The Problem with Veela
(I would just like to apologise for the long break, exams, school and holidays took up much of my time and left none for writing. Nevertheless I thought that you guys deserved a longer chapter for being so patient, so here is Chapter Five. Enjoy. And make sure to review!)
Chapter Five: A Date with Miss Delacour
Harry and Fleur walked alongside each other, in an awkward silence. All around them, Hogsmeade was bristling with students. Noise engulfed them, making their lack of conversation more noticeable. Harry racked his brains for something to say. Luckily, Fleur managed that task before he did.
"'Arry, what is that?"
She was pointing at the Shrieking Shack. It was just visible at the end of the high street. Harry almost jumped for joy at the question.
"Oh! That's the Shrieking Shack." He replied, "It's supposed to be haunted. Boo!"
Fleur jumped and slapped his arm lightly. Harry roared with laughter.
"Not funny." Fleur said, clearly unimpressed.
"Oh c'mon! It was kinda funny." Harry replied, still giggling. The tension had broken and the pair found themselves being able to carry a conversation much more easily. Harry found himself learning a lot about Fleur. Her parents, her home in France, Beauxbatons, the stigma that came with being part Veela.
"It is difficult at times, especially when meeting new people. I cannot tell if they want to actually be my friend or whether they are simply interested in my chest."
Harry nodded, understanding the feeling.
"Yeah. I get it sometimes. People always look at my scar before me. And they want to be friends with the Boy Who Lived, not Harry Potter." Harry said, looking at the ground. There was a sombreness to his gaze and this made Fleur instinctively put a hand on his shoulder.
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'm glad I'm friends with Harry Potter." She smiled at him and warmth flooded through his body. His eyes lit up and a grin appeared on his face.
"I like talking to you Fleur Delacour."
"I like talking to you, Harry."
They made their way towards the Three Broomsticks. Harry, who found out that Fleur had never had Butterbeer, had demanded that they go. Fleur was understandably unsure. Butter and beer often didn't go together in a usual conversation. On the other hand, her curiosity had got the better of her and she had happily followed Harry into the pub. A blast of warm air and noise smacked into her as she entered the pub. It was crowded with students and faculty alike. Her eyes travelled round the small inn, taking in everything.
"Fleur! Over here!" Harry called. She made her way over to the table he had managed to snag. He held her chair out for her as she sat down.
"Merci."
"I'll be right back." Said Harry. He made his way to the bar. He waited patiently as the barmaid, Madame Rosmerta, served other customers. He caught her eye and she came over.
"Harry dear, what can I get you?" Asked Madame Rosmerta. Harry smiled at her. Whenever he came into the Three Broomsticks, Rosmerta was always kind to him.
"Just a couple Butterbeers please." He replied politely.
"Coming right up."
Harry turned round and looked back at Fleur. He sighed softly. She was indeed very pretty, and he had discovered a side to her that didn't need the looks to attract him. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back. Why does this always happen to me? He thought. He allowed his mind to wander and it came to rest on an image of an older version of himself, with Fleur, on a beach. It was beautiful, the sun shone off the sand and the sea was turquoise. There was a soft breeze that flapped his hair around. Another person was with them. A small girl of about 5, with long blonde hair and bright green eyes. His daughter.
Thud
The clanking of the Butterbeers shook him from his daydream. Get it together Potter, he thought to himself, you haven't decided anything yet.
He thanked Rosmerta and took the Butterbeers.
As he went to go back to his table, Harry found his path blocked by Draco Malfoy.
"Hey there Potter." He drawled.
"You alright, Ferret." Harry replied, snarkily.
Malfoy blushed, that memory hadn't disappeared from his memeory. However, he quickly regained his sneer.
"Who's that for Potter? Weaslebee? Or perhaps the Mud-"
Harry cut him off.
"No. It's for her." He pointed with his head at Fleur who caught his eye and smiled sweetly at Draco.
"Who are you with? That pug Parkinson?" Snorted Harry, and he left before Malfoy could even respond.
He sat down opposite Fleur and handed her the Butterbeer. She thanked him before raising the tankard tentatively to her lips. Harry meanwhile was guzzling the gold liquid in one long drink. Fleur sipped the drink. Warmth flooded through her body as the liquid travelled down into her stomach. She smiled, and took another drink.
"Like it?" Asked Harry, smirking.
Fleur nodded before laughing. Harry had a foamy moustache on his top lip.
"You look like the Monopoly man!" She giggled.
Harry joined in with the laughter as he realised what she was referring to.
"I would've said Colonel Sanders." He replied. The pair laughed harder, causing a few people to turn round. Fleur picked up a napkin and reached over and wiped his lip. Harry's heartbeat increased slightly as she did so. Pink flushed into his cheeks as he grinned awkwardly. He looked into Fleur's eyes. They were a beautiful combination of blue and green. It was like the colour of the sea in his daydream. Her eyes flicked up and met his. Harry felt like time was passing ridiculously slowly as he stared into the turquoise eyes of his new found friend.
Friend. He thought. That's all she is. However, a small part of him thoroughly disagreed, as his throat suddenly felt tight. Fleur looked away, leaving Harry slightly disappointed.
"So." She said, but closed her mouth quickly.
"What?" Asked Harry.
"Nothing." She replied, sheepishly. "It is nothing."
"You sure?" He asked. Fleur looked back at him. His eyes were full of concern. She saw no trace of the effect of the allure. Fleur decided to experiment and channeled her allure to its full strength. Other men in the pub stared to ogle at her. Even Madame Rosmerta was looking at her with a hungry look in her eye. However, the boy sitting opposite was unfazed by it. Harry was genuinely concerned for her wellbeing. Suddenly, she saw an image of him in a wedding suit. She looked down and saw herself in a bright white gown. It was their wedding. Fleur smiled to herself, perhaps this wouldn't be so bad after all. If he decided to marry her, that is.She allowed the allure to return to normal. The people who had been staring at her turned back round and seemed to rejoin the conversations instantaneously.
"Uhm. Well. I was wondering.."
"Yeah?" Harry said, urging her to continue.
"The wedding."
Harry's jaw dropped slightly.
"Hang on Harry. Don't worry. I am not pressuring you into anything. I am just thinking. If we are to get married, I would like to start planning it."
Harry gaped at her, he looked like he had swallowed Gillyweed and become part fish again.
"But, but." He spluttered, choosing his words carefully, "The hypothetical wedding isn't for 5 months!" He exclaimed.
Fleur shushed him, not wanting the whole street to overhear.
"Oh my, Harry. You really have no idea about women do you?"
Harry blushed and looked away as he shook his head.
Fleur smirked.
"Then again neither does he."
Draco Malfoy had his arm round Daphne Greengrass, who had an expression of deep discomfort plastered all over her pretty features. Daphne looked over at where Harry and Fleur were sitting. Her eyes practically yelled, "Help."
Fleur looked over at Malfoy. Harry followed her gaze.
"You okay?" He asked.
"Oui. He is not though."
Draco's platinum blonde hair had suddenly turned bright lime green. Harry snorted. Fleur put away her wand and grabbed Harry's hand, pulling him out of his seat and out of the pub. The pair burst out of the Three Broomsticks into the cold February air, both chortling at Malfoy's new hairstyle. Harry was too distracted to notice the foot that he stood on.
"Oh sorr-" he stopped abruptly.
The foot he had stepped on belonged to Ron Weasley.
Harry grabbed Ron by the collar, and despite being larger than Harry, Ron allowed Harry to push him against the wall. He glared at his friend.
"So." Harry said, with an unnerving calm tone. "You are alive."
Ron scoffed. "What do you mean? Of course I'm alive."
Harry laughed. Not of mirth, but a cold threatening laugh.
"Really? Then why haven't I seen you at all? Are we not friends or?"
Ron looked down at the ground sheepishly. Harry suddenly had the urge to smack him. However, he resisted.
"Harry. I-" He stuttered. "I'm, I'm uh. I'm sorry."
SMACK!
Ron stumbled, his cheek now red.
"Is that all you can say?" Said Harry. "After everything?"
Ron simply looked at him.
"You didn't believe me about the Tournament! You didn't believe me when I said I didn't want this! You stopped talking to me. Ron, you have no idea how hard it was. You were my first friend, my best friend, and you abandoned me." Harry found himself spilling out all his emotions.
"And now this? It's not my fault! I didn't ask for this-"
"You're right."
Harry stopped speaking.
"You're right Harry." Continued Ron, "I was an idiot. I was jealous. I was selfish. Instead of facing my problems, I ran from them. I was jealous of you. The Boy Who Lived. So famous. People love you, and they overlook me. And I'm poor, and I have got shabby clothes and I was angry at everything. And I took it out on you. And I shouldn't have."
Harry was surprised at the mature attitude Ron had seemed to develop over the last couple of days. It was odd. However he wasn't complaining if it meant they could get on.
"I want my friend, Harry Potter, back. I don't want the Triwizard Champion, or the Boy Who Lived. I want just Harry." Said Ron with a hint of finality. Harry stepped back slightly. He suddenly grabbed Ron in a hug. Harry felt long arms wrap around him as his best friend embraced him back. Tears welled up in both of the eyes. By opening up to each other, they had broken some of the barriers between them.
"Glad to have you back mate." Said Harry when they had come apart.
Ron grinned.
"Well, you seemed helpless without me."
The pair smirked at each other.
"I wouldn't say that." Came another voice.
They turned around to see Fleur smiling at them.
Ron approached her.
"Fleur, I apologise for anything that I've done that has offended you." He said, as if in a court.
She waved away his apology.
"It is fine Ronald. As long as Harry and you are friends again, I am happy."
Ron grinned.
Harry offered his arm to Fleur.
"Shall we?"
She took it.
"We shall." And the pair started the journey back to the carriage with Ron following close behind.
Ron left them as the castle loomed above the trio. He headed towards the Entrance Hall.
"See you back at the Common Room." He said to Harry. Harry nodded and waved. The pair walked back towards the Beauxbatons carriage when Fleur grabbed Harry's hand again and led him down the Black Lake. While it was a cold day, the sun was out. It reflected over the water, creating a golden glow. Fleur sat down under a large willow tree and gestured to the ground next to her. Harry sank down and crossed his legs. Fleur sighed as she looked across the water. Harry looked at her hand. It was just sitting there on the ground. He inched his own hand closer to hers. Eventually he worked up the nerve to put his hand over hers. Her skin was soft and warm. To his surprise he felt her fingers interlace with his own. He grinned sillily at her, causing her to laugh. They sat in silence for a while, hands still together, simply just enjoying each other's company. Fleur was happy to have a friend who liked her for more than her looks. Harry was happy to have someone else who saw him as more than the Boy Who Lived. Harry leant back against the tree, the sunlight shining down on his face and allowed his eyes to close. They snapped back open when he felt a weight on his chest. He looked down to see the bright blonde hair of Fleur. His heart thumped a little faster. He hoped she hadn't noticed. Harry could hear her breathing softly. Is she asleep? Thought the younger wizard. He looked at his watch. It was 5:35 but he felt like he'd only been out for half an hour. He grinned again, for reasons unbeknownst to him. Harry was starting to warm to Fleur. He leaned against the trunk and closed his eyes again.
Harry was woken by someone shaking his shoulder lightly. He jumped awake, used to having to be fast enough to avoid Dudley. His eyes searched around him frantically.
"Woah. Woah. Harry it's okay."
A soft hand touched his cheek. The wizard found himself staring into the eyes of Fleur Delacour. His heart melted slightly at the sight of her.
"Come on, we should get back." Said the witch.
She offered her hand and Harry took it. She pulled him off the ground and they began to walk back to the Beauxbatons carriage. The pair did it say much on the way there, once again just glad for the company. The powder blue carriage came into view. The two of them walked towards the door when Fleur stopped a few paces before it. Harry also stopped.
"Harry, thank you for a wonderful day. I really did enjoy it." Said the French witch.
Harry beamed at her, glad that she had liked their day out.
"Well, you know, we could do it again sometime? Uhm, if you- I don't know, if you want?" Harry spluttered. Fleur giggled softly, he still was awkward around girls. Harry chuckled with her, red creeping into his cheeks. He suddenly felt Fleur's hands on his cheeks as she leaned in. He followed suit and their lips brushed together. They were soft, and almost comforting. It was not a long, passionate kiss yet it was not the meaningless peck on the cheek he had received before. Fleur pulled away, her face slightly pink. She smiled at Harry before wishing him good night and disappearing into the carriage. Harry stayed rooted to the spot for a few minutes. He suddenly turned round and practically skipped back to the castle. The 14 year old was ecstatic. He's just had his first kiss! And not only that, it was with the most wonderful girl he could think of! Harry dashed through the corridors, a giant smile on his face. He stayed beating right until he got to the Fat Lady's portrait.
"Password?" She asked.
Harry racked his brains for the most recent password. Then it came back to him.
"Veela!" He almost shouted.
The Fat Lady smiled at his enthusiastic response and swung open. Harry clambered through the hole and flopped down into the armchair nearest the fire. He sat there for at least ten minutes, in silent glee. Harry looked up as Hermione sat down on the floor next to him.
"Hey." She said softly.
Harry smiled down at her.
"So? How'd it go?"
Harry just continued grinning.
"Come on Harry, tell me about it." His friend urged.
Harry sighed. He took a deep breath before launching into his story.
"It was amazing! We went all round Hogsmeade, she made Malfoy's hair turn green and then we uhm…"
The boy blushed, much to the amusement of his female friend. Hermione looked at him, a broad smile spread across her face.
"We?" She asked teasingly.
Harry's cheeks turned pink again. He shook his head. Another deep breath and he managed to get the sentence out.
"We, uh, may have, heh heh, kissed." He said quietly. Unfortunately for him, Hermione had top notch hearing. She grabbed his arm and squealed quietly.
"Oh Harry! That's great!" She said.
Harry nodded stupidly, a giant smile back on his face.
"So now what?"
Harry slumped backwards in his chair. What indeed? He had no clue. While he had enjoyed his day out with Fleur, he still was unsure about the life bond and what he was going to do. He groaned to himself. Could he do it? Forget the life he had now and adopt a new one with her? What about England? Hogwarts? Would he live in France? Would he attend Beauxbatons? Thoughts flooded through Harry's mind. He groaned again, slightly louder.
"Boys." Hermione tutted. Harry looked offended.
"What about us?"
"You guys go through mood swings so quickly."
"No we don't!" Harry said indignantly.
"Hmm." Replied his friend.
"We don't!" Harry protested.
"Really?" Asked Hermione, "Then why have you suddenly gone from being in love with this girl to wanting to let her die?"
Harry scoffed. He tried to think of an argument, but he knew he was beaten. He sat in silence and stared grumpily at the fire.
"Oh Harry. I'm sorry." Said Hermione. She stood up and pulled him out of the chair. Wanting to comfort her friend, she put her arms round him.
"I've just been so stressed out recently. Work, you and Fleur, this tournament."
Harry hugged her back.
"And I appreciate it Hermione, but you've got to cut yourself some slack."
Another voice interrupted the conversation.
"Besides, Harry has me to go to for girl advice." Ron was looking at his friends as he walked through the portrait hole. "Right mate?"
Harry nodded and chuckled.
"Sure Ron, I'll ask the guy who needed me to find him a date to the ball for dating advice."
Hermione looked at the two of them, torn between happiness and frustration. She burst into tears. Harry and Ron looked startled.
"You two are so stupid!" She yelled. The boys laughed and embraced her between them.
"Yeah, we are." Said Ron, "But your life would be way more boring if we weren't."
This caused all three of the friends to chuckle, which became a wild laughter as they celebrated their reunion. Finally, they had to call it a day and head off to bed, Hermione up the girls staircase and Harry and Ron up the boys. As Harry settled into his four poster he felt like he was on top the world. Nothing could bring him down. Not Malfoy, not Snape, not even sacrificing his own future. He would do it. He was going to marry Fleur Delacour to save her life. Harry reached over and blew out the candle on his bedside table. Darkness engulfed the room and Harry fell asleep, a huge smile still on his face.