I don't own Harry Potter, and I'm doing this for fun, not profit. Please let that be a sufficient disclaimer!

...

Cheveu was part excited, part nervous. If her body language hadn't made that obvious, then her hair – half flattened, half spiky, all changing colours fairly regularly – definitely did. "And you're sure they don't mind me coming along?"

Sirius chuckled, shaking his head; his cousin (well, second cousin) obviously needed reassuring. Again. "Of course they don't. Like I said, they'd like to meet you. Besides, Harry wanted you to come, and it is his birthday."

Cheveu nodded, a little more confident. "Ok. Then I'm ready. I think."

Sirius chuckled, then offered his hand, which Cheveu took. Just before he apparated, he had one final thing to say: "Oh, almost forgot! When we arrive, don't say anything, just follow me."

Cheveu looked confused. "Why?"

Sirius grinned. "Entertainment. And something you can tease Harry about for years... If I've gotten my timing right."

Sirius checked his watch – by his guess, Harry had been at the Delacours' for three minutes. Perfect.

A moment later, and Sirius and Cheveu were in France. Cheveu looked around and stared – she was in another country! It was so cool! But before she could even finish looking she was being dragged towards the house in front of her. "Sorry, but time is critical if we want that entertainment."

As they approached the door, Sebastian opened it, held a finger up to his lips, and grinned to Sirius. Sirius grinned back and, pulling Cheveu by the hand, headed towards the living room. Sirius carefully, silently opened the door, and he and Cheveu approached the voices they could hear.

"... hide, because people are scared of snakes and people aren't really meant to know I can talk to them."

Cheveu heard a feminine giggle, followed by some more French. "And what did the snake say about that?"

By now, Sirius and Cheveu had snuck up to the sofa - which was facing away from them - and as Cheveu peered over to look at the occupants her eyes widened, her hair shot up and turned bright green, and her mouth opened wide.

Harry had been at the Delacours' for five and a half minutes, and so Harry and Fleur were cuddled together on the sofa. Harry had his left arm around Fleur's back, his right arm across her stomach with his hand holding her side, his head nestled against her shoulder, and his right leg half over her left; Fleur had her left hand loosely on top of Harry's right hand, her right hand holding him against her, and her head nestled against his. Sirius had timed it perfectly.

Fleur and Harry were clearly in their own little world together, as they hadn't noticed Sirius and Cheveu, and just carried on the conversation. "He... Or she? It? It just sort of nodded, then asked me if I knew where it might find some mice."

Fleur giggled again, pulling Harry tighter as she did. It was then that Cheveu found her voice. "How come my little brother never told me he had a girlfriend?!"

Fleur jumped up in surprise – or rather, she would have done, had Harry not been cuddled up with her. She was now blushing, and the fact that Harry wasn't letting go (nor did she want him to, if she was being honest) wasn't helping.

"I'm not 'arry's girlfriend, we're just best friends" Fleur answered, a little flustered.

"Erm... What did she say?", asked Cheveu.

"Harry's big sister has many talents, but sadly speaking French isn't one of them", Sirius explained.

"I said I'm 'arry's best friend, not 'is girlfriend", said Fleur, still flustered. Harry just nodded in agreement.

Cheveu started to grin, her hair now cycling between yellow and pink. "Oh really? Because it definitely looked like I found two love birds enjoying a sweet, romantic moment together just now."

Whilst Fleur was sputtering, and Harry had started to blush, Sirius started speaking and Fleur hoped he was going to help. "Come on, Cheveu, play nice..." A pause, just to lull Harry and Fleur into a false sense of security, then, "...after all, they were probably about to kiss, and now you've ruined it."

Cheveu giggled, Fleur blushed harder, Harry hid his face, and Sirius looked very pleased with himself. After she got her giggles under control, Cheveu asked, "So are you going to introduce me to your 'definitely not girlfriend'?"

Harry untangled himself from Fleur, then both Harry and Fleur sat up and turned to face Cheveu. Neither noticed they were holding hands. "Erm, ok. Fleur this is my big sister, Cheveu. Cheveu, this is my best friend Fleur."

Cheveu, her hair still cycling between yellow and pink, though more slowly now, grinned. "Nice to meet you. Harry talks about you all the time. Though he forgot to mention the part where he cuddled a pretty French girl every month."

Fleur, still blushing quite heavily, tried to get her embarrassment under control by changing the subject. "'ello Cheveu. 'arry's told me lots about you too, especially 'ow your 'air changes. It is really cool."

Cheveu liked Fleur so far, and thought she'd probably teased her enough (for now). That virtuous thought lasted until Gabrielle, having heard voices, came crawling into the room. Gabrielle saw Harry, beamed happily, and crawled towards him, where Harry pulled her up onto the sofa and onto his lap. It was too good an opportunity for Cheveu to resist. "You've already had a baby together?!" she shouted in mock horror.

Clearly Sebastian had been watching, as his laughter just outside the room rivalled that of Sirius' inside. Gabrielle joined in the laughter too... though being not-yet-one, so had no idea what it was about.

...

A few minutes and a few hugs later, Harry was reading a story to Gabrielle and Cheveu and Fleur were getting to know each other.

"But I thought you'd known 'arry since 'e was a baby!", Fleur exclaimed.

Cheveu shook her head. "No, I met Harry just before he turned 5. Can you believe Uncle Siri waited almost five years before telling me he knew Harry?! I had to whack him for that."

Fleur was unfamiliar with the phrase. "'whack 'im?' what do you mean?"

Cheveu smiled conspiratorially. "I'll show you, watch." Then, turning to Sirius, called in a sing-song voice, "Uncle Siiiriii!".

Sirius came over, curious, and just when he got in reach of Cheveu she hit him in the arm. "Ouch! What was that for?"

Cheveu ignored Sirius, turning back to Fleur who was now laughing. "See? That's how I whacked him. Completely deserved, both times."

Fleur just nodded in between her laughter, while Sirius now looked confused. "Erm, Cheveu? Something you want to explain?"

Cheveu smiled innocently. "Just explaining what 'whack him' means, in the context of you not telling me you knew Harry until he was five."

Sirius just shook his head, muttering "Definitely gets it from Andromeda" as he walked away.

Once Fleur had stopped laughing, Cheveu had a question. "What are we doing for Harry's birthday?"

Fleur smiled excitedly as she answered. "We're going to visit Geoff and Barry!"

...

A very confused Cheveu followed Harry and Fleur – holding hands, she noted amusedly – as they raced to the reptile enclosure, followed closely by Sebastian and Sirius. Appoline was a little further behind, with Gabrielle in a pushchair. Cheveu was even more confused when Harry and Fleur stopped just outside, and started looking around for something. Seeming to find what they wanted, then quickly walked inside, past the crocodiles and lizards, and over to the snakes.

"Hey Geoff! Wake up! It's Harry!"

"Huh? Wha...?"

"It's Harry, you idiot, he's come to visit us!"

"Harry!"

Cheveu was confused. She had never seen snakes so active before. If anything, she might describe them as... excited?

"Harry, me old pal, me old buddy"

"Our favourite human, bar none"

"Did you bring him"

"Did you?"

"You did, didn't you?"

"You wouldn't visit us without him, would you?"

"He's just behind you, isn't he?"

Before Harry had chance to get a word in, Sebastian entered the reptile enclosure, Sirius just behind.

"YES! IT'S THE VOLE WIZARD!"

Harry laughed, then greeted the snakes. "Hi Geoff, hi Barry. Yes, I brought the Vole Wizard"

"You're the best, Harry!"

"Yeah, way better than the jokers who are meant to look after us"

"Did you know they fed us rats three months in a row?!"

Harry put on a suitably surprised face, though he didn't know if such feeding schedules were normal in a zoo. "That sounds a bit boring, guys."

The snakes nodded. "Oh yeah, it really is."

After a second, Barry had a question. "Hey Harry?"

"Yes, Barry?" By now, Harry could tell them apart.

"Who's the new friend, and why does she look like she's silently screaming?"

Harry turned, saw Cheveu's look of utter shock, and collapsed with laughter. Eventually, Harry could speak again, and asked Fleur to explain while Harry took 'lunch orders'.

"Go on, 'arry. Ask them what they'd like this time", Sebastian urged.

"Vole Wizard wants to know what you'd like to eat, assuming you're hungry."

"Vole! Vole! Vole! Vole!", chanted Barry.

Harry giggled, then turned to Geoff. "And what about you, Geoff?"

"What are those little bushy tailed tree rats called? The ones that can be red or grey?"

"You mean squirrels?" offered Harry.

"Yes! I wanna try red squirrel!"

"But Geoff, those things are tiny! You need something bigger to fill you up!" argued Barry.

"Not if I have three", replied Geoff, hopefully.

...

Eventually, Appoline arrived with Gabrielle, and after one more moment of embarrassment for Harry – "Geoff, look! Harry and his 'best friend' have had a baby!" "Blimey! You started young, Harry!" "No, no, that's Fleur's sister!" – the group moved on. The rest of the zoo was fun, especially for Gabrielle who hadn't been before, but all too soon the trip was over, and then soon after that it was time for Cheveu to go home.

"Will I see you before I go to Hogwarts, little bro?", asked Cheveu, hopefully.

Harry nodded firmly. "Of course! Just ask Uncle Woof and he'll sort it."

Cheveu hugged her little brother tightly, then turned to Fleur. "I'm really glad I got to meet you today. Take care of Harry for me, and don't do anything I wouldn't do"

Fleur blushed – Cheveu was relentless with her teasing! – but Fleur liked her nonetheless, so gave her a big hug too. "I'm glad I met you too. I think. I'll take care of 'arry, don't worry."

After Cheveu and Sirius had left, and after Harry read Gabrielle her bedtime story – something he now did whenever he had the chance – Sebastian and Appoline sat Fleur and Harry down for what seemed a serious conversation.

"'arry, Fleur. We have something we wanted to ask you", began Appoline.

"and we want you to answer honestly. This is too important to lie about, and we will be disappointed if you try", continued Sebastian, in a grave voice.

Fleur gulped, and Harry looked worried; was something wrong?

"We would like to know..."

"...we need to know..."

Sebastian and Appoline paused, dragging it out.

"...whether you and Harry..."

Fleur couldn't cope with the tension, and since she was sure she knew what the question was, she blurted out her answer. "'arry isn't my boyfriend, Mama, Papa. I love him, but I don't even know what I'm meant to do with a boyfriend, and I like what 'arry and I have now, and we're too young, and maybe one day but, well...". Fleur's tailed off, nervous.

Appoline and Sebastian were still wearing those grave expressions as they carefully studied Fleur and Harry's faces. Then, after a ghost of a mischievous smile passed over Appoline's face, the question was finally asked. "...would like to start learning some magic?"

Fleur just looked dumbfounded. Harry, too, though he had the presence of mind to ask the question they were both thinking: "Huh?"

Grinning at their tease, Appoline and Sebastian asked again, this time normally. "Your Papa and I were wondering..."

"...if you'd like to start learning some magic?"

A short pause, then Fleur whacked Sebastian. "Papa! Don't tease us like that! Yes, we would like to learn!" Harry just nodded his agreement – to both points.

Sebastian and Appoline laughed, which gave Fleur a chance to ask a question. "But how? We're not allowed to cast spells yet, are we?"

Appoline smiled broadly. "Ah, but that is why we shall start with potions!"

...

Two weeks after Harry's birthday, Sebastian yet again had a surprising floo call.

"Sebastian? Are you there?"

"Yes, Albus. Something I can 'elp you with? Would you like to come through?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "Actually, could you come through to Hogwarts? It will be easier to show you."

Sebastian nodded, and once he had let Appoline know he shouted "'ogwarts!" and flooed to the school.

Stepping out into the Headmaster's office, Sebastian noted Dumbledore was already by the door. "I'm afraid I'm in somewhat of a hurry, Sebastian. If you would follow me?"

Sebastian nodded, and did as requested. As Dumbledore led them through Hogwarts, Sebastian asked, "so, what's this about, Albus?"

Albus explained en route. "We've had the Gringotts cursebreakers in, and I'm shocked as to what they found – not just one curse, but several, as well as a vile magical artefect of great evil and a possible entrance to a hidden chamber.

"The curse of the Defense post was found – it was a feat of astounding magical skill, with wizarding notice-me-not charms over it; only the goblins themselves managed to find it – and the artefact was destroyed. But the chamber may just contain something worse.

"I have a favour to ask you – well, Harry really – but I want you to see for yourself before you agree."

Sebastian looked troubled; what could have Albus so worried? They arrived at a girls' bathroom, of all places.

"Here we are. Two cursebreakers are inside, waiting to explain."

Sebastian followed Albus inside, and saw a girl's ghost and two goblin cursebreakers.

Albus addressed the goblins. "I know we have a tight schedule. Please, can you explain to my friend Sebastian what you explained to me, Stabeye?"

The taller goblin nodded. "Your school was a mess and you should have called us much earlier" began Stabeye.

Albus grimaced. "About the chamber, I mean"

Stabeye smiled – Sebastian wondered if the goblin had made a joke – and started again. "We have detected a large magical signature underneath the castle – something equivalent to a large dragon – and believe the entrance to its lair is somewhere in the school. This girl..." the goblin indicated the ghost "...has given us reason to believe the entrance is in this room. Our scans here lead us to believe the entrance is sealed by parselmagic; ideally we would avoid a brute force approach to opening the entrance, as the consequences could be... unfortunate for the school, and the surrounding area. Unfortunately, Gringotts does not currently employ anyone with the relevant skill."

Sebastian blanched, then turned to Albus. "And you wish 'arry to help with something this dangerous?!"

The goblin interjected before Albus could reply. "We wish to try some known parseltongue command phrases, to see if the entrance will unlock. Nothing that would cause a magical backlash."

Sebastian considered carefully. "and the reason it is so urgent?"

Dumbledore sighed. "I would rather deal with this before students return to school, than risk something happening to one of them."

Sebastian nodded in agreement. "Ok, but I have terms."

Albus looked curious. "And those are...?"

Sebastian wore an unpleasant look on his face – he didn't like business dealings, but this was for his Godson; he may need the funds someday. "5% of the value of anything we find there if 'arry can open the chamber, including the creature's carcass."

...

Harry had never travelled by Phoenix before, but he found he much preferred it to apparition. When he landed with a flash of flame in a bathroom, he thought Sebastian might have been playing a joke, but then he saw an old wizard, two goblins and a ghost, and figured this looked legitimate.

After introductions and a quick explanation, Harry tried the command phrases; with a few visits to Geoff and Barry under his belt, Harry was able to speak the phrases with ease. Surprisingly, the simplest – "Open!" – had worked.

Dumbledore and the goblins descended down the path that opened, but a few minutes later they returned. "We shall need Harry's skill again."

The path turned out to be a grimy slide, which Sebastian helped Harry down. Once they arrived at the bottom, Harry opened another door. There, Sebastian gave a startled shout. "Merde! Albus, what is that?"

'That' was a giant snakeskin, tens of metres long. Specifically... "A basilisk, I fear, Sebastian" said Dumbledore gravely.

"I do hope so", said Stabeye, surprisingly.

"You 'ope so?!" asked Sebastian. "Why would you 'ope for... ah. Of course. Will conjurations work?"

Stabeye shook his head. "No, but I know a Phoenix who can get us one" he said, grinning.

...

Later, Harry thought to himself that the Basilisk 'fight' had been a bit anticlimactic. The Basilisk seemed in a poor mood and attacked straight away, but given there were five roosters all crowing quite aggressively before the Basilisk had even looked at anyone, the poor snake never had a chance.

Harry was pleased that he would earn some "pocket money" from his efforts, though Sebastian said he didn't know how much. Harry just asked for it to be put in his and Fleur's joint Gringotts account, which made Sebastian laugh, for some reason.

...

It was about almost a year before any money even appeared in Harry and Fleur's account - and when it did it was nearly enough for a large house - but Harry had not given it much thought. Instead, he spent that time (or at least the year's Delacour weekends) learning potions, cuddling and talking with Fleur, playing with Gabrielle and watching her learn to walk and start to talk, and talking to Appoline and Sebastian.

But whilst Harry's life was filling even fuller with joy and happiness, another's life was getting desperate. Tom Marvolo Riddle felt near crippled so very often, and when he recovered he found himself weaker than before. He previously had several plans to regain a body, but in his badly weakened state he was utterly helpless. He dared not consider what would happen to him if he died as a wraith before he'd even regained a body.

Author notes:

I had planned to update this story weekly, but the hundreds of favourites/follows are a huge motivation for me, which is why the updates have been over twice that rate.

Even more of a motivation, however, are the reviews. Thank you to Cario Regun, AtomicGod666 and red875 for reviews; and to Z-Arc34, Spider of Dreams, Urgazhi, Arnie1701 and SKFF for taking the time to re-review since last chapter – thank you so very much.

Arnie1701 – not sure this chapter would exist without your suggestions, so hope you enjoy!

Z-Arc34 – probably not. The Dursleys still hate magic, but in this fic they get by mostly by pretend that side of Harry doesn't exist

Urgazhi – spoilers! :-)