes passed and he saw no sign of Krum or Fleur. He didn't like this one bit.
Just as he was about to move forward to free Hermione who was tied right next to where Ron was, he saw Krum arrive from the opposite direction. The Quidditch star wasted no time and quickly severed Hermione's bindings before pointing toward his watch and gesturing for Harry to go up. Harry looked to see he had only 10 minutes left.
The little girl was still tied up and there was no sign of Fleur yet. Harry felt tension rise as the clock ticked away. Five minutes left and Fleur was still not in sight.
Finally, Harry had had enough, and he went ahead to free the little girl. However, as soon as he raised his wand to sever the bindings, he found himself on the wrong end of a merman's spear.
'Only one!' The merman hissed, and Harry scowled. He saw a few other mermen coming forward with their spears brandished, ready to attack.
Quickly he released a shockwave in every direction that banished the nearest merman away and also dissolved the girl's bindings. The girl started descending into the depths of the lake, and Harry quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her to him.
He was sure he looked a comical sight right then, with Ron draped over her shoulder and the girl wrapped in his arm. He kept his right hand free and looked up.
Harry abruptly ducked as a spear came thundering through the water right for his head. He looked behind to see it had barely missed Ron's face. His blood boiled.
'These cunts are really trying to kill us!'
Once again, he was let down by the imbeciles occupying the high places in Wizarding Britain. They were children, and deadly tournament or not, nothing justified deliberate murder.
Harry saw the merman readying another spear while three more did the same on each side. He found himself pinned in the centre. The four mermen threw the spears as one and Harry hastily put up a shield that protected them from all sides. The spears shattered the shield but that's all they did, as they fell toward the bed of the lake.
Harry looked toward his watch and his eyes widened. Only one minute left.
'Where the fuck is Fleur!?'
He forcefully ejected her out of his mind when he saw the mermen readying another spear. They had seen how tough it was to deal with him in close combat, so they were trying to take him out with ranged attacks. Harry didn't have time to deal with this bullshit. Pointing his wand up, he yelled out "Ascendio!" and clutched the girl tightly.
Within no time, they broke through the surface of the water and were deposited right on a boat. Harry grunted at the impact and looked up to see the girl sputtering in his arms. Belatedly he realized that he was lying on his back and his arms were wrapped around her. Looking sideways, he saw Ron taking deep breaths while trying to get the water out of his eyes and ears.
He sat up and gently dropped the girl down on the boat, and only then did he realize that the boat was moving on its own. Looking ahead, he saw them approaching the pier. He sighed in relief when he realized they had made it and held out his hand for Ron. The redhead let himself pull up to his feet and swayed a bit.
"Blimey mate! That was..." Ron began.
"Yeah... that was something,"
Looking down, Harry saw the girl shivering violently and frowned.
"Are you cold?" He asked as he held his hand out to help her up. The girl looked up at him and scowled.
"No, I'm having an orgasm. That's why I'm shivering." She said sarcastically, and Ron choked on his spit.
Harry looked at her wide-eyed.
"You-you-" he couldn't form the words out. A little girl like her speaking like that!? He couldn't believe it.
'How the fuck does she even know what an orgasm means!?'
"So eloquent," she muttered and Harry grunted as she took his hand and pulled herself up. She had a strong grip.
He was further shocked when she fished out a wand from the pocket of her jeans and cast a warming charm on herself.
Ron was looking at her with a dumbstruck expression, and Harry was faring no better.
"How-how-"
"Like I said, so eloquent," the little girl mocked, and Harry scowled again.
"How do you have a wand? And how can you do that spell? You're what? Seven?" Harry shouted.
Both Ron and he were flabbergasted when she gave them a dark glare and started laughing. They looked at each other with confusion as the girl kept laughing while looking at him.
"You don't know, do you?" she managed to speak in between her laughs.
"What?"
"I am Gabrielle Delacour, the sister of the Beauxbatons champion, Fleur. And I'm a Veela, like her."
Harry looked at her for a second, before looking at Ron. Said redhead only shrugged. Harry sighed.
"Look, you seem to believe that I know everything about every magical being that exists, which I can assure you, I don't. So, get to the point!" He finished with a scowl, and Gabrielle gave him the stink eye.
"You scowl too much, y'know? Celebrities like you shouldn't scowl so much. It gives you a bad rep." Gabrielle muttered while blowing on her nails as if she had no care in the world. On the side, Ron had zoned off, his gaze wandering around. He looked ahead to see they had crossed halfway to the pier and sat down. Harry looked at him and shook his head.
"And you should thank someone who saved your life instead of acting like a spoiled little brat!" Harry hissed, and Gabrielle cocked her head sideways. Sitting down, she looked up at him.
"Who saved my life?"
"I did!"
"How?"
"What do you mean how? You were a hostage down there, and if you had stayed there for longer than an hour, you would've died."
"Huh. I see."
Harry stood speechless. He opened his mouth but she cut him off.
"You're an idiot, you know that?"
'What!?' He thought.
As he looked at her with a furious expression, he saw her look up before smiling at him.
"Thank you," she said and Harry looked at her, confused.
"What?"
"You might be an idiot, but you thought we'd die, and you saved me even if you didn't need to. It's the intention that counts, right? So, thank you," she smiled and gestured for him to sit down. Harry found himself complying.
"You mean you were never in any danger?"
"No! We were told that the merpeople will bring us up if we were not retrieved in time, so even if my sister didn't show up, I would've been delivered fresh and awake on the pier. You really think they would let the hostages die? The political catastrophe that would create would be massive. Even your minister is not stupid enough to not know that," she idly twirled her wand as she spoke, and Harry felt his eyes following its movement.
"Huh." He muttered, and Gabrielle chuckled.
It had been ten minutes since they had started making their way back, and they were almost there. The people on the pier were visible now, and they sat there in silence.
Harry decided to ask her once again.
"Tell me, uh, Gabrielle," he started.
"What?" She asked curiously.
"How come you already have a wand, and even know advanced spells?"
"Oh, I'm a veela. We age differently."
"What do you mean?"
"Veela undergo something called maturity once they reach the age of eighteen. Before that, their growth is very slow. A veela below eighteen years of age will still look like a child of seven or eight. Once they reach their eighteenth birthday, they mature, for the lack of a better word, and their body grows into their adult self overnight. Afterwards there are minor changes that happen like regular witches."
Harry was gobsmacked. All he knew about Veela was that they had this allure that attracted sexually interested people, male or female, and that they could transform into bird-like creatures that threw fireballs around.
"Huh." That was all he could make out.
"So..." He began hesitantly, "if you don't mind me asking, how old are you?"
"Asking my age now? And I thought you couldn't be more of an idiot," she muttered, and Harry scowled.
"Ah the famous Potter scowl, I love to see it," she giggled, "well, to answer your question, I am seventeen, the same as you. A couple of years younger than my sweet sister who failed to show up to save me from certain death," she finished with a mocking voice, and Harry chuckled despite himself.
Now that he thought about it, it made a lot of sense. Her manner of speaking was not one of a child of seven, and if he discounted her physical stature and voice, he could easily believe he was talking to someone his age.
"I'm sure something happened, else she would've shown up,"
"Oh, I'm sure something happened. I just hope she still isn't shivering," Gabrielle muttered.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked with a frown.
"My dear sister has Thalassophobia. A lake as deep as this is bound to trigger that. Throw in a couple of creatures into the mix and I'm sure she's over there on the pier, worrying her pretty head over me," Gabrielle said with slight concern.
"Oh. Let's hope she's okay then,"
"Yeah, let's."
The rest of their time passed in silence as they reached the pier.
The moment they stepped on the pier, Harry found the wind knocked out of him as Hermione collided with him. Chuckling, he wrapped his arm around her and squeezed softly. Hermione pulled back and hugged Ron, who awkwardly patted her on the back. Hermione jumped back and smiled at the two of them.
Harry looked around to see Krum standing with the Drumstrang contingent and nodded at him. The other seeker nodded back and turned his head to respond to something his friend was saying. Harry's eyes found the Beauxbatons contingent and he saw Fleur hugging Gabrielle who was struggling to break free. After a few seconds, the younger girl hugged her sister back. Looking up, she saw Harry looking at them and rolled her eyes. Harry chuckled.
The scoring was done, and Harry somehow found himself being awarded the full points. Everyone had seen what had transpired near the pillar and it had been decided that he would've won if not for his decision to ensure everyone's safety. Even the other two champions agreed. Karkaroff had a sour look but he had no room to complain.
When Harry brought up the fact that the mermen had tried to deliberately kill them, Dumbledore frowned for a second before chuckling. His explanation left Harry standing there with his mouth open. They had been using enchanted spears which only caused a sting when they hit a target. They had never been in mortal peril.
Looking at his face, Gabrielle giggled. Harry scowled before shaking his head with a sheepish smile.
Soon they started making their way back to the grounds, and Harry saw Gabrielle stop in front of him.
"Well, I'll be staying here for the rest of the year, so I guess I'll see you around, Mr. Scowl," she finished cheekily.
Harry gave a mock scowl before grinning.
"See you around, Leetle girl," and with that, he bolted. Ron, Hermione, and Fleur stood there with confused expressions while the little girl looked at the retreating back of the Hogwarts champion with shock before her face settled on a small grin.
Turning toward her sister, Gabrielle muttered, "It's your fault," before she stomped in the direction of the Beauxbatons carriage.
Fleur looked at her with a bemused expression as she followed behind, all the while thinking about what exactly she had done.
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To be continued...
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So that concludes the first chapter. You can find the link for chapters in advance on my profile.
As always, please review and I'll be back soon with the next chapter.
Cheers!
