I don't own Harry Potter, and I'm doing this for fun, not profit. Please let that be a sufficient disclaimer!
...
On the Hogwarts express, waiting for it to depart, fourteen-year-old Harry was feeling a little down. He was really going to miss Cheveu, and all the time they had spent together at school.
He didn't have too long to mope, however, as Katie found his carriage and dramatically flopped down next to him. Then, noticing his unusually sombre mood, put a friendly arm around his shoulder and asked, "Hey, what's wrong, Harry?"
Harry gave a weak smile. "Nothing big, just... well, I'm going to miss Cheveu this year", Harry admitted.
Katie pulled him into a tight sideways hug. "I can understand that – you two are so close! But we'll just have to fill your time with other fun things, and you can always sneak out and see her on weekends, right? Besides, those mirrors mean you could talk anytime, right?"
Harry smiled and nodded. Returning the hug, he started to feel slightly better. Yes, he would miss Cheveu, but he would still speak to her regularly, and he had many friends he would enjoy spending time with – not least Katie.
"Thanks, Katie", Harry replied.
"You're welcome! Now, tell me about the rest of your time with the Delacours; and explain to me how you and Fleur are 'just friends' after that kiss I witnessed", Katie teased with a smile.
Harry was very thankful as, at that moment, Neville walked into the carriage, and Harry shamelessly used the event as an excuse to completely change the topic. And once Hermione and then Ron arrived, Harry's salvation was secure. Katie pouted, but didn't mind really – she would have plenty of other occasions to tease the boy who had become one of her closest friends.
...
Angelina and Alicia had arrived at their Potions class early, and were talking about Chaser plays when Harry entered. Alicia smiled and good-naturedly teased, "I think you're in the wrong classroom Harry; you're about two years too early"
Harry smiled cheekily and sat down at the end of their bench, next to Alicia. "Well, that's not too early. I might just hang around and wait."
Angelina laughed. "I'm not sure Professor Jones would agree", she replied.
Harry grinned again. "Oh, I reckon she won't mind."
Angelina and Alicia both looked like they wanted to say something, but then other students started to arrive, followed by Jones. The other sixth years gave Harry a curious look – except for the Weasley twins who grinned - but none said anything... yet. Jones entered the classroom, as if nothing was out of order. Which, in her view, was true.
"Hello class, and welcome to advanced potions. Each of you are here because you obtained either an Exceeds Expectations or Outstanding on your OWL, so..." Jones paused, as a hand shot up. "Yes, Mr. Diggory?"
"Is there a reason we have a fourth year joining us?", Cedric asked politely.
Jones tried again, though honestly she had expected this and was struggling not to chuckle. "Yes there is. As I said, each of you are here because you obtained either an Exceeds Expectations or Outstanding on your OWL, so..."
"But Potter's just a fourth year Quidditch git!" protested Cassius Warrington, a Slytherin chaser who was perhaps biased against Harry due to how effortlessly he caught the snitch in every Quidditch game he played.
"Really, Warrington? Tell me, how much would you be willing to bet on that?" smiled Jones, evilly.
Warrington sputtered and looked confused, whereas Fred, George, Alicia and Angelina looked impressed. "Story. Later", mouthed Alicia.
A small chuckle escaped Jones' lips, and she gave in and explained. "Class, I want you all to know: Harry here was brewing potions years before he started Hogwarts, and in the Potions OWL he beat all of you." Then, just to labour the point, Jones added, "Go ahead and treat him like a fourth year any other time, but in this class he is at least your peer."
Most of the class looked stunned. Fred and George just nodded wisely; they had seen Harry and Jones spending several evenings together last year on their copy of the Marauder's Map, and this was a better reason than any alternatives they had considered!
Jones smiled at the reactions. "Now we have that out the way we can start properly. Now, as I was saying, you've all received Exceeds Expectations or Outstanding on your OWL so well done. NEWT level Potions is even more difficult, but the potions we will brew can be very lucrative if you can make them properly."
A few eyes lit up at that thought. Jones ignored it and continued. "Today we'll start with one of the easier potions you'll brew this year, but listen up: it's easier but by no means easy, and requires precision in the brew! It's called the Draught of the Living Death, and..." Jones paused as a hand was raised sheepishly, then she groaned – actually groaned! – and put her head in one hand.
"Don't tell me..." she pleaded. The response was a sheepish expression.
"You can't actually be serious?" she asked, hoping her student was playing a joke. The student in question nodded his head.
"But you've only just passed your OWL!" Jones whined.
Harry Potter tentatively responded, this time verbally. "Well, I had some time over the summer, and it did look like one of the easier ones..."
Cedric, who was confused like the rest of the class, voiced the question. "Professor? What's going on?"
"Harry can already brew this lesson's potion. Again. Well, go on Harry, you know the drill. Go raid my stores and brew me something interesting", Jones instructed resignedly.
"For everyone else, I'll... Yes, Misters Weasley?", Jones asked, as two hands shot up.
"If someone else..."
"...or two someone elses..."
"...can already brew that potion..."
"...can those wonderful, handsome,..."
"...clever and widely misunderstood students..."
"...also skip the lesson..."
"...to brew something fun?"
Jones groaned again. Well, there was only one thing for it. "I'll treat you the same as I treated Harry the first time he made that claim: prove it."
...
Jones was a little dismayed to learn just how far ahead Fred and George were, as they had indeed already brewed most of the potions she wanted to cover that term. Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately, considering what could have gone wrong!) the twins had clearly self-taught, and so still needed to learn a lot of the theory. One advanced student she could cope with in her class, but another two meant she might need to think about asking Dumbledore to hire an assistant!
Harry, on the other hand, hadn't gotten too far ahead, and other than the Draught of the Living Death there was only one other potion on the term's syllabus he'd already brewed; Jones found she almost missed the enjoyment of seeing what Harry would brew next.
Jones had also found herself missing the time she has spent tutoring Harry in the evenings – he was a polite and intelligent boy, and a very competent brewer, plus they had gotten to know each other fairly well over the last year. So, three weeks into the term, Jones had made Harry an offer: if he was interested, they could continue their evening tutoring sessions, and maybe learn about some more exotic potions that weren't included in the syllabus; there were a couple of particularly strong strength potions, for example, that were horrendous to brew but relatively cheap to make.
Harry, too, had missed his evenings learning under Jones, and given the time he had spare from not seeing as much of Cheveu, he readily accepted.
Neither mentioned the small income stream they had been making... But both considered it a very nice bonus to the evenings.
...
Whilst Harry was enjoying the fruits of his hard work, Fleur was suffering a small amount for hers: Pauline, the girl who had never liked her, was incensed that Fleur had done better than her in the exams, and was sure she must have cheated.
Whilst the staff might be fooled by Fleur's allure, Pauline wasn't! Pauline knew, ever since Fleur had told that ridiculous Harry Potter story, that she was nothing more than an attention-seeking brat. Then, of course, all the boys had fawned over her allure, and Fleur had strung them all along, never once choosing any of them but instead enjoying the attention of all. Oh, she claimed she didn't want it, but Pauline wouldn't be fooled!
Then her potions were suspiciously good – no-one is that good without cheating, so Pauline knew Fleur must be getting help somewhere; the Beauxbatons potion master was a man, so perhaps Fleur had used her allure – or offered herself! – in order to look better than she was. Yes, that was the likely explanation.
But then came the exams! Fleur was one of the top of her class, apparently, and had even got the highest grade in Potions and Charms. Well, Pauline had seen how the examiners had looked at Fleur, so she had no doubt how those grades had been earned!
It was Pauline who deserved the teacher's praise, not Fleur, and Pauline would consider a few ways to show the school the truth. The first, of course, would be to gain allies. Not every girl believed Fleur's lies; Pauline would just have to find the ones that didn't! But in the meantime, maybe a few honest remarks to Fleur, outside of teacher earshot, would be enough for Fleur to know she hadn't fooled everyone.
...
It was halfway through the term, and Harry was sneaking out of Hogwarts with his Marauder's Map. Walking through the corridors of the school, then into a secret passage, Harry decided that this was just too easy. As planned, Harry arrived into Hogsmeade on Sunday morning, and was just looking around for Cheveu when a "BOO!" was shouted from right behind him and Harry jumped a foot into the air.
"Got you!" grinned Cheveu, merrily.
"Sis!" Harry complained, his heart rate racing. "Don't scare me like that!"
Cheveu grinned some more, them pulled Harry into a tight hug; she had missed him about as much as he'd missed her.
Harry wrapped his arms around Cheveu in return. "It's really good to see you, Cheveu", Harry said after a moment. "I've really missed you this term."
Cheveu smiled brightly. "Well, I'm here now, ready for our day of fun! Are you ready?"
Harry nodded. Cheveu took hold of Harry's hand, winked, and then apparated them both away.
Once they had landed, Harry turned to his sister in surprised joy. "You can dual apparate!" Harry declared.
Cheveu nodded happily. "Yep! Been practicing it for the last few weeks, finally got confident enough to try it without someone there on standby"
Harry pulled Cheveu into another hug – this one a hug of congratulations – then looked around. "Where are we?"
Cheveu smiled. "Edinburgh! I can't dual apparate all that far yet, but Edinburgh is a muggle city nearish to Hogwarts, and it's really cool!"
Harry grinned excitedly. "What is there to do?"
...
There was a lot to do. Harry was a little confused when Cheveu's first stop was a muggle bookshop, especially when she gave him a strange look and told him it was for something he wasn't allowed to know about yet – a sort of surprise present but also something he would definitely need – so he waited outside for a few minutes. Soon, though, Cheveu had finished, and Harry's real fun could begin.
Sightseeing was a big part of the day, and Harry particularly enjoyed looking round Edinburgh Castle; especially when Cheveu's wand helped the two of them access parts that weren't strictly meant for visitors.
Food was also a big part of the day, with plenty of fried deliciousness throughout – a fried breakfast for lunch (which amused Harry a little at how odd that seemed), something that was called "Braveheart Butter Balls" (which they enjoyed with a strange-tasting fizzy-drink-flavoured ice-cream), and even a deep-fried chocolate bar that Harry didn't know what he thought of, but would definitely be willing to try again.
There were also some muggle shops that both Harry and Cheveu were interested in visiting, as well as an underwear shop that Harry had no desire to go in with his sister.
Soon evening arrived, and Cheveu had dropped Harry back to Hogsmeade. The two had loved being able to spend time together, and planned to do so again before too long. With a long hug and a wave, Harry was off to the secret passage that would return him to Hogwarts, no-one (except a few of Harry's friends) any wiser about the adventure.
...
Meanwhile, in Hogwarts, one individual was experiencing a dilemma. Professor Jones knew what she was doing would have consequences. She knew that she risked unleashing chaos upon the wizarding world before it was ready. But she also believed as an educator she had no choice. Wasn't the request, whatever it might lead to, technically without malice?
She knew that no-one would hold her accountable. It would never be seen as her fault. But deep within, she knew it would be.
Steeling herself, she made the decision to proceed, and damn the consequences. She would allow, and even help, those who planned to turn the wizarding world on it's head.
Professor Jones would help the Weasley Twins get their Potion NEWT a year early, fully aware that it was the only thing keeping them at Hogwarts, and fully aware of the plans they had for afterward – codenamed WWW.
...
"Harry!"
"The one and only..."
"...great and merciful..."
"...potion master-in-training."
"Hi Fred, hi George!" Harry replied.
"Harry, we have a very important..."
"... potentially profitable..."
"...like I said, very important..."
"Yes, I know, but he might not"
"True, true. Anyway, back on topic, dear brother."
"Quite right, dear brother: ...question for you."
Harry took a moment to piece together what they meant, then smiled. "What is it?"
"That mirror you have: who made it?" one of the twins asked, getting to the point.
"The marauders", Harry answered simply.
"Can they make more?" Other Twin asked.
Harry nodded. "Definitely. They made more a few years ago when I started Hogwarts."
"How much did they cost to make?" First Twin asked, a little more eagerly.
Harry shrugged. "I don't know. Why?"
Both twins grinned, then responded together: "we want to go into business with the original marauders!"
Harry laughed. "I'll talk to them about it over Christmas; they're sometimes a pain to speak to together during the term."
...
Towards the end of term, Katie was sitting in the common room, minding her own business, when she was rudely interrupted by her caring nature. Well, "rudely" might be a stretch, but when Harry walked in looking a little worn out, Katie couldn't stop from trying to help. Nothing to do with how he still made her heart flutter, of course, it was just that he was such a good friend.
"Hey Harry, you ok?" she asked.
Harry gave a small smile and nodded. "Just tired, Katie. Had a few essays to do, then had a Potions lesson with Professor Jones, and the potion we're working on is really thick and wears you out when you constantly stir it." As evidence, Harry then tried to rub some of the soreness out of his shoulders that had no doubt accumulated.
"I could massage your shoulders for you, if you'd like?" Katie offered. She couldn't claim to be a professional, but she was very good if she did say so herself. "Oh, assuming Fleur wouldn't mind!" Katie added.
Harry thought about it for a moment. His shoulders were sore, and the thought of a massage really did sound good. And he was sure there weren't any weird pressure points on his shoulders to get him into trouble – he had asked Cheveu about that, after the foot massage he gave Fleur!
Harry handed the mirror over to Katie. "Go ahead and ask, if you'd like", he replied, smiling.
Katie disappeared with the mirror, and a couple of minutes later came back, a pleased smile on her face. "Right, up to your room!" she declared, perhaps a little loudly.
Harry gave a curious look. "Katie?"
"I'll explain when we get there" she promised, and the two of them ignored a couple of wolf whistles, and a harsh glare from one of the third year girls, on the way.
Once in the room, Katie turned to Harry. "Fleur said you've got massage oil, and that will help; where is it?"
Harry looked confused. "Won't that get my robes oily?"
Katie grinned. "Go ask Fleur about it", she instructed.
Harry picked up his mirror. "Fleur?"
Fleur answered, looking quite excited, though seemed disappointed when she caught sight of Harry. "'arry! You're meant to be topless!" she complained.
"Huh?!" Harry answered, his surprise not helping his eloquence.
Fleur grinned. "I see Katie has left it to me to explain. Your shoulder muscles are in knots, and you need a good massage to 'elp. Obviously I would 'ave liked to do so myself, but Katie is a good second choice. Now, take off your top so Katie can get started and I can watch!"
Harry stared dumbfounded. "Fleur? What...?"
"Go ahead, my cherished. Your shoulders will feel better, Katie will have her innocent fun, and I'll learn how to give you a proper massage; you always massage me, and I want to be able to return the favour well. We all win!" Fleur explained, this time so Katie couldn't understand.
"Hey! Speaking French is no fair!" Katie protested.
Harry, at Fleur's urging, took off his upper robes, a little embarrassed, then looked between Fleur and Katie.
"Go ahead and lie down on your front, Harry", Katie smiled, her eyes gleaming.
"Don't forget to pop the mirror somewhere with a good view!" Fleur urged, eyes gleaming in an eerily similar way to Katie's.
Katie warmed up the oil on her hands, then started the massage / lesson. "Start with nice long strokes, running up and down the whole back", Katie began, her hands mimicking her words.
"You're just warming up the muscles, and helping Harry to relax, to start off." Harry definitely felt it was working – he already felt much better than he did a few moments ago.
After a couple of minutes of long stokes, Katie began the massage proper. "We'll start at the shoulders, since that's where Harry was feeling most sore. You squeeze his muscles like this, with a good amount of pressure, being careful not to pinch", Katie explained softly.
Harry let out a relaxed moan. "That feels really good, right there, Katie."
"There's a lot of tension right here", Katie explained, as she continued massaging Harry's shoulder muscles, "so you want to give it lots of attention. Isn't that right, Harry?"
Harry, who's brain was beginning to fog, just murmured his agreement.
"Then, after that, you want to run your thumbs in circles like this..."
...
Harry was almost asleep by the time Katie had finished, the massage having thoroughly relaxed him. Katie had very much enjoyed giving the massage, though she didn't dwell on that too much. Fleur was fascinated, and felt she had several ideas to try next time Harry visited.
Given how close Christmas was, Fleur really didn't have long to wait, and perhaps more massages (with Fleur giving as well as receiving) would grant them some additional physical intimacy without their hormones getting too excited. After all, they were trying not to date.
Finally Harry's visit arrived, and after Fleur was pulled into a tight, warm hug, with Harry's hands running gently up and down her back, they hurried inside the house and then up to Fleur's room.
Both were wondering how long they would last before giving into their desire to kiss – a desire that, quite unfairly, only seemed to grow – when Fleur lay down on her bed and invited Harry to cuddle.
Harry sighed, in either relief or disappointment; this used to be their go-to activity, and he knew they could cuddle innocently and just talk.
Fleur found it oddly reassuring to be back like this, her left leg resting over Harry's, her head against his chest, her left hand lazily drawing circles on his chest. For all that her heart would gladly have given in to her hormones, it was content with this closeness, at least for now.
Oh, she knew she hungered for Harry of course, and if he wanted to turn his head just slightly, lean down, and kiss her – well, she would be delighted to reciprocate. But cuddled up, his arms wrapped around her, his scent in the air – she would happily stay like this for as long as Gabrielle let them.
...
Gabrielle didn't let them cuddle for long, as she had missed her brother (the mirrors were not the same!), and needed some time with him. And Harry was happy to acquiesce, even if he might have wanted just a few more moments (or, being honest, hours) with Fleur first.
So, within a minute of being allowed to interrupt, Gabrielle and Harry were sat side-by-side on the sofa, Harry's arm around his sister and she cuddled into his side.
"'arry?" Gabrielle began.
"Yes, my little cabbage?" Harry replied affectionately, kissing the crown of her head.
"Will you tell me a story?" Gabrielle asked.
"Do you have a book in mind?" Harry asked, thinking it had been a while since he'd read to her; honestly, he was surprised that's what she requested.
"No, not from a book; I want you to tell me a new story." Gabrielle elaborated.
Harry chuckled, then pulled Gabrielle tighter against him. "Anything for my darling sister. Whom I love, dearly." Harry got a pleased blush at that last comment.
After thinking for a moment, Harry grinned. "I've got a great story, Gabrielle: Once upon a time, there was a terrible Dark Lord called Idiot Simon, who had trapped two poor defenceless wizards called Sir Geoff and Sir Barry. Idiot Simon was cruel and merciless, feeding the wizards only the very worst of foods..."
Gabrielle laughed, gazed up at her brother lovingly, burrowed into his side just a little more, then settled down for what promised to be an excellent new story.
...
It was later that evening, after Gabrielle was in bed, that Fleur was finally able to give Harry that massage. She was a little nervous – Harry was so good at it, and she wasn't sure how she would fare – but she was also looking forward to it, too.
Harry took off his top and laid down on his front, excited – Katie's massage had felt incredible, and he was hoping Fleur's would be similar.
Fleur, after spending a second to appreciate the view, started by warming the oil in her hands, like Katie had shown. Then, she started the massage, and inwardly sighed and how good it felt to run her hands over Harry's back.
Harry felt bliss. A part of him recognised that Katie was at least a little more talented, but Fleur's hands still felt divine. And when Fleur started to work on his shoulders, gently squeezing the tension out of them, Harry moaned in relaxation.
Fleur then started to use her thumbs, rubbing small circles in his muscles, delighting in the obvious enjoyment Harry was getting out of it. Without even thinking about it, whilst her hands were busy with Harry's shoulders, Fleur's lips gently kissed the top of Harry's head.
Harry smiled; that wasn't something Katie had shown Fleur, but it was a nice touch, and made him feel loved. Then the bliss continued, as Fleur returned to long, flowing strokes down his back, before moving onto the rest of the massage.
...
A few days later, Sirius and Remus had come to visit, and Harry had a promise to keep.
"Uncle Remus? Uncle Sirius?" Harry asked, in a rare moment of calm during the visit.
"Yes cub?" "Yes pup?"
"How much did our mirrors cost to make?" Harry asked.
Sirius gave a clueless look, whilst Remus gave a thoughtful one. "A few galleons each – maybe five, maximum? Why do you ask?" Remus answered.
Harry smiled. That didn't seem too much, from what the twins had said. "I have two worthy souls who have a business offer for you..."
...
Author Notes:
Thank you to all who are enjoying my story. I continue to be delighted by the response to Delacour Godparents, and that response encourages me to keep writing. Thanks to those who follow or favourite the story, and a bigger thanks to those who review: Call to Arms 1234, shad08, YuukiAsuna-Chan, Mitkon2001, TheFederalistPapers and The Prime Cronos for reviews; and to the royalty who are Arnie1701, Magnus Whitlock, Sheogorath-Loves-His-Cheese, SKFF, Urgazhi, PhantomKnightPercival, alix33, iamshinydragonmist, magitech, bahnannah, Spider of Dreams, amortentiate, FrostyTheDopeMan, nagiten (x6), Rashio, Qhaq, VashonBeader and The Prime Cronos for additional reviews since last chapter.
Call to arms 1234 – thanks for the suggestion, really appreciate it. After considering, I want to try keeping this T so that more people can enjoy it, which means I'll be careful not to overstep.
alix33 – thanks, as always! I'll make sure I go back and update at some point. Also, don't some of those cakes look/sound amazing?
amortentiate – that's something that might come up in a follow-up story
FrostyTheDopeMan – seriously considering that, after Delacour Godparents is complete.
YuukiAsuna-Chan – you're absolutely right. One was deliberate, one accidental, but I've not added that to the story description. Thanks!
Rashio – that's how the films dramatized it, but the books are very different; I'm following book-canon here.
Mitkon2001 – I have a feeling you're not alone in that!
The Prime Cronos – fair point about conjuring, but something I'll treat as perfectly fine in this AU; otherwise, poor Geoff and Barry!
nagiten – thanks for your reviews! You raise a fair few questions, and I won't have space to answer them all here, but feel free to DM me if you'd like. Answering some: I don't have much knowledge of wider canon, so if there's something there I've missed it's because I'm not aware of it. Some of your questions are answered in later chapters (Narcissa, for example). Cheveu's and Fleur's age differences are now mentioned in the story description, thanks. Harry's family don't send him mail, so wouldn't have known anything was wrong. Cheveu was rooting for Fleur, but didn't want to take Harry's choice away. You could argue that most wizards are related, but for the sake of inheritance I'm only counting close family. Neville essentially lost his parents and grew up with relatives, exactly like Harry and Susan. Sirius has no say in how Narcissa raises Draco; why would he? Cheveu was much younger when she met Harry, doesn't have perfect memory. The twins had never heard of Peter, and don't care enough to follow his brother's movements; also, I was careful to never let Ron be at school when Sirius and Remus had the map.