I don't own Harry Potter, and I'm doing this for fun, not profit. Please let that be a sufficient disclaimer!
...
It was two weeks into Harry's summer holiday, and Harry and Dudley were playing a new 'beat 'em up' video game together. Dudley had clearly practiced, as his character easily beat Harry's nine times out of ten. Harry was gearing up for another pummelling when the doorbell rang.
"Harry! You have someone here to see you!", called Petunia's voice from downstairs.
Shrugging at Dudley's outrage – his cousin had nearly won again, after all – Harry raced downstairs to find someone he didn't expect on the Dursleys' doorstep.
"arry!" came the voice, followed by a leaping hug.
Harry caught the girl in question, managing to spin her around in the hallway without (quite) hitting anything.
"Gabrielle! It's so good to see you! But how did you get here?" Harry asked, his face beaming with excitement.
A distortion in the air, and then Cheveu appeared by magic. "That would be me, little brother!"
"Cheveu!" Harry cried, gently putting Gabrielle down and then hugging his big sister. "Is this a birthday visit? You're two days early"
"You can think about it like that if you'd like", replied Cheveu.
Gabrielle, however, shook her head. "Cheveu said you'd never spent a day with just your sisters, and she's right! So we're here to fix that!"
"And we wanted it to be a surprise", added Cheveu cheerfully. Gabrielle nodded earnestly.
Harry smiled. "It was!" Then a troubled look passed over Harry's face. "Oh, but Dudley and I promised to spend the day together. He said he had a surprise", he admitted sadly.
Cheveu gave Harry a confused look. "Say that last bit again in English?" she asked.
Harry gave an apologetic look, then repeated: "I promised Dudley I'd spend the day with him. He said he had a surprise."
A voice from just behind Harry made him jump. "Introducing my planned surprise: sister one and sister two!" Dudley declared officiously.
Harry turned round in shock. "You... But... How?!" Harry asked articulately.
Dudley grinned. "That's a secret! Now, go enjoy your day out with your sisters!"
Harry's face blossomed into a large smile. He put his shoes on quickly, gave Dudley a hug in thanks, grasped one of Gabrielle's and Cheveu's hands each, then practically skipped out the door.
...
Cheveu and Gabrielle had planned the day together. Gabrielle had been eager to visit London, as she had never been, and Cheveu was happy to oblige; but as Cheveu wasn't yet comfortable with dual apparition, they rode the night bus. Gabrielle was thrilled.
"Faster! Faster! And go around another big corner!" Gabrielle managed to demand, between giggles.
Harry and Cheveu were sat either side of Gabrielle, protecting her from the worst of the G-forces inherent in riding the monstrosity. Cheveu considered that the ride might be the worst part of her plan; Harry was having almost as much fun as Gabrielle.
Eventually, Cheveu was able to breathe a sigh of relief, as the bus stopped outside The Leaky Cauldron.
"Are we going into Diagon Alley?" Harry asked.
Gabrielle shook her head whilst excitedly bouncing on the balls of her feet. "No, big brother, we're going exploring in Muggle London!"
Cheveu had been before but Harry hadn't, and as the day went on he really couldn't understand why. Harry and Gabrielle both enjoyed the hustle and bustle of a busy city, with interesting confectioners ("they have lots of different types of sweet shops, 'arry!"), restaurants ("what is that?! That is not French food, Cheveu!"), clothes shops ("that's a French word! Can we go in the French clothes shop, Cheveu?" "Gabrielle, you won't need underwear like that until you're much older" "but Fleur has some!"), and plenty of famous sights ("can we see if anyone's still locked in the Tower?").
The trio stopped to have burgers and fries for lunch ("why are they called French fries?"), with Gabrielle delighted to be allowed a thick strawberry milkshake ("it's like an ice-cream drink!"), before exploring more. There was even time for a boat ride down the Thames, with Gabrielle delighted to see a bridge that lifted up to let them through ("'arry!? Cheveu?! THE BRIDGE IS GOING UP!").
Before leaving, Cheveu treated them to a steak dinner at a fancy restaurant on the river ("can't I have the big steak like you, 'arry?" "I don't see why n..." "Harry! She's eight, she can't manage a rib-eye steak on her own!"), with chocolate fondants for dessert; they were all very full by the end of the day, when Cheveu dropped Harry back home.
"I've really enjoyed today. Thank you both for planning it" Harry said, as he first wrapped Gabrielle in a tight warm hug. "I have the best sisters" he added, wrapping Cheveu in a warm hug of her own.
"You're welcome! We missed you, big brother!" "Yeah, what the adorable mini-veela said!"
Just before they left, Cheveu handed Harry a note. "From Fleur, to read after we've gone", Cheveu stated.
After one more hug each, Cheveu and Gabrielle disapparated, leaving Harry to waddle up to his room.
As he sat down on the bed, he opened the note. It contained just a short message:
"The first thing I'm going to do after I graduate is kiss you senseless. The second and third things I want to do require us to have some privacy xxx"
Harry groaned. Sometimes, Fleur just did not play fair.
...
Towards the end of his time with the Dursleys, Harry was enjoying a day with a close friend. And the topic was an upcoming sporting event of some significance.
"So were you able to get tickets? They sold out way too fast", Katie groaned, as the pair were walking together through a local park.
"I don't know; one of my uncles is crazy about it and was trying to get tickets. But there's been so much to do over the summer I've not really thought about it", Harry replied honestly.
Katie gave Harry an incredulous look. "But... But... But it's the Quidditch World Cup! And you're a star Quidditch player! How come you're not more excited?"
Harry gave an amused smile. "Quidditch is great, but honestly there's been so much to enjoy this holiday. That trip to London I told you about, our summer visits, dinners with Uncle Remus and Uncle Sirius..." Harry could have kept going.
"And of course, the best two weeks are yet to come, right?" teased Katie.
Harry blushed, but didn't try to argue the point; they both knew she was right.
Just then, a shout caught Harry's attention. Some idiot of a grown man was chasing pigeons through the park, laughing maniacally as they flew away.
"Yeah! You run, stupid creatures! Rats with wings!" shouted the man.
Harry groaned. Katie gave Harry a curious look. "Harry? Something the matter?"
Harry sighed. "He loves terrorising rats, or anything he classes as rats. He's usually really cool, I promise."
"Harry, who...?" Katie began, but was interrupted by a loud shout.
"Pup! And Katie, I believe? I think I've seen you a couple of times in a mirror?" the man asked.
"Uncle Sirius, do you have to chase pigeons in the park?" Harry asked, embarrassed.
"Harry and Cheveu's Uncle!" Katie declared in recognition.
Sirius took a deep bow. "The one and only! Sorry to interrupt – and yes I do, by the way, Harry – but I had important news!"
Sirius paused dramatically, but Harry only had to wait the few seconds for Sirius' excitement to erupt. "I GOT US TOP BOX TICKETS TO THE FINAL!" Sirius shouted.
"WHAT?!" Katie replied, in shock. "Harry, you're so lucky! I'm super jealous!" Katie gushed. Harry reaction to the news was merely a broad smile.
Sirius grinned. "I know, I know, I'm a hero. Now, I got tickets for me and you, and Amelia and Susan, but apparently the ticket would be wasted on Susan, and Amelia kindly said you could choose a 'plus one'", Sirius said to Harry.
Harry thought for a moment. He knew Fleur and Gabrielle were busy visiting family, so he couldn't invite them. Cheveu had bought her own ticket a while ago, as had the Weasleys and Hermione. Really, there was only one person left to choose, and Harry was fairly confident she wouldn't mind too much.
"Oh no!" Harry began, in mock horror. "Sirius, you know the Delacours can't go and most of my friends and family already have tickets! Whoever am I going to find who wants to go and doesn't have a ticket yet?" Harry asked, melodramatically.
Katie held her breath. Surely he couldn't mean... They were top box seats, he wouldn't just...
"Katie?" Harry asked
"Yes, Harry?" She replied, barely breathing.
"Fancy going to watch the Quidditch final with me and Uncle Sirius?"
Katie launched herself into Harry, hugging him for all he was worth. "YES!"
...
The game was amazing to watch, though more entertaining than the game were Sirius and Katie's reactions. They were both like five-year-olds at Christmas, having the time of their lives. It also meant Harry and Amelia bonded over the game, and over their observations of those watching it.
But it was a couple of days later when Harry's real highlight of the summer began – with Appoline picking him up from the Dursleys and apparating him to France for the two weeks he always looked forward to most of all.
After arriving, and giving Fleur only a very brief hug, Harry grabbed her hand and dragged her upstairs to their room.
Fleur, curious, put up no resistance. As soon as they were both in the room and Fleur had shut the door, she found herself pinned against it by a very worked up Harry.
"That wasn't fair, Fleur", Harry almost growled, desire in his eyes.
Fleur grinned, wrapping her arms around Harry's neck. "Oh? What wasn't fair, my cherished?"
Harry moved his face closer to Fleur's, their noses almost touching. "Your note. You know you've had me thinking about what 'the second and third thing' could be ever since I read it?" Harry accused.
Fleur grinned again, pushing her allure out a little. Then she leaned forward slightly, to whisper in Harry's ear, "Mmm... Then it worked even better than I'd hoped. Maybe I want you to think about that, 'arry. Maybe I want you to crave me as much as I crave you."
Harry couldn't resist. He knew they were trying not to, but Fleur had taken his willpower and ground it into powder. He kissed her, feeling Fleur's deliciously soft lips against his own, a tiny part of his mind noting that her lips were smiling, perhaps even grinning.
Fleur did feel a tiny bit guilty for a half-second, until the sensations of the kiss registered in her brain. Then she felt only delight and desire, both warring for primacy in her mind. After a few moments – or were they minutes? – Fleur decided to try something new. Without breaking their kiss, Fleur jumped up and wrapped her legs around Harry's waist. Harry's hands automatically rushed to hold her steady, and Fleur mewled as she felt Harry's hands on her rear.
Harry, for his part, realised immediately where his hands had landed, and tried to reposition them somewhere more appropriate. Fleur, however, broke the kiss briefly to stop him. "No, my love, don't move your hands!" she pleaded.
"But my hands are...", Harry began.
"Right where they should be", Fleur finished, before silencing Harry with her tongue.
...
Several minutes later, after their passionate kissing had abated, Fleur and Harry were cuddled up on Fleur's bed, gazing into each other's eyes.
"Ok, so that one was my fault", Fleur admitted, a little more guiltily than before.
Harry nodded in agreement. "Definitely. Was that your intention when you had Cheveu give me the note?" Harry asked, in a mock-accusatory tone.
Fleur smiled shyly. "Perhaps. Or perhaps on that day my desire was so strong, and I wanted you to feel as I do."
Harry shook his head affectionately. "Then you are being silly, my cherished. I always desire you. You make it very hard not to."
Fleur sighed and snuggled into Harry's side. Two years seemed a very long way away, but she would try not to lead Harry astray.
...
A couple of days later, Katie and Hermione had arrived at the Delacours', and it was awful.
Ok, perhaps 'awful' wasn't the right word; 'torturous' might be better. Oh, Katie and Hermione had been welcomed with open arms by the Delacours, and in the hour since they had arrived they had settled in quickly – Hermione and Fleur were chatting together in the garden, and Katie was playing a game with Gabrielle, though neither spoke the other's language.
But the problem was that the weather was hot, and that the girls were dressed accordingly.
Hermione was wearing a short yellow skirt that showed legs toned by Hogwarts staircases, and a thin white top that hugged her curves in the heat. Harry had never noticed those curves before, but he was struggling not to notice now.
Then there was Katie, who was wearing her own short skirt (albeit black), which showed off her unfairly shapely legs. But worse was her top: the red strappy top ended not far below her red bra, which he could see whenever he looked too closely. And if he tried to lower his eyes he would see her exposed stomach, which was appealing in its own way. And the very worst thing? Katie was her usual affectionate self, generously dolling out hugs, putting her arm over his shoulder, gently bumping shoulders with him... and she still smelled wonderful! It was torture!
Fleur had noticed how Harry's eyes betrayed him, occasionally with Hermione but regularly with Katie. They hadn't spoken about it before – as Harry was English and so more reserved about such things – but he obviously found Katie very attractive, despite his efforts to ignore his hormones. A mischievous grin passed over Fleur's face; she was dressed fairly conservatively due to her desire not to tempt Harry too much, but why should Harry's other friends get all the stares?
Offering a quick excuse to Hermione, Fleur went to get changed. She considered wearing her blue bikini, but that was perhaps a bit too far. Instead, she selected a short black skirt very similar to Katie's, and a blue strappy top that showed plenty of cleavage.
Katie was not entirely ignorant to Harry's stares, and she found it flattering (and perhaps distracting, a little) to know that he found her attractive, even if just a little. She had been enjoying her time a lot so far, and was especially fond of Gabrielle – she was adorable, eager to play even if she couldn't understand what Katie was saying. She wondered how she could get one of those mirrors, so that she could get to know Fleur and Gabrielle better.
Her thoughts were interrupted as Hermione came over to talk to Gabrielle, and so she left them to it and went to talk to Harry.
When Fleur returned to the garden, it was to see Hermione chatting with Gabrielle and Katie with a friendly arm around Harry. As Fleur approached, Katie looked up and grinned – she knew Harry was sure to enjoy the eyeful Fleur was offering.
"Wow you look good, Fleur!" Katie said, winking at her as Harry turned to see.
Fleur smiled innocently, though her eyes glinted with mischief. "Thank you, Katie. I thought I'd wear something a little cooler."
Harry couldn't think. His hormones were going wild. He tried so hard not to gaze at Fleur, but when he managed to wrench his gaze away it only fell upon Katie, which was not much better. Both girls sported evil grins. This afternoon was going to be fun!
...
Later, Harry would congratulate himself for waiting until he was alone with Fleur before passionately kissing her. She had the audacity to giggle – outrageously so! – as he pulled her to himself and found her lips with his. Harry was dripping with desire, and likely would have progressed beyond kissing had Fleur let him and (more importantly) had his two friends not interrupted them.
With a whispered accusation, which Fleur giggled at once again, it was agreed that this was again definitely Fleur's fault.
Hermione and Katie, who had witnessed the end of quite a passionate kiss, shared a knowing smile, and Katie was pleased to note that the sight didn't cause her the heartache she had feared it would.
...
Harry had managed to get his emotions under control for the rest of Katie and Hermione's visit, or perhaps the weather was just cooler. Either way, the five of them – Gabrielle included – went to see the sights, which included, most importantly, Celeste's.
"Harry! This place is amazing!" Katie gushed. She had a hot chocolate and something called a Religieuse, which she ate in a previously-unknown state of bliss.
"This place is my parents' worst nightmare!" agreed Hermione, who had opted for a coffee and a slice of Fraisier.
The English girls were surprised when Harry opted for profiteroles – they had tried them in England and they weren't anything special. But when Harry gave them a knowing look and merely explained that they were French profiteroles, both were curious. Harry bartered a profiterole each for some of their cakes, and grinned at the shocked look on both Katie's and Hermione's faces as they took a bite then understood the truth of his words.
Gabrielle and Fleur merely grinned and shook their heads at the antics of their new friends. They had both opted for a slice of Tarte Tropézienne, but knew they could – and would! – come back to try other options another time.
...
Harry had been eager to introduce Katie and Hermione to two more friends, but there hadn't been the time. Plus, Sebastian suggested Harry prepare them first.
But, on the night after Katie and Hermione had returned home, after the Delacours and Harry had discussed how well the visit had gone ("You have some good friends, my little cabbage" "Katie and Hermione would be welcome to visit again, my Godson" "Hermione can even speak French!" "I'm really glad I could meet your friends properly, my cherished"), the plan was made, by unanimous decision, to visit the two friends the next day.
...
"Oi Barry!"
"Mffgll?" replied Barry, incoherently.
"Spit out that rat! The chosen one has arrived!", ordered Geoff, excitedly.
Barry chose instead to vomit out the rat, and Harry couldn't tell if he was more entertained or grossed out.
"Harry!" cried Barry in delight.
"Hi Geoff, hi Barry. Sorry I didn't come a few minutes sooner!" Harry replied, smiling.
"Psssh!" Geoff, somehow, managed to communicate. "We'd be happy to see you even if we were full."
"Flirt", Barry accused.
"Oi! You're the one who said it first, last month!", accused an outraged Geoff.
"Hey! Not when he's right there listening!" Barry whined.
Harry laughed, then translated for the others. In the meantime, Sebastian and Appoline had arrived.
"Vole Wizard!" exclaimed an excited Geoff.
"He comes!" exclaimed Barry, thrilled.
This time, it was Appoline who offered to conjure.
"The lady would like a turn feeding our favourite snakes, and would like to know what you crave for dinner", Harry explained.
"See!" Barry exclaimed. "You flirted with him, now he's flirting back!"
"Barry, that's not... Harry isn't flirting with us! Why would you even think that?" Geoff stated, aghast.
Barry started giggling. "Fooled you!"
Harry burst out laughing; Geoff merely shook his head in... embarrassment? Changing the subject, Geoff began, "Can I have Aardvark again? It's delicious, and it properly freaked Idiot Simon last time he saw the bones"
Barry giggled. "The look on his face! I wish we could've understood what he said!"
"And for you, Barry?" Harry asked, needlessly.
"Vole! Vole! Vole! Vole!" chanted Barry.
Harry relayed the dinner requests, and Appoline acquiesced. But before tucking in, Barry had an important question.
"Wait, does that make the lady Vole Witch?", he asked, curiously.
"Oh no!" Geoff hurriedly stated. "Vole Wizard is a great name, but Vole Witch sounds nasty! No one would call their child that!" Geoff finished with certainty.
...
The last few days of the holiday were a celebration. Fleur had received her exam results and had done exceptionally well, particularly in Potions and Charms, earning the French equivalent to an Outstanding OWL in both. Harry had also received his Potion OWL result – a well earned Outstanding, with a note from Professor Jones which simply read, "See you in my Sixth Year Potion class."
Harry often played with Fleur's hair or gave her massages – which she loved – so Harry decided that he would help Fleur celebrate by rewarding her with a nice, long, completely innocent, foot massage, using oil. It didn't quite go to plan.
Oh, it had started off completely according to plan: Harry and Fleur had gone up early to their room, Fleur had gotten comfortable on the bed, and Harry had warmed the oil in his hands. It even seemed to be going to plan as Harry began the massage, running his oily hands up and down Fleur's left foot with long strokes. In fact, as Harry started applying pressure to the arch of Fleur's foot and he heard her moan in delight, he still considered that his completely innocent foot massage was going according to plan, and that he was relaxing Fleur nicely.
Fleur, however, was not being relaxed. Oh, the massage started off in a relaxing way, but there were pressure points on her feet that caused her arousal to rise, to the point where she couldn't help but moan; Harry, in the most loving form of torture, had obviously heard those moans and was determined to extract more from her.
Oh, and did he succeed! In the first half an hour, Harry's hands expertly kneaded Fleur's left foot, focussing most of his time on those damnable points which caused her to moan so. Fleur was sure she could now smell her own arousal, and her allure was going utterly wild.
And then Harry stopped, and Fleur almost cried out in dismay – she felt so terribly teased by his hands, but she needed more! But then Harry moved to Fleur's right foot, and she groaned in desire. Over the second half hour, as Harry's hands kneaded her other foot, Fleur's desire reached new heights and she was sorely tempted to offer herself to Harry right there. Certainly, had Harry asked, she would have done anything with him. Or for him. Or to him.
Eventually, Harry finished the hour-long massage. He was quite surprised when Fleur pushed him backwards on the bedsheets, and stalked on top of him.
"Fleur?" Harry asked, confused.
"Did you know there are parts of the foot that, when massaged, cause sexual arousal?" Fleur asked in a sultry tone.
Harry shook his head, eyes wide. His massage book definitely didn't mention that!
"Those moans of mine were not because I was feeling relaxed. You" Fleur continued, tracing a finger down Harry's chest "have me very turned on."
Harry gulped. This was not what he had intended!
"'arry, I need release. You can either stay and help, or leave and let me satisfy myself. But you need to choose right now, or I will choose for you" Fleur all but promised.
Harry, who hadn't had his desire expertly stoked for an entire hour, was far more clear-headed. Oh, he was certainly tempted, but he knew there would be regret later on if he stayed. So, with a great amount of willpower, Harry extracted himself from under Fleur, kissed her cheek tenderly, then hurried out of the room.
...
Albus Dumbledore was pleased. He found himself with more time than he had had in years, with Death Eaters mostly dealt with, law reform well underway and the school running well. And that time was used well.
So far, several of Tom Riddle's Horcruxes had been destroyed without much effort from his part: the diary in the chamber of secrets; the cup found in the Lestrange vault; and the diadem found in one of Hogwarts' secret rooms.
With his extra time, progress was made on the others: this summer, in between starting to reorganise the tri-wizard tournament, Dumbledore had managed to track down the snake and destroy it, too. He also had leads on the ring and the locket, though he would need to be careful how he went after them – the ring in particular.
But with no signs that Voldemort was near return, Dumbledore was content. He wouldn't rush into mistakes, but instead would take his time toensure Tom was permanently dealt with.
...
Author Notes:
As always, I'm incredibly thankful for the reaction to Delacour Godparents. Thanks to those who favourite or follow, and a huge thanks to those who review – you keep me motivated! Thanks to GreenEyesAreAwesome and nagiten for reviews; and for the warriors that are alix33, SKFF, Arnie1701, MauserTeleri, Urgazhi, Isabelle6116, Outsight, Earth Guardian 28, PhantomKnightPercival, iamshinydragonmist, NAEASsSH, Spider of Dreams, rishi547, magitech, bahnannah, amortentiate, james mattson 7, TBWL713 and VashonBeader who re-reviewed since last chapter.
alix33 – only if the venison is cooked badly
Urgazhi – Daphne's not as close as Hermione or Katie (or indeed Ron or Neville), hence her exclusion. Also, I've already planned how Daphne will meet Fleur, and how the bet will be settled :-)
Isabelle6116 – merci. I did have a couple of questions I was hoping to ask a French native so I've sent a you a PM, though feel free to ignore it if you'd prefer.
Outsight – Glorious
Spider of Dreams – Spoilers! PM me if you really want to know
magitech – thanks for the correction! As for the first comment (and a few others you've made), I don't want to say too much due to spoilers, but there's a reason for it – feel free to PM me
TBWL713 – thanks! I try to respond to any specific questions as a minimum, as you reviewers genuinely matter to me
VashonBeader – so much fun!
nagiten – thanks for the review. It's implied in the books that there are three, at least as far as I recall, so sorry if I've missed something in wider canon – I'll just take that as another small change in this AU