Ok. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -
Harry Potter & the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers (though this plot here is mine :)). I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be) & I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.
There's plenty more...blah blah blah...forget it & let the story begin :).
Note: US English has been used here. From this chapter onwards, all the Delacour's will speak plain English.
HARRY POTTER & THE POWER OF HOGWARTS
Chapter 20 – Holiday Events (Part I)
"Welcome to ze Delacour Manor"
&&&&
"Nice joke Fleur" Tonks said in a sarcastic voice to their hostess. Remus gave a reprimanding glance towards Tonks but Harry didn't even look around. His eyes were glued to the Delacour Manor.
"What joke?" Fleur asked in a surprised voice. Even if she had detected Tonks sarcastic voice, she didn't show it.
"That!" Tonks said as she pointed towards the house.
"That is my home" Fleur replied in an irritated voice which Tonks didn't fail to notice. "It is not a joke"
"That - is - your - home?" Tonks asked slowly. "Remus, did I hear correctly? That is her home?" Remus gave a slight nod of his head in reply. "Hey Harry…hey…" Tonks tried in vain to get Harry's attention and slapped him hard on the back of his head.
"Ouch" Harry shouted at his sudden reawakening. "Who hit me?"
"I did" Tonks said in a slightly shaky voice. "Is that place real?" She asked as she pointed her finger towards Fleur's home.
"I…hmmm…" Harry seemed lost for words as his gaze returned towards the place where Tonks was pointing.
Fleur's home could be easily described by one word – huge. It was a huge building which seemed to be about half as big as the Hogwarts castle and it seemed to dwarf the other buildings around it. There was a big lawn in front which could easily be mistaken for a football field. It had four towers which seemed to be trying to touch the clouds. The entrance doorway was big enough to let a giant pass through comfortably and from the looks of it, the interior would be just as big. All in all, Fleur's home seemed to be smaller replica of Hogwarts. Apart from the size, there was only one other difference between the two places. While Hogwarts was in top shape, Fleur's home was in ruins.
"Yes, that is my home" Fleur said after several minutes of inactivity from the other three people present there. "If you expected a rich family, then you will be disappointed". There was a trace of hurt in Fleur's voice.
"Fleur…" Remus said, drawing the attention of the others too. "…if I were to say that I expected something like this then I would be lying. Yes, we expected you to be very wealthy and all…because you look like a princess. But that doesn't mean that we don't like this place" Fleur seemed slightly embarrassed as Remus said these things.
"If you ask me…" Tonks interjected. "…I will say I love the look of this place. Reminds me of my home except that it was slightly smaller". Harry rolled his eyes at this and even Fleur smiled slightly.
"So, would you like to come in?" Fleur asked humbly and all three guests gave an affirmative nod. With a happy smile on her beautiful face, the veela opened the rusty iron gates and proceeded towards the house with her guests.
As the three of them looked closer, the house looked even more battered than it had done before. One of the towers had cracked walls while it seemed like a fire had broken out in another. Most of the walls had damp and some cracks were visible too. Apart from the house, the lawn also looked to be in absolute ruins.
"I wonder how this happened" Tonks said in a low voice so that only Harry and Remus could hear her. "They were very rich at one time for sure". Remus and Harry said nothing but nodded their heads.
Within seconds, all three of them were climbing the stairs to the house. Just as they had ascended all the steps, the great door to the house creaked open and in the midst stood three people while another person sat in a chair which floated in the air. From what Harry could guess, it seemed like a wizarding version of a muggle wheelchair.
"Let me intro…" Fleur had just begun when Gabrielle cut in.
"Harr…Mr. Potter. Thanks for coming". The little girl with big blue eyes said in a hushed tone.
"Elle" Fleur said in a soft yet stern tone. "You shouldn't interrupt in between"
"Sorry" Gabrielle replied.
"First let me introduce my family" Fleur said in a very formal manner. "My father – Steven Delacour. My mother – Stephanie Delacour. My naughty little sister – Gabrielle Delacour". At this, Gabrielle poked her tongue at Fleur for a millionth of a second which was noticed only by Harry and Fleur. Harry couldn't help but smile at the antics of the cute child in front of him. "And this is my elder brother Zesauas Delacour"
As Fleur introduced her family, each of them gave a slight nod and a smile. It was crystal clear that Fleur's mother carried the veela blood in her. Harry could feel her veela charm and thanked his stars that Fleur had made Remus drink a special potion which made him immune to the veela charm. The only exceptional case was Zesauas who seemed devoid of any expression. Also, his movements seemed to be restricted greatly.
After introducing her family, Fleur went on to introduce her guests to her parents and siblings. The formalities done with, the Delacour's politely asked their guests to join them at the breakfast table.
"Harry, do…"
"Shhh" Harry stopped Tonks in mid-sentence. Tonks made a weird face at Harry and turned around towards Remus who put his fingers on his lips and mouthed the word "manners". Tonks looked angry at this but said nothing. Soon, everyone was seated in front of their modest but delicious looking breakfasts.
"Mr. Potter…" Steven Delacour began but was cut short by the polite voice of Harry.
"Please call me Harry" Harry said with a smile. "And that goes for everyone here". Mrs. Delacour looked pleased at this and so did Gabrielle.
"Well Harry…" Mr. Delacour said. "…thank you for giving in to our little daughter's request…"
"I am not little" Gabrielle protested.
"You will always be little to us" Mrs. Delacour put a loving hand on her younger daughter's shoulders whose cheeks were burning red by now.
After checking that his daughter was ok, Mr. Delacour turned towards Tonks and Remus. "Thank you for coming with Harry. You really have no idea what this means to all of us"
"No problem" Tonks replied. "If this breakfast is as delicious as it looks, I will be prepared to come here daily". Mr. Delacour looked slightly surprised at such a response but quickly masked the expression.
"Please excuse her behavior" Remus said politely. "Her mouth is controlled by her stomach and not by her brain". This caused all the people assembled at the breakfast table to smile. Everyone except Tonks and Zesauas.
"Looks like we have a nice little breakfast waiting for us" Mr. Delacour said. "Why don't we stop looking at it and place it where it deserves to be". This caused Tonks to smile and soon everyone was eating happily.
There was complete silence as everyone finished their breakfast. Harry also ate quietly but felt a pair of eyes boring a hole in the back of his skull. He knew that Zesauas was seated behind him but didn't turn around in fear of offending the other members at the table. By the looks of it, everyone at the Delacour family maintained silence during eating and Harry thought it was best if he did the same.
Soon breakfast was over and everyone was sitting in the living room. The living room seemed just like the dining room and the main hall. It was tidy but many places were in a crumbling state. The walls were all damped but otherwise clean. The walls and the ceilings had very few decorations on them but it looked like they had been heavily decorated once. The sofa's and the chairs were comfortable to sit upon but they too were not in the best of shapes.
"Harry…" Mr. Delacour started speaking once everyone had settled down. "…we think we owe you thanks for saving our younger daughter"
"No…please don't say so" Harry replied, slightly embarrassed at the thought that this might become a 'praising' session. "Anyone would have done it"
"Yes" Tonks agreed. "I had done the same for another person once"
"Really?" Harry asked, hoping that the focus of the attention would shift away from him. Tonks nodded her head in reply.
"Was that person unconscious too?" Gabrielle asked curiously.
"Hmmm…No" Tonks replied but didn't say anything else.
"Was he the good guy or the bad guy?" Gabrielle asked again which seemed to make Tonks slightly uncomfortable.
"Good guy" Tonks replied. "But not as good as Harry. By the way Harry, what…"
"Tonks" Remus cut in. "What actually happened with the good guy you rescued?". The Delacour family was looking on curiously at the scene on hand with only Gabrielle sensing that Tonks had dug her own grave.
"What happened?" Tonks repeated in a startled voice. "Oh…you were speaking about that incident. Nothing too important"
"But we would like to hear it" Gabrielle said with a naughty smile on her lips. Remus glanced at the kid and gave her a wink.
"Well…" Tonks looked hesitantly around and found that everyone had an expectant look on their face. Though she knew that Remus and Harry were just faking their curious looks, she had a feeling that the youngest Delacour was faking her look too.
"Well…the guy was caught up in a webbing and…"
"Webbing?" Harry raised his left eyebrow at this. "There wasn't spiderman around, was he?". Almost everyone looked at each other curiously at the mention of some 'spiderman' but no one wanted to break the current thread of discussion.
"NO" Tonks glared at Harry. "Well, he was caught in a webbing and he did not have his wand, so I helped him out. It's natural to help other's, isn't it?" Tonks asked with a bright smile.
"And what did the guy give you for freeing him?" Remus asked.
"I think we should leave that for later" Mr. Delacour had caught up on what was happening and didn't want one of his guests to be embarrassed.
"Yeah!" Tonks said. "We should have something to talk about later on too. Anyway, you were saying something about Harry". Tonks looked around at Harry who gave an evil glare at her.
"Oh yes" Mr. Delacour said, turning his attention back to Harry, much to Harry's dismay. "We couldn't come there because of some…problems at that time" Harry notice a slight hesitation in Mr. Delacour's statement but didn't interrupt him. "But we have listened to what Gabrielle and Fleur had to say about the event and we must say that what you did was an honorable thing"
"Thank you for thinking so highly of me" Harry said, embarrassed at the praise.
"Everyone here thinks highly of you" Mrs. Delacour said with a warm smile.
"And not a day goes by when Gabrielle doesn't talk about you" Mr. Delacour added. The guests didn't comment about the little girl whose cheeks were burning red. It was uncommon for a quarter-veela to get embarrassed so easily but then again, Gabrielle had always been slightly different than the others. She was by far the shyest veela (or quarter-veela) the whole family had seen and that only made everyone protect her even more. Even the fact that Gabrielle would be starting school from next year gave the Delacour's headaches about whether she would be able to overcome her shyness and mix with the others.
"No need to be shy elle" Fleur said in a soothing voice. "We all like Harry, don't we?". Mr. and Mrs. Delacour nodded their heads in agreement but Gabrielle seemed to have heard nothing.
"So Harry…" Mr. Delacour said. "…what do you plan to do during the holidays?"
"I don't know" Harry replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "Tonks here wants to visit Paris. Maybe I will go with her too". Seeing the expression on Gabrielle's face, Harry added "Or maybe I will spend time here with Gabrielle. Would you like that Gabrielle?"
Gabrielle said nothing but gave an affirmative nod of her small and elegant head. Both her parents looked at each other and smiled. Harry Potter had turned out just the way they had thought.
&&&&
"Everyone settled?" The voice of an ecstatic metamorphmagus could be heard down the corridor. Harry, Remus and Tonks had been given guest rooms on the left tower and Harry had enlarged his trunk as soon as he had entered his room.
"Not yet Tonks" Harry replied as he slumped down on the bed. He wanted some rest and didn't want to get disturbed. "Dobby"
"Yes Harry Potter?" Dobby appeared right beside Harry who had his eyes closed.
"Everything ok here? The other elf's like you?" Harry asked.
"Dobby is not seeing any other elf" Dobby replied glumly. He had also expected a large house with lots of elves working. Alas, he came to find only a large house.
"Hmmm…" Harry sounded thoughtful. "Well, you stay inside the trunk and I will call you when needed. I am sorry you feel lonely"
"Harry Potter is Dobby's friend" Dobby replied. "Dobby is never feeling alone when Harry Potter is there". With that, Dobby vanished into thin air.
"Good Dobby" Harry said in a whisper as he fell asleep.
&&&&
"But I want to talk to him" Harry heard a feminine whisper coming out from somewhere in the darkness.
"Wait for some more time" another reassuring voice said.
"I think he has slept too long" a third female voice said without caring to keep the volume down.
"Now I am even hearing Tonks in my sleep" Harry groaned to himself. "And she is complaining as always…ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" Harry got up with a scream as he felt himself getting drenched in ice-cold water. Looking around, he saw Tonks vanishing a bucket which was placed just above his head. The other two people in the darkened room were Fleur and Gabrielle.
"Why…brrrr…did you…brrrrrr…" Harry's teeth chattered as he spoke. "…have…to….brrr…do this?"
"Because you were saying bad things about me" Tonks replied with a triumphant look on her face. Fleur seemed amused at the scene while Gabrielle looked slightly dazed.
"And…why can't…brrr….I dry myself?" Harry was repeatedly turning to use the drying spell on himself but to no avail.
"Because I put an everlasting spell on it" Tonks replied. "You have an unlimited supply of water now"
"Take it off…brrrrr…or I will…put a hex on you" Harry threatened Tonks. Seeing the look on Harry's face, Tonks decided it was best to follow Harry's wish and lifted the spell. Soon Harry was feeling much better.
"You people really have a great time together, don't you?" Fleur asked curiously.
"You bet" Harry replied sarcastically as he looked around. The only light present in the room was coming from a candle placed on a nearby table while the outside world was shrouded in darkness. "How long have I been asleep?". Harry asked the others.
"Around 10 hours" Tonks replied. "It's 7:30 in the evening"
"Oh my god" Harry slapped himself on his forehead.
"Yes dear" Tonks replied. "It's been that long"
Harry looked up irritatedly at Tonks and said "It's your fault after all. You were the one who woke us up. If I am not wrong, Remus must be sleeping too, isn't he?". Tonks looked uncomfortable at this statement and did not answer. It was Fleur who informed Harry that his suspicions were right.
"Anyway…" Fleur said before anyone could say anything else. "…it's almost dinner time. You better get ready"
"I am ready" Harry said as he got up. "By the way, who wanted to talk to me? I mean…" Harry hurried on to add. "…who else other than Tonks?"
"It was her" Tonks pointed towards Gabrielle who was hiding partly behind Fleur.
"I see" Harry said. "Well…you two go on while I talk to Gabrielle for a moment"
Gabrielle looked a bit uncertain at this and looked up at Fleur. Harry saw Gabrielle mouth the words 'I don't know' and give a shrug of her shoulders. Fleur patted her on her head and replied "Don't worry, he is immune to veela charm".
"Really?" Gabrielle looked in awe at Harry before lowering her eyes. Her parents had always told her that staring at other people was supposed to be rude.
"Not really" Harry said with a smile. "It doesn't affect me as it does the others but that doesn't mean I am immune"
"I see" Gabrielle nodded thoughtfully. Harry had the feeling that Gabrielle was storing this information in the deep fathoms of her brain.
"Want to talk now?" Harry asked Gabrielle.
"Hmmm…" Gabrielle looked uncertainly at her elder sister who gave a reassuring look. "Ok" she said after a few moments. At this, Fleur and Tonks left the room.
"Now, what did you want to talk to me about?" Harry asked as he sat down on the end of his bed. Gabrielle was still standing near the doorway and made no move to sit down, so Harry conjured up a chair for her.
"Whoa" Gabrielle thought to herself while she kept looking at the conjured chair. Even though this was a very easy brand of magic, every bit of magic which Harry performed was special to her.
"Are you going to sit down?" Harry seemed somewhat puzzled because Gabrielle had made no move to sit down.
"Huh?" Gabrielle said. "Oh…yes". With that, she proceeded to take her seat very gracefully.
"Now that you have seated yourself…" Harry said. "…let us get down to the topic you wanted to discuss". Gabrielle gave a nod of her head.
"You see Mr. Potter…"
"Harry please" Harry corrected the little quarter veela. "It's Harry for everyone, remember?"
"Yeah…" Gabrielle's cheeks were flushed red at this. "You see…Harry…I have some friends here"
"Go on" Harry said in a soothing voice. Gabrielle relaxed somewhat at hearing this.
"They all know about you. I mean everyone here knows about you but they did not believe me when I told them I had met you" Gabrielle seemed to talk more fluently with each sentence. Also, Harry could feel a certain amount of excitement building in her voice.
"I told them how you had saved me but they said I was making it up" Gabrielle's voice saddened slightly as she said this. "I had then promised them that one day I would show them that I knew Harry Potter personally"
"Hmmm…" came the voice from Harry's throat. "Am I that famous here? I mean, knowing Harry Potter is that big here?" Harry asked. The last thing he wanted was another fan-following in France.
"You – have – no – idea" Gabrielle said slowly, emphasizing each word so that Harry could understand the true meaning of what she was saying. "I mean…you are Harry Potter, a person about whom everyone has just read in the books. I mean…" Gabrielle seemed very enthusiastic at this point and there was not a hint of shyness in her behavior. "…you are like the 8'th wonder of the world. People say you cannot die…people say you are the greatest wizard of your age…people say you can defeat hundreds of dark wizards in seconds"
"Really?" Harry asked as he gave an inwardly sigh. He was in for some troubling times in France.
"Yes. That's true, isn't it?" Gabrielle asked in nervous anticipation. Seeing the blank look on Harry's face, she explained her words. "You can really defeat dark wizards easily, can't you?"
"No" Harry's reply was as blunt as it could be. Gabrielle's face fell at this. "No one can defeat a good wizard or witch easily" Harry continued. "You have to know spells and strategies etc. to win. I know only one person who can defeat dark wizards easily and that is Professor Dumbledore."
"Haven't you defeated any dark wizard?" Gabrielle asked meekly.
"Yes I have" Harry replied. This seemed to lift the girl's spirits slightly. "But not as easily as many people make it out to be" Harry added.
"But you have defeated You-Know-Who so many times. Why should you have problems defeating others?" Gabrielle protested.
"Gabrielle, I don't want to sadden you but the fact is that I am still a student while Voldemort…no need to shiver… he is a great wizard" Harry replied. "He is bad but he has immense knowledge and is very powerful. I have escaped from him every time but I am still not capable of beating him"
"You will beat him one day" Gabrielle said with great conviction. "You will be the greatest wizard ever".
Harry was slightly moved by the faith which the little girl had in him. Being Harry Potter was not just about saving others, it was also about giving hope to numerous people. People who had never even seen him felt safe when Harry Potter was present. At times it felt like a burden to Harry but right now, he felt as if he owed something to Gabrielle for her confidence in him.
"I really don't know whether I will be the greatest wizard ever but what I do know is…" Harry paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "…I do know that I will beat Voldemort."
A mixture of emotions passed over Gabrielle's features at this statement. "Aren't you afraid to speak his name?"
"Why should I be?"
"Well…hmmm…" Gabrielle seemed thoughtful at this. Now that she thought of it, no one really had any reason to be afraid of a name but then again, not many people who had said the name had survived. "Everyone is afraid to say his name" came the innocent explanation.
"A name can never hurt you" Harry explained. "Anyway, it varies from person to person. I can never understand how people think of fighting him when they are even afraid to say his name"
"I want to fight him" Gabrielle said, her voice filled with confidence as well as fear. "I mean…you can fight him and I can fight the death eaters"
Harry smiled at this. "So, little Gabrielle wants to fight death eaters?"
"I am not little" Gabrielle protested. Harry put up his hands in defense and said "Sorry"
"It's ok" Gabrielle replied, somewhat awed at the fact that Harry Potter had just apologized to her. "Well, like I was saying, my friends don't believe that I had met you"
"Should I meet your friends and tell them that I am a friend of yours?" Harry asked the charming little quarter veela.
"Will you do that for me?" Gabrielle's eyes were wide in surprise. Harry Potter thought of himself as her friend!
"If you want me to do that, I will" Harry replied and then continued in a whisper "But don't tell them that I cannot defeat hundreds of dark wizards easily, ok?"
Gabrielle giggled at this and said "I won't. It's our secret"
"Now, should we go down to the dinner table?" Harry asked Gabrielle. "Unless you want to talk some more"
Gabrielle seemed indecisive initially but then decided that it was enough for today. "I have lots to talk about but I don't think I should keep everyone waiting"
"You have nice manners, lady" Harry said as he got up. Gabrielle did the same and Harry vanished the chair with a swish of his wand.
"I am the worst of the family" Gabrielle replied sadly. "Everyone else knows when to do what and I always keep messing things up"
"2 things Gabrielle…" Harry said as they started to walk down the corridor towards the stairs. "…One, you are the youngest of the family and have a lot to learn. Your parents were like you once and so was your elder sister. All of them were taught nice manners by their elders and the same goes for you too. All you have to do is be patient. You can't learn everything overnight"
"Yeah" Gabrielle agreed. "Flu keeps saying the same thing and so do mom and dad"
"And they are right" Harry said as they started descending the stairs. "And the second thing is that you don't mess things up. It is a part of growing up and if you don't make mistakes then you will never be able to differentiate between right and wrong"
"I know" Gabrielle agreed. "But I don't want to make mistakes"
"Everyone makes mistakes" Harry said. "And you are no different. I made a lot of mistakes when I was your age. Even now, we all keep making mistakes"
"Really? You made mistakes too?" Gabrielle had stopped in mid-step as she asked this.
"Of course!" Harry replied. "You want to hear an example of a mistake a grown up person made?". Getting an affirmative response from Gabrielle, Harry said "Tonks made the mistake of pouring ice-cold water on me today. I am going to teach her a lesson soon". Hearing this, Gabrielle burst into giggles and started to proceed down the stairs again. By this time, they had reached the final stretch towards the dining area.
"Seriously…" Harry continued. "…the fact that you know about all this shows what a wonderfully mature lady you are. You are more mature than most people of your age"
"You think so?" Gabrielle asked in a shy voice, her cheeks turning red once again.
"Yes" Harry replied emphatically.
"I owe this to my parents and Flu. They are the best people in this world" Gabrielle said modestly. "I am trying to learn their best qualities"
"I am sure you will be successful" Harry said as they entered the dining room.
"Successful in what?" Tonks asked loudly. "In making us wait for so long?"
"Tonks, it's just been 7 minutes" Remus tried to pacify the metamorphmagus.
"7 minutes waiting for such a delicious smelling dinner" Tonks glared at Remus.
"Now…" Harry whispered to Gabrielle. "Don't you think she should be taught a lesson in good manners?". Gabrielle giggled at this and proceeded to take her seat at the table.
"What were you whispering to her?" Tonks asked as Harry seated himself on her left side. "It was something about me, wasn't it?"
"Yes" Harry replied. "I was just saying how nice your hair looks in orange color".
"Really?" Tonks looked slightly flattered at this comment. "You think this looks nice?"
"Of course" Harry replied with a wink towards Gabrielle who was trying very hard to keep her giggling in control.
"I think you are lying" Tonks said as she caught sight of Gabrielle. "You two are ganging up on me. Oh well…what else can I expect from you?" Tonks said with a sigh.
"Harry…Tonks…" Remus said "…will you two stop behaving like kids?". Both Harry and Tonks shut up instantly.
"Excuse them" Remus said to Fleur's parents. "Both of them have a tendency to pick on each other's faults"
"We can see that" Mrs. Delacour replied with a smile. "It makes life more exciting in my opinion"
"Sometimes more than needed" Remus replied, avoiding the fierce look which both Tonks and Harry were giving him.
"I should get the dinner on the tables" Mrs. Delacour said as she proceeded towards the kitchen. "Please give me a minute". With that, she disappeared inside. She had been inside for a few moments when Harry appeared at the kitchen door.
"Harry…what are you doing here?" Mrs. Delacour asked, slightly uncomfortable in his presence. Even though the kitchen was quite big, the utensils present were very few and she didn't want any outsider to have a look at the state of things.
"I was thinking whether I could lend you a hand" Harry replied, oblivious of the discomfort of Mrs. Delacour.
"No…no…you are our guest" Mrs. Delacour's discomfort seemed to grow by the second.
"If you don't mind Mrs. Delacour…" Harry said "…I have been cooking, laying out tables and washing dishes for quite a long time". Harry avoided the curious look which Mrs. Delacour gave him and continued "I just wanted to see how it felt inside a French kitchen. Please…don't say no"
"Ok" Mrs. Delacour said with a sigh. "It seems Flu was right. You have a way of getting things done the way you want"
"Not always" Harry replied with a naughty grin and started helping her with getting everything ready. Soon, both of them had the dinner laid out on the table.
"This is the first time someone other than me has entered the kitchen" Mrs. Delacour said as she took her place at the table. In the meantime Remus was asking Tonks for a galleon.
"What is the matter Remus?" Harry asked curiously. "Why are you asking Tonks for a galleon?"
"When you left the table, she told everyone that Stephanie won't let you help her" Remus explained. "We then got a bet running and now Tonks owes a galleon to me"
"Now Gabrielle…" Harry addressed the youngest member at the table. "…learn one thing from this – betting is dangerous. Never bet on others. Always bet on yourself. Look for yourself what happens when people bet" Harry finished off sarcastically.
"Understood" came the one word answer from Gabrielle. After that, the room fell into silence as everyone started to eat their dinner. Soon everyone was finished and all the members had proceeded to the sitting room.
"Why don't you tell us some story about Hogwarts?" Mr. Delacour asked Tonks, Remus and Harry as a whole. "We hear that it is a great place"
"Believe me, it is" Fleur chipped in. "And I think no one knows it better than Harry"
"Sorry Professor" Harry said, a grin plastered on his face. "Zero marks for that. The person who knows is best is the one sitting on my right"
"Really?" Fleur seemed surprised at this. All the stories she had heard at Hogwarts were those which had Harry in them. Now that she thought about it, she guessed that there had to be others too who had had adventures at Hogwarts.
"Yes. He and his friends were really something" Harry told everyone. "I think it is best if he tells you about the marauders himself"
"Marauders?" Fleur seemed thoughtful. "Yes…I think I had heard one of the staff members using that word". Seeing the hesitant look on Remus's face and the looks Remus was exchanging with Harry, Fleur tried to guess the problem.
"Remus…my family knows you are a werewolf. We don't have a problem with that" Fleur said a bit hesitantly. Remus seemed to relax at this.
"We believe god has something in store for all of us" Mr. Delacour said. "Sometimes things happen which are out of our control…which decide our future lives. We try to be as indiscriminate as possible"
"Nice to hear that" Remus looked as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders. With that, he started telling the story about how the marauders came into being. After half-an-hour, everyone except Tonks, Remus and Harry looked thunderstruck.
"You mean 3 people became illegal animagi just to be with you during your transformations?" Mrs. Delacour thought that it was too good to be true. Upon getting an affirmative nod from Remus, she added "That speaks a lot about their characters"
"Wrong" chorused both Harry and Remus together. What was even more surprising to the others was the hatred and loathing both the voices carried.
"Looks can be deceiving" Remus said. His eyes were now fixed on his hands which seemed to be shaking due to uncontrollable anger. "One of our group members went over to the dark side"
"Oh my god" Mrs. Delacour covered her mouth with her hands in shock. "That must be…" her voice trailed off at this point.
"And that person…" Remus continued in a croaked voice. "…that person handed…that person ha…". Remus seemed unable to control himself and didn't try to complete the sentence. Harry patted Remus on his back and whispered "It's not your fault" into his ears. It was Tonks who continued from where Remus had left off, albeit in a grave voice.
"That person handed over Harry's…Harry's parents to You-Know…" Tonks also found her voice betraying her but she had said enough to clear up the mystery which Remus had created. The Delacour's looked shell-shocked at this revelation. All of them were misty-eyed by now and their heart went out to Remus and Harry for their ordeal. Never in their dreams could they imagine a scenario where one close friend had been responsible for the death of the other. But, in hindsight, that's what the war had done to people. No one really cared how they were related to the person standing opposite to them. All they knew was that either he/she was with them or was against them.
"I am sorry to have started this conversation in the first place" Fleur was the one who broke the deafening silence after quite a few minutes had passed by.
"No…no…don't apologize" Harry waved her off. "Hey…just because we don't tell the truth doesn't mean that it hasn't happened"
"But it must feel so awful" Fleur said again. "And I…"
"Stop it Fleur" Tonks commented. "Harry and Remus have to live with this fact for their whole lives". Fleur slowly nodded in reply.
"I think we should go to bed now" Mr. Delacour said after another lengthy period of silence. "I am feeling quite tired". Taking the hint, Harry, Remus and Tonks bid the others a good night's sleep and retired to their rooms.
&&&&
"Where is he?" asked a figure half shrouded in the darkness of the room.
None of the death eaters dared to say anything in reply. A female voice spoke at last.
"He's still at Hogwarts, master" the voice trembled as the words came out.
Red eyes flashed in the darkness at these words.
"Harry…Harry…"
Harry found himself being shaken furiously by someone. He also felt himself sweating heavily. The last thing which he could remember was having a vision of Voldemort.
"What…who…" Harry asked in a whimper.
"Thank god" Harry heard the relieved voice of Remus speak. He also became aware of the blinding light which was filling the room. Slowly, Harry pulled himself to a sitting position to find Remus sitting on a nearby chair with a concerned look on his face.
"You had another vision?" Remus asked Harry.
"It's obvious, isn't it?" Harry replied. He was slightly angry at being woken up because he wanted to find out whatever he could, even at the cost of having visions. But on the other hand, he was thankful at whatever information he had retrieved.
"Anything important?"
Harry shrugged his shoulders at this. "Don't know yet. Voldemort was asking for someone and I think Bellatrix told him that the person was at Hogwarts"
"Male or female?" Remus queried.
"Male" Harry replied.
"I see" Remus said thoughtfully. "First he talks about some Power and now about some person"
"What person?" Tonks asked as she entered the room. Remus brought her up-to-date with the happenings.
"Was he talking about Harry?" Tonks queried after thinking about the incident carefully.
"Why should he?" Remus asked.
"Well…this could sound far fetched…I don't know…just guessing…" Tonks looked hesitant to speak her mind.
"C'mon Tonks" Harry said. "You have said many far fetched stupid things before also"
Ignoring the intended pun in Harry's words, Tonks provided her viewpoint.
"Harry's house got attacked but Harry was not there, right? That means Harry was vulnerable at Privet Drive. At Azkaban, anything could have happened. Forget about that temporarily. Then, after an absence of 2 months, Harry came to Hogwarts. There have been two attacks on Hogwarts and Harry has been completely unharmed in them, right?" Both Remus and Harry nodded.
"Then we learn about something known as Power of Hogwarts" Tonks continued. "This Power doesn't protect Hogwarts otherwise there would have been no attacks. Do you guys agree?" Again, Harry and Remus nodded their heads. "So, it could mean that the Power is to protect Harry and hence You-Know-Who wants it destroyed. Now, the moment we leave Hogwarts, You-Know-Who doesn't ask about the Power anymore. He is more interested in a person, right?"
"Seems so" Harry said.
"So, what if the Power of Hogwarts doesn't protect you anymore? I mean…" Tonks continued "…it's called the Power of Hogwarts. That means it works only in Hogwarts. So, the moment Christmas holidays arrived, You-Know-Who is searching for a person and not the Power. Who is he searching for and why?" Tonks left the question open for debate.
"He is searching for me because he knows I am not protected while I am outside Hogwarts" Harry said thoughtfully. "But he still doesn't know I am here, so he is on the lookout for me"
"Bingo" Tonks said.
"But there is one more thing which doesn't fit in" Harry said. "Bellatrix…I think it was her…anyway, she seemed quite confident that I was in Hogwarts. How could she know for sure?"
"They could have a spy" Remus said.
"Snape" Both Harry and Tonks chorused. Remus sighed but didn't say anything.
"Ok…seriously now…" Harry said. "Any idea who could be a spy?"
"No idea" Tonks said promptly while Remus looked deep in thought. Something like this could happen easily enough with even Dumbledore getting a sniff about it. After all, Wormtail had been in the Order for so long and no one knew about his real identity.
"Don't know" Remus said finally. "We have to give it more thought and should check out some things"
"But whoever is the spy is not doing a good job" Harry said. "They still think I am at Hogwarts"
"Why don't I talk to Dumbledore?" Tonks asked.
"And tell him that I had a vision?" Harry shot back.
"Well…I could just ask him matter-of-factly" Tonks replied. "You know…I keep saying lots of things. So why not this?"
"She's right" Remus agreed. "If I asked Dumbledore, he would become suspicious. Tonks wouldn't raise his suspicions that much"
"You are the elder guys here" Harry said. "Do what you feel is correct"
"I will be back in 30 minutes" Tonks said and disappeared. Apparently, she wanted to talk to Dumbledore as soon as possible.
"Well…" Remus said after a long period of silence. "…we have had a very nice start to Christmas, haven't we?"
"Oh…" Harry looked as if he had just fallen from the sky. "Today is Christmas!"
&&&&
"MERRY CHRISTMAS" the voice of the twins echoed through each and every room of The Burrow.
"Damn you, Fred and George" Ron grumbled as he saw the watch. It was 6 in the morning on Christmas day but somehow the feeling was different this year. This year there was no Harry to share gifts with and no Dobby to whom he could give his sweater. Yes, he had a girlfriend but it was also true that a war was going on. And there was also no denying the fact that their family was involved in the war much more than the other families. Should something happen to him or anyone else in his family, his life would be in real shambles.
"RON, GET UP" Ginny had just peeked into Ron's room and went on to check her gifts. After some more minutes, Ron decided that today was not the day to worry about the negatives but rather enjoy the positives. With a smile on his lips and spirits on a high, he went downstairs to check on his gifts.
&&&&
Harry and Remus hurried downstairs to check out their gifts. Harry was the more enthusiastic one and he skipped two stairs at a time. When they finally reached the landing, they found their hosts were up and were sitting near the Christmas tree which had been setup the previous evening. A quick round of greetings followed before Gabrielle was given the green signal to open her gifts. Soon, everyone was opening whatever they had received.
"Well, that takes care of this year's Christmas presents" Fleur said once her presents were all sorted out. "Where's Tonks?" she asked when she noticed a small bunch of parcel's untouched under the tree.
"Anyone looking for me?" came a voice from the stairs.
"Speak of the devil…" Harry couldn't finish his sentence because Remus had clapped his hand over Harry's mouth. Tonks gave a glare at Harry before proceeding to open her gifts. Once that was taken care of, everyone settled down near the tree once more.
"Oh…" Harry said as soon as he had taken his seat.
"What happened?" Mr. Delacour asked curiously.
"I forgot Dobby"
"Dobby?" Mrs. Delacour seemed surprised at hearing this name.
"Yes, Dobby" Harry replied. He then went on to tell the story of how the elf came into his life and how much he had helped Harry during difficult periods.
"That was really something" Mr. Delacour said once Harry had finished his tale. "I have never heard of such a relation between a human and an elf"
"I think it is time you met him" Harry said with a smile. "One minute…let me get his present first". With that, Harry took out his wand and said "Accio Present". A swishing noise was heard by everyone present in the room and soon they saw a square box, about the size of a toaster, come into view. Harry caught it cleanly as it came nearer and called out for Dobby.
"Yes Harry Potter" Dobby said as he appeared right beside Harry.
"Merry Christmas Dobby" Harry said to the elf.
"Merry Christmas Harry Potter" replied the elf with a little bow. Harry grinned at this and then went on to introduce Dobby to the Delacour family. Dobby greeted each one of them in his own way. It was Gabrielle who took to Dobby like a fish takes to water. Dobby, who was quite fond of children, liked Gabrielle very much too. After the introductions had been taken care of, Harry turned to Dobby.
"Dobby…this is your Christmas present from all of us here". Mrs. Delacour was about to protest but Mr. Delacour stopped her. From what they had seen and heard about Harry, he usually had his way of getting things done his way and there was no use in arguing with him.
"Dobby is so happy" the elf squeaked in delight and started opening his gift. Once he had gone through the contents, he looked like the happiest elf on earth.
"Dobby is delighted at having such a lavish dress, Harry Potter. Dobby is thanking everybody for it".
"Why don't you try it on and show us Dobby?" Harry asked.
"Dobby is doing so right now" Dobby said and vanished with a crack. Within seconds, he had reappeared in a really weird dress. He had a tee shirt on which had sleeves of red and fluorescent green. The middle part was divided into 3 more colors, namely magenta, white and deep green. He also had a pair of trousers on (which were really weird for an elf to wear). The trousers had colors of black and blue intermixed with patches of grey in them.
"You look great Dobby" Tonks said, appreciating the work which had gone into making such a complex multi-colored dress. Remus and Harry also gave their approval. The Delacour family looked on in surprise at the odd dress but they too appreciated the dress. After getting positive remarks from everyone, a misty eyed Dobby thanked everyone and vanished into thin air.
Looking at the surprised looks of the Delacours, Harry went on to explain how Dobby thought colors should be mixed up to make clothes look beautiful. The Delacour family was surprised to say the least.
"By the way, where does he stay?" Gabrielle asked.
"He has a way of making room for himself" Harry replied. No one in the Delacour family knew about the trunk's facilities and it was best if it remained that way. Soon everyone had had their breakfast.
"So, what are your plans for today?" Mr. Delacour asked Fleur when they were sitting in the living room.
"Madam Maxime has invited us to lunch at Beauxbaton today" Fleur replied. Harry looked slightly surprised at this but Tonks looked excited.
"Great" Tonks said. "I finally get to see the best wizarding school in France"
&&&&
"Everyone ready?" Fleur asked at quarter to 12. Tonks and Remus were already present in the living room while Harry was coming down the stairs.
"Yeah" Remus said on behalf of the three of them.
"Has anyone seen Gabrielle?" Fleur asked to no one in particular.
"She's coming" Harry said as he slumped down on the nearest seat.
"Where is she?" Fleur asked.
"In my room…talking to Dobby" Harry replied.
"Talking to Dobby?" Remus looked puzzled at this.
"Yeah" Harry replied mockingly. "She wanted to know about my life and Dobby decided that he would do the honors"
"You know what Harry…" Tonks said "…they could start your fan club here"
"Yeah…yeah" came the sarcastic reply.
"Gabrielle" Fleur, in the meantime, was climbing up the stairs and calling out to her kid sister.
"Coming" everyone could hear the reply of Gabrielle. As Fleur descended, a pair of running feet could also be heard. Soon Gabrielle came into view and everyone got up to leave for Beauxbaton.
"Oh…one more thing Harry" Fleur turned around to face her student at Hogwarts. "Be careful in France. If anyone…"
"I know. Gabrielle told me about it" Harry replied. Fleur nodded her head in acknowledgement but Tonks and Remus seemed baffled. Seeing their looks, Harry explained "I am kind of a myth in France. Evidently, I am as popular or hated here as I am in England"
"No one hates you here" Gabrielle corrected Harry. All of them were now out of the manor and were heading towards the subway station.
"We'll see" Harry replied. The rest of the journey passed in relative quietness as no one wanted to attract unwanted attention. Harry, on the other hand, was also on the lookout for anything suspicious. Soon they had reached their destination station and as they were coming out, Tonks informed Harry and Remus that Dumbledore was looking into the 'spy' matter seriously. Both the guys were somewhat relieved to hear that.
"It's about 2 minutes walk from here" Fleur informed the others as she led the way. No one said anything and followed Fleur quietly. Within seconds, Fleur left the main road and turned down a narrow alley. From the looks of things, Harry guessed that muggles were unable to view the alley. As Harry looked around the alley, he saw that there were many side-alleys going in all kinds of directions. Fleur stopped in front of one of them and led the way inside. After another few similar turns, Fleur turned into an alley which had a bright light at the end. Coming out of the alley, all of them were temporarily blinded as sunlight flooded the area.
"Welcome to Beauxbaton"
&&&&
"Hey"
"Hi" Ron said without glancing up at Hermione.
"So…what are you doing today?" Hermione asked.
"Nothing special" Ron replied, toying around with some of the gifts he had got.
"So…" Hermione stopped for a moment before continuing. "…what gifts did you get?"
"The usual" Ron replied before looking up with a smile "but your gift was quite nice"
"You liked it?" Hermione thought this was unbelievable.
"Yeah" Ron replied. "Who wouldn't like a tee shirt signed by Krum? I would love to wear it whenever I can. By the way, how did you get hold of it?"
"Why should I tell?" Hermione said teasingly.
"C'mon Hermione" Ron insisted.
"Let's say an old friend helped me out" Hermione replied.
"Hmmm…old friend" Ron said thoughtfully. "Do you make frequent visits to your old friend's place?"
Hermione didn't like the tone in Ron's voice but she wasn't one to be left behind. "Not yet" she replied.
"I see" Ron said. "Give him my regards when you see him the next time…only if you have enough time for that" he added teasingly.
"RON!" Hermione slapped him hard on his arms. "Don't say such sick jokes"
"Hey, I was serious" Ron replied looking as serious as he could be. Hermione looked quite angry at Ron's idea of a joke and turned away.
"Hermione…Hermione…" Ron called out twice but Hermione didn't even look at him. Instead, she picked up a book and started reading it.
"You know what…" Ron said. "…I have never tried reading Quidditch Through The Ages upside down". Hermione quickly turned around the book but not before Ron was laughing loudly.
"Shut up" Hermione said at last, irritated that Ron was having a laugh at her expense.
"C…Can't…" Ron replied in between fits of laughter. "You…should have seen…the look…on…your face"
"Stop it" Hermione said angrily. Finally, after another couple of seconds, Ron managed to get himself under control and saw that Hermione looked quite angry. There was something else about her features too which he tried his best to express in words.
"Hermione…you used to get angry at me so many times but today I have noticed something"
"What?"
"That you look more beautiful when you are angry" Ron replied. Hermione blushed slightly at this and her anger seemed to fade away.
"Liar" Hermione said but there was no irritation in her voice. In fact, she was smiling when she said this.
"Wrong Ms. Granger" Ron replied. "You get zero out of ten"
"Amway…what did Harry get you for Christmas?" Hermione changed the topic as fast as she could. She had still not got used to the changes Ron had undergone and sometimes felt a bit uncomfortable. Slowly, but surely, she was accepting the new and 'improved' Ron.
"You wouldn't believe what he got me" Ron let out a low whistle as he said this. "He got me a quaffle signed by every player on the Chudley Cannons"
"WHAT!" Hermione looked puzzled at this. "How did he manage it?"
"From what I had read in the prophet, a single quaffle was on auction for a fund raiser" Ron wondered aloud.
"But that would be very expensive" Hermione said. "If Harry keeps on going like this, he won't have any money left after graduating from Hogwarts"
"Hermione…" Ron looked quite serious. "…have you ever wondered why Harry keeps throwing his money away?"
"Don't know" Hermione replied. "It's as if he just wants to finish off his business with the dark forces and live like a beggar. Or maybe he wants to make his own living as an auror and have nothing to do with his parent's money once he has graduated"
"He's strange in the ways of money" Ron said. "It's almost as if he hates being rich"
"Took you long enough to understand that" Hermione said sarcastically even though she didn't want to sound it as bitter as it came out to be. But, to her surprise, Ron took it very nicely.
"Yeah…took me long enough"
"Hey…have you noticed the change in Ginny?" Hermione asked
"What change?" Ron looked awkwardly at Hermione. Hermione shook her head in despair.
"Really Ron, you are supposed to be her elder brother"
"So?" Ron gave a shrug of his shoulders. "Your point?". Hermione looked puzzled for a few moments at Ron's replies. Sometimes he seemed to have become so much mature and yet, at other times, he would reply just like the same old immature Ron. Well, that is Ron for you, she decided.
"She seems a lot happier now" Hermione said finally. "Remember how bitter she was when Harry didn't even talk to us?"
"Yeah" Ron nodded his head slowly. "Now that you mention it, I have seen her behave normally when Harry is around"
"Yes" Hermione agreed. "I was just thinking something based on that"
"What?" Ron queried.
"Has she found a new boyfriend?"
&&&&
Fleur led the way across the grounds in front of the huge school. Beauxbaton was bigger and had more grandeur than Hogwarts but it didn't seem as old as Hogwarts. It was quite a modern school and the students clothing suggested that there was no school uniform as such.
"Beauxbaton students can wear any kind of clothes during the holiday season" Fleur informed the others as they made their way towards the school.
"Don't these people go home during holidays?" Tonks seemed surprised at the huge number of students relaxing on the grounds. Many were giving weird looks at Tonks mainly due to her 'unique' features.
"As a matter of fact, they do" Fleur said, quickening her steps. Tonks saw that many of the students were starting to move towards them and were chatting excitedly amongst themselves. "But this time, a rumor has spread through the school" Fleur informed the others.
"Oh my god" Harry said in a low voice. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?". Many of the students were now close enough for the newcomers to hear their voices.
"Is it him?"
"That's Fleur Delacour alright. She's supposed to bring him here, isn't that so?"
"Who are the others?"
"That pink-headed girl is really something"
By this time, the group had crossed the grounds and was heading up the stairs. As they were nearing the top of the stairs, a huge figure came to the forefront.
"Fleur…" Madam Maxime's voice boomed. "So nice to see you"
"Nice to see you too Madam Maxime" Fleur replied as she kissed her former headmistress on either cheek. "I have your guest with me"
"I can see that" Madam Maxime turned towards Harry with a big smile. "Welcome to Beauxbaton, Harry"
"My pleasure, Madam Maxime" Harry replied but kept glancing uncomfortably at the gathering crowd. Madam Maxime sensed his discomfort and escorted them to her office. Once in her office, Fleur proceeded to introduce the others to Madam Maxime. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Madam Maxime turned back to Harry.
"You have grown quite a lot since I last saw you"
"Yes" Harry said. "I am not a little kid anymore". Fleur looked slightly embarrassed at this but only Harry noticed it.
"How is Dumbledore?" the headmistress asked again.
"He is doing ok" Harry replied. "He has a lot of things to take care of"
"I know" Madam Maxime said. "Things are happening here also…things which we had thought would not happen…things which are dividing the country into two"
"We hope the ministries of both the countries are working together to avoid a catastrophe" Tonks said.
"Yes" Madam Maxime stated. "But there are too many people with vested interests in the middle. Misunderstandings are taking place and we fear that people may turn to the dark side because of fear". Harry, Remus and Tonks exchanged concerned looks at this. This was bad news.
"Harry…" Madam Maxime said "…I have invited you here today for a purpose. There are lots of young minds here who can be very easily impressed. Everyone has heard about you but no one has ever seen you in person. These students need a role model and no one could be better than you"
"Madam Maxime, you flatter me" Harry replied truthfully. "Obviously there are lots of graduates from Beauxbaton who are better than me"
"Yes" Madam Maxime acknowledged the truth. "But none of them has ever lived to tell the tale of how they escaped the dark lord himself. You are special Harry, and they need someone like you"
"I see" Harry replied thoughtfully.
"You don't want him to make a speech or something, do you?" Tonks asked cautiously. "That is the kind of thing he hates most"
"Then I am sorry to say that I had exactly that in my mind" Madam Maxime's spirits seemed to have taken a beating. "I had hoped that Harry would motivate these young…"
"I will do it" Harry cut short Madam Maxime's sentence but she didn't mind anything. Rather, her Christmas spirit was back in place.
"Thank you Harry" Madam Maxime looked very grateful. "You don't know what this means to us"
"It means a lot to me too" Harry replied. "We need to stop people from turning dark. And if my saying something is useful, I will always be ready to help". Madam Maxime gave a nod at Harry which he acknowledged. After exchanging a few more pieces of information about what was going on in France, Madam Maxime led everyone to the dining hall of Beauxbatons.
The dining hall of Beauxbeatons was almost twice the size of the Great Hall at Hogwarts. Beauxbaton had six houses in all based on the greatest wizards and witches France ever produced. The whole building's magnificence from the inside was unbelievable. Tonks was staring at the view with her jaw hanging open and only a hard nudge from Remus could bring her back to her senses.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, a merry Christmas to all of you" Madam Maxime began her speech in front of the whole school. Also, it seemed like some parents had dropped in to see Harry Potter.
"Today is a special day in the history of Beauxbaton. We, in France, face grave times in front of us" Madam Maxime's voice seemed very serious at this point and there was pin-drop silence in the hall. "We all have to make a choice, a choice between good and bad. This is much easier said than done but today I have someone with me who has made a choice. Most of us have only heard stories about him…" a murmur went through the hall "…but none of us know him personally. Today, I would like you all to hear what he has to say to us". The murmur around the hall was turning into a roar as people finally started to realize that the rumors were true. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I welcome Harry Potter"
A thunderous roar exploded at the mention of the name. Harry looked very confused at what was going on. Even from what he had heard from Gabrielle, he didn't expect people to react like this. Everyone was standing on their feet and clapping. More and more parents seemed to be pouring into the hall as the word spread.
"Go on" Tonks gave Harry a slight push. As Harry slowly rose to his feet, the clapping grew even louder. Harry raised his hands to silence the students but no one heeded it. For many, this was the only chance to meet their hero, someone who could exist only in stories.
Harry performed the Sonorous charm onto himself as Madam Maxime had done and tried to pacify the crowd.
"I would like you all to stop. Please allow me to speak". These words also failed to stop the uproar. Finally, seeing no other option, Harry said the only word which came to his mind "Voldemort".
Pin-drop silence ensued. Almost everyone, including Madam Maxime, gave an involuntary shudder. Some people looked outraged at having to hear the name while others thought it was sacrilege.
"Everyone was just clapping for me and now…" Harry paused for a moment. "I am not a quidditch star or anything. I am a normal person but you all were treating me like a star. I don't understand" Harry gave a violent shrug of his shoulders and threw up his hands in air in desperation.
"Stop thinking about me as something special" Harry said after a long pause. "I am just like you. The only difference between me and many of you is that I can say a person's name and you are afraid to even hear it. Madam Maxime just said that we have to make a choice. Yes, I made a choice. A choice which can cost me my life. A choice that has already led to the death of one of my friends. A choice that can change the way the things are moving now"
"I am not special because I made a choice. We are all making choices, either consciously or sub-consciously" Harry continued. Everyone was now hanging on to each word which Harry had to say. "My parents had made a choice too and because of that they are now…dead" Harry said with a sigh. "But you know what, I am rather proud of them. I would rather have them making the right choice and dying than taking the wrong path and worshipping a madman"
"You don't know what you are talking about kid" a voice shouted from behind.
"Really?" Harry asked sarcastically. "Have you ever seen Voldemort, my dear sir?". A shiver ran through the audience once again. "I have. I have even dueled with him and here I am, still alive and kicking". Some people chuckled at this comment. "We are getting divided, not due to caste, not due to religion or anything else BUT due to fear. Fear of a single name. Why do you fear that name?"
&&&&
"That was some speech" Tonks said when all of them were once again seated in Madam Maxime's office twenty minutes after Harry had started his speech. "You spoke for over 10 minutes!"
"Fudge seems to be rubbing off on you" Remus said with a wink. Harry, on the other hand, was in the foulest of moods. It felt as if he had just given a speech in front of a few hundred dead people.
"Don't worry Harry, they will understand you alright" Fleur said. She knew that France didn't have a Dumbledore who could show them the way but she had faith in them. These people needed someone to follow…someone by the name of Harry Potter.
"Hopefully" Harry replied. All of them stayed for another half-an-hour at Beauxbaton before finally leaving. As they made their way towards the stairs, a huge group of people descended on them.
"What is going on here?" Madam Maxime seemed very angry at the way the students had blocked the path of the guests.
"Madam Maxime, we want a picture of Harry Potter" a fifth year girl said. Looking around, Harry saw the girls outnumbered the boys by a large margin.
Madam Maxime cast a glance at Harry who motioned to her to bend down. Once they were level, Harry whispered something into her ears.
"Ok everyone" Madam Maxime said as she straightened up again to her full height. "Assemble in the ground in 5 minutes. We are going to take one…I repeat ONE school photo with Harry in it". Pandemonium ensued as everyone made a rush to follow Madam Maxime. Harry, in the meantime, was chatting to Gabrielle who seemed quite excited.
"Harry…my friends are here. Can you meet them?" Gabrielle asked hopefully.
"Now?" Harry asked and cast a glance at the crowd which was gathering behind them.
"Maybe later" Gabrielle said in a whisper. Harry could clearly see that the little girl was slightly upset but that didn't stop him from inwardly appreciating her manners.
"No. I will meet them now" Harry said, much to Gabrielle's delight.
&&&&
"Whoa…when do you plan to come back again Harry?" Tonks asked on the way back to the subway. It had taken them a full thirty minutes to meet Gabrielle's friends, their families, have their pictures taken, autographs etc etc.
"Shut up" came the two worded reply from Harry. Tonks made a face behind Harry's back but Remus stopped her before her antics got Harry more irritated.
"Oops…I forgot completely" Tonks stopped as they were entering the subway station. "I have to buy a few things"
"Not now Tonks" Harry seemed completely down-trodden as he said this.
"But they are really important" Tonks replied. "Why don't you guys go on? I will apparate back to the manor"
"That would be better" Harry agreed. Even though he didn't want to leave Tonks, he didn't feel like he could go shopping now. "Remus, why don't you go on with Tonks? Fleur and I will have no problems in returning along with Gabrielle."
"You sure?" Remus seemed slightly uncertain.
"Yeah" Harry said in a confident voice. "Just be back before dinner, ok?"
"Ok". With that, Tonks and Remus made their way back out of the subway while Fleur, Gabrielle and Harry made their way back to the manor. Once inside, Harry made his way up to his room and had a nice nap. It was around 6 in the evening when he woke up suddenly. Looking around, he didn't see anything out of the ordinary but his sixth sense kept telling him something was wrong.
Harry got up quickly and made his way downstairs. The house seemed quite, in fact, too quite for his liking. But on peeking inside the dining room, he saw Fleur and Gabrielle helping their mother in some household chores. A wave of relief washed over Harry's features when he saw them. Subsequently, he heard the main door of the house opening with a creaking sound. His wand drawn, Harry tip-toed to the hall.
"Honey, I am home" Mr. Delacour said as he entered the house. The outside sky was fairly dark by now. Harry was relieved to hear his host's voice but his relief vanished into thin air when he saw Mr. Delacour slumping to the ground – stunned.
"Fleur…Mrs. Delacour…" Harry shouted in a panicked voice as he summoned the limp body of Mr. Delacour. At the same time, he felt a thudding near his heart and understood why he had woken up suddenly. Death eaters had arrived.
"Oh my god" Mrs. Delacour shouted when she saw her husband sprawled on the couch.
"He's just unconscious" Harry informed them. "Hold on…" Harry said and enervated Mr. Delacour.
"What happened?" Mr. Delacour asked in a dazed voice.
"GET DOWN" Harry shouted as a streak of green light sped through one of the windows. There was a huge explosion as the spell hit the wall just behind the spot where Mrs. Delacour had been standing.
"Death eaters" Harry whispered to the 4 figures which were now down on the floor. "Get upstairs". All of them crept upstairs but made sure that they didn't make themselves visible through the windows.
"What do we do now?" Fleur seemed close to panic.
"Portkey away" Harry said.
"We can't" Fleur replied. Mrs. Delacour was lying on the floor, all the while trying to comfort Gabrielle, while Mr. Delacour was trying to come to some sort of a decision.
"We can't" Fleur replied.
"Why not?" Harry asked in anger.
"There is not enough time to explain" Fleur replied. "We can't portkey away" she added stubbornly.
"Ok…you can't portkey away. Tonks and Remus are not here and by the looks of things, there are about 20 death eaters already out there with more arriving with every passing second" Harry said aloud to himself.
"WHAT!" Fleur and her father exclaimed simultaneously.
"Hold on…they are here for me" Harry said. "Hmmm…Dobby".
"Yes Harry Potter"
Harry quickly whispered something to Dobby. Dobby looked frightened at what Harry had just said to him but nodded all the same.
"Look…I am going out for a while" Harry explained. "Don't come after me. One more thing…stay with Dobby"
Everyone in the room started protesting at this but became quite when another curse hit something downstairs.
"You all want to die?" Harry asked in a hissing voice, his eyes sparkling brightly. "I don't think so. Fleur, get your brother here". No sooner had Harry said these words that the last member of the Delacour family had joined them.
"Listen everyone…no one, and I mean no one, leaves this room unless Dobby says so. Wait for Tonks and Remus or the others. Fleur…use this" Harry handed an enchanted mobile phone to her. "Tonks and Remus have one of these too. Ask them to get aurors over here soon". With a last look, Harry left the room.
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"Should we go in now?" one of the death eaters asked another one.
"We have to wait until everyone else arrives" the other one explained. "Who the hell cast the spells? If master knows that we disobeyed his orders…" a shiver ran through each of the death-eater who heard this.
"What was that?" one of the death eaters heard a cracking sound nearby. Probing his way to the spot, he saw a cat hurrying away.
"Found anything?" another death eater asked.
"Nothing" came the confirmation as more swishing noises announced the arrival of more death eaters.
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"Dobby" Harry had made his way out onto the grounds. This was the first time he had tried using the invisibility shield feature of the glove in a real life situation and it looked like it was really working.
"Harry Potter" came a whisper from beside him. Apparently, Dobby had also taken the precaution to make himself invisible.
"You got it?"
"Yes Harry Potter". With that, Dobby handed over the thing which Harry had asked for.
"Thanks Dobby. One more thing…" Harry said as he bent downwards to reach Dobby's height. "Remember how I had said that I will provide you with some important work? Well, this is it Dobby. Protect the Delacour's"
"I will Harry Potter" a steely voice replied and with a crack, Dobby vanished.
"What was that?" Harry heard one of the death eaters saying. Assuming that the death eater had heard Dobby's cracking noise, Harry quickly stepped away from the area. More and more swishing noises seemed to fill the air around him. Quietly, Harry made his way to his target area and waited with baited breath. After a time, Harry saw one of the death eaters motioning others to follow him. Harry knew that the time had come for his move. He waited a few moments to ensure that he had enough space for his movements. As the moment arrived, Harry took a deep breath and let down the invisibility shield. Simultaneously, he muttered the lumos spell.
"Looking for me?" Harry said in a loud voice. All the death eaters turned around to find Harry holding his wand at an angle so that his whole face was illuminated to them.
"Potter" came a deep drawling voice.
"If it isn't Malfoy Senior" Harry said in a mocking tone.
"You are coming with us tonight Potter" Malfoy said as he shot a spell at Harry. Harry, who had been expecting such a thing, evaded the spell easily.
"Of course" Harry said. "But only if you can catch me". With that, Harry picked up his Firebolt in a flash from where he had placed it and flew off into the darkness of the night-sky.
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A/N:
Hi guys, I am back :). Here's the 20th chapter. Hope you like it. Once again, from now onwards, the whole Delacour family will speak perfect english. It is too much time consuming to get the accent right.
For those who think 4-5 chapters more are not enough to explain everything in this fic, the news is that there will be a sequel.
TuxedoMac – Harry is just about to have the flying of his lifetime :). SO he doesn't have to post letters to anyone hopefully.
To all those people who have reviewed - Thanks. Each and every word you write in your reviews is of great importance to me and I always take your suggestions/comments very seriously.
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