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

...

Harry was sat in the Gryffindor common room, partly disappointed but partly proud. He has just got back from the Christmas break, and was reflecting on the fact that he and Fleur had managed not to kiss for the whole two weeks. Well, aside from kissing on the cheek, or that one goodbye kiss where Fleur's lips lingered longingly on the corner of his mouth, almost daring him to turn his head a few centimetres.

But he put those thoughts aside, as he saw two older students approach; it wouldn't do to dwell on such things when he had business to discuss.

"Harry!", cried... was that Fred?

"Our favourite fourth year!" added maybe George?

"Oi!" shouted an outraged Ron, overhearing.

Grinning, the twins continued.

"We were hoping..."

"... you had news for us..."

"...in our potentially profitable..."

"...business venture!"

Harry grinned. "I do indeed. Shall we discuss somewhere a little more private?"

A minute later, and Harry saw the fifth year boys' dorm room. It was... chaotic. "Is that a cauldron?!" Harry asked, amazed.

Maybe Fred nodded. "Yeah, Lee doesn't mind, and it's how we get the time to experiment so much."

Harry took a closer look, and his jaw dropped. "Are you brewing Veritaserum?!" he asked, shocked.

Maybe George smiled mischievously. "No, no we're merely brewing an ingredient for some mints we plan to sell. Unintended side effects may include being forced to tell the truth, who knows how that happens", he finished with a wink.

"But back to business!" Maybe Fred stated.

Harry nodded. "The Marauders are open to the idea, but want more details on what you propose. For example, are you selling direct or are you using another intermediary like Zonko's, or Scrivenshaft's?" Harry began, quoting from memory. "Also, how much do you intend to charge?"

Fred and George nodded at the question.

"No intermediaries..."

"...as they are just the competition!"

"We already sell plenty of products..."

"Such a dull word, 'products'"

"Right you are, brother of mine"

"...to our dear fellow students..."

"...so that would be our first target market!"

Harry nodded in understanding. He had been coached by Remus on this – who knew why? – so knew what to ask next. "That seems like a fairly small number of people to sell to", Harry noted.

Fred and George shared a long look.

"Initially, yes."

"But when we've sold enough products..."

"...and raised enough capital..."

"...we want to open our own joke shop..."

"...in the middle of Diagon Alley."

Harry grinned. That did explain a lot! "The wizarding world won't know what hit them", Harry responded. "So how much would you charge?"

"That depends on the cost of raw materials..."

"...and how much profit the Marauders want to make."

"Selling at twenty galleons a mirror should be easy..."

"...but selling at a hundred a mirror would be much harder."

Harry nodded; that made sense, and was similar to what Sirius and Remus had expected. "The materials cost about five galleons. The Marauders want either half the profits from each sale, or a lump sum of... well, more than you can afford, for the knowledge of how to make them and the copyright."

Fred and George exchanged another of their looks, then turned to Harry and answered together, "Half profits. Deal?"

Harry grinned, then picked up his mirror. "Hear all that, uncles?"

"Loud and clear! You have yourselves a deal" came the reply. The twins shared a shocked look as Harry turned the mirror around, and Fred and George came face to face with Moony and Padfoot, both Marauders grinning.

After a few seconds to process their shock, the twins fell onto the floor, prostrate. "We're not worthy!" they declared loudly.

...

After the twins had signed a contract – which Harry had in his pocket, pre-signed by Sirius and Remus – Harry had a request. "I'd like to be the first of your customers", Harry stated.

Maybe Fred looked shocked, and Maybe George just asked, "Erm... how come?"

Harry smiled. "Not for me, but for Katie. I know she really wants her own, probably to talk to her parents and maybe my sisters and Fleur. And, if the Gryffindors know she got one from you two, word will get out that other people can, too."

Fred and George grinned; it was clever marketing. Now how to link it up to the existing charms built into the mirrors Harry and his family had... something they would ask The Marauders!

...

There was a knock at the door, and Jones double-checked her diary. Seeing it was a Thursday, she breathed out a sigh of relief; this was a Harry evening, which meant she was safe from the mild feelings of guilt / creeping horror that she experienced whenever she taught the Twins, or (even worse!) when she read their essays on the practical uses of certain potions. I mean, who in their right mind (for the Twins were certainly not) would consider adding both a gut-strengthening potion and a vomiting potion to a pill, just to get a 'better' reaction?!

"Come in, Harry", Jones called.

Harry entered, his usual smile on his face. "Hello Professor!" Harry happily greeted.

"Good evening. Ready to continue our potions?" Jones asked without preamble; there would be plenty of time to catch up during the brew.

Harry nodded eagerly; this was one potion he was eager to get right.

"Ok, where were we?" asked Jones, testing Harry.

"We added the thyme, so next it's the Occamy eggshell, and then we let it brew", Harry replied.

Jones nodded. "That's right! Most of the hard work will be done after tonight, then we have two months before profit."

Harry smiled. "Assuming it sells that quickly. Our Draught of the Living Death is still in the cupboard", Harry pointed out.

Jones laughed. "Oh Harry, aside from the small vial we might each want to keep, we'll have no trouble selling Felix Felicis!" Jones reassured him.

...

It was towards the middle of the spring term at breakfast, and Harry was watching a familiar owl fly through the great hall, holding a package. Harry was excited to see the package delivered, even though it wasn't for him.

The owl swooped down and dropped the package in front of a girl, who happened to be sat next to Harry. Surprised, she opened up the package then squealed in delight, throwing her arms around Harry in a warm hug.

Harry laughed. "You haven't even read the note yet, Katie", Harry point out, amused.

Grinning, Katie picked up the note and read it, then squealed again and hugged Harry tighter.

"Thank you so much! But I don't understand, how...?" Katie began, but was interrupted by Dumbledore, of all people.

"If I can make an announcement, dear students. The excited Miss. Bell has just received a communication mirror, which some of you will note is very similar to the one Mr. Potter owns. It is identical to the one I suspect is currently in this package" Dumbledore stated, holding up a parcel he, too, had received that morning.

"These mirrors can be used to talk to friends or family across large distances, so if anyone is feeling homesick, I suggest you make enquiries with Fred and George Weasley about purchasing a set. I won't comment on anything else the industrious pair might be selling...", Dumbledore continued, his eyes twinkling and his mouth fighting against a grin, "...but the mirrors are quite safe and will not have any... unexpected features."

Dumbledore looked round all the students, then finished his announcement by adding, "I would remind you that such items, if you choose to purchase them, shouldn't be used in class or they may be confiscated. That is all, students!"

The noise in the hall increased, and several students were craning their necks to look at Katie, Harry and the Twins. "Well, Katie? Aren't you going to say hi to your mum?" Harry asked, slightly louder than necessary.

"You bought one for... And she already...?" Katie asked, her excitement preventing full sentences. Harry smiled and nodded, his eyes gleaming. Katie held the mirror in her hands carefully, then spoke, "Elisabeth Bell? Mum?"

"Hi sweetie!" came the immediate reply.

Katie almost cried in happiness – something she did not want to do in front of the entire school! – so she hugged Harry again and raced back to her dorm, her half-eaten breakfast forgotten and her mirror held tightly in her hand.

The Twins, meanwhile, already had fellow students asking them for the price. They smiled and congratulated themselves on the decision to offer Dumbledore two free mirrors in exchange for, well, the advertisement. Even if they did have to give an oath not to tamper with the mirrors in any way, whether or not the recipient was a Slytherin.

...

Daphne felt a little nervous. She had been hounded again by a couple of older students who had somehow managed to convince themselves that they were competing for her affection. So, she'd sought out help again from her friend, and he had an idea.

The problem was, it seemed a bit much. Was it really necessary? She'd never done anything like this before, and she was honestly a little afraid of... potential repercussions. But Harry had convinced her that she should, even implying that she might really enjoy it; in fact, he seemed determined to make sure she did.

So here Daphne was, feeling nervous. Meeting Harry in the great hall after dinner, in plain sight of the Slytherins, she linked arms with him and told him to lead the way. Harry smiled encouragingly, an eager light in his eyes, and led her to the secret location, for illicit activities.

Half an hour into it, Daphne had to admit – hanging out in the Gryffindor common room wasn't nearly as scary as she expected.

"See!" Harry merrily pointed out. "I told you you'd have fun! And your Slytherin pests will think we've gone snogging in a cupboard or something, so you'll have time to get creative again!"

Daphne smiled her acquiescence of Harry's point. The Gryffindors had been much more welcoming than she'd feared, and other than the Weasley Twins trying to sell her... vomiting pills?... she hadn't been bothered at all. Although she did wish Harry and Katie would drop the act.

"Harry, I don't know why you're trying to fool me. The first thing Katie did when she saw you was put her arm around you..." Daphne began.

"No, that's just being friendly!" Harry interrupted.

"...and we all know about the kisses you sneak in when no-one's looking..." Daphne continued, unperturbed.

The Twins, from nearby, burst out laughing; how people kept believing that was a hilarious mystery. Harry shot them a dirty look.

"...and you even bought her one of those expensive mirrors so she could talk to you over the holidays!" Daphne finished.

"Hey! They're not expensive!" complained two voices.

Hermione, who had also been chatting to Daphne, giggled at the exchange

"See! Even Hermione is on my side!" concluded Daphne, 100% incorrectly.

That made Hermione giggle even more. Some day, Daphne might meet Fleur; if she did, then she would understand!

...

With Quidditch practise, extra potion brewing and spending time with family and friends, Harry's term passed very quickly. He was soon back in France, hugging Fleur tightly, and Harry found himself fervently hoping that her willpower was particularly weak.

Oh, he knew that on one hand it was good that they hadn't kissed properly since last summer; on the other hand, all of his senses were crying out that he needed her – she felt good, wrapped up in his arms; she smelt delicious, especially with her allure pouring off her; her voice carried the same loving tone it always did; she (obviously) looked incredibly attractive; all that was left to confirm was that her lips still tasted of bliss.

So, as soon as the two were alone in Fleur's room, Harry pulled Fleur into an embrace, then started kissing her cheek, then her earlobe. "Fleur, I've missed you so much", Harry whispered hungrily.

Two seconds previously, Fleur had high hopes for how well they might do at not-dating; after all, they had managed all through Christmas! But as Harry's lips kissed her sensitive earlobes and his breath was hot in her ear, those high hopes were ruined; how was she going to get through the Easter holidays without passionate kisses now?!

"'arry... You're not making this easy for me..." Fleur complained, hands running up Harry's back.

"I don't want to make it easy for you. I want you to kiss me" Harry whispered, before gently nibbling Fleur's ear.

Fleur shivered in pleasure. This was really unfair! "I want to kiss you too! But we... we shouldn't... we..."

Fleur was distracted as Harry kissed her neck. He'd never done that before; why had he never done that before?

Fleur's hands found themselves at the back of Harry's head, holding him in place as she tilted her head to the side for better access. Harry took the invitation, and continued to place soft kisses up and down the left side of Fleur's neck.

Harry wanted Fleur to give in; to kiss him. Kissing her would be easy, but now he wanted the greater prize – for Fleur to cave to her desires and initiate. After a minute of kissing her neck, Harry paused, pulling back to look Fleur in the eyes. Very slowly, very deliberately, he kissed right on the corner of Fleur's mouth. Fleur closed her eyes in anticipation, then whined when Harry's lips failed to meet her desire by a few scant centimetres. Then she realised: he was teasing her! Or, if not teasing, then trying to get her to kiss first!

Determination warred with desire in her eyes. If that was the game Harry wanted to play, then she was determined to win! He would kiss her first, not the other way around!

Harry saw a dangerous look appear on Fleur's face; had he pushed too far? Had he mistakenly believed Fleur would want to kiss him as much as he wanted to kiss her? What if she was mad at him, or if...

Fleur cut off Harry's worrying. "I know what you're doing, my cherished. This game you play: you want me to give in and kiss you."

Now it was Fleur's turn to whisper in Harry's ear. "But you won't win. You will kiss me first, not the other way around."

And thus began two weeks of divine torture.

...

The first day ended in a stalemate; Gabrielle interrupted the game soon after it started, and by unspoken agreement the game wasn't played when others could see; especially not little sisters! And Sebastian and Appoline had missed Harry and Fleur, and wanted to spend time with them; something neither teen begrudged.

The second day was less eventful, as far as the game was concerned, as the Delacours and Harry went out for the day to visit Marseilles.

The third day was wonderfully awful. Fleur had worn very loose pyjamas to bed the night before, and when she woke Harry up she made sure there was a very generous view on offer, if only he lowered his gaze from her face. Fleur stayed in her pyjamas a lot later than usual too, claiming she wanted to lounge around for the morning; Harry thought it was criminal, but he resisted. And then, later, Harry gave Fleur a very dedicated foot massage, but she resisted too, much to both their surprise.

The fourth and fifth days were again spent as a family of five, going for a hike in some woods one day, and visiting Bordeaux the next. But that merely left time for Harry and Fleur to replan.

The sixth day Fleur suggested they go swimming; had Gabrielle not eagerly asked to join them, Fleur was sure one of them would have surrendered – she was wearing a new pale blue bikini which showed off her assets nicely, and the swimming shorts she had bought Harry complemented his eyes nicely. Ok, it was his bare chest she was really interested in, but the eyes were a nice excuse.

The seventh, eighth and ninth days were where the two tried a different approach. Neither could remember who started it, but both were loving and affectionate to each other, even more so than usual: when Fleur finished her breakfast first, she massaged Harry's shoulders whilst he finished; when Harry took Gabrielle to Celeste's, he brought back a slice of Fraisier for Fleur, with a small cooling charm ensuring it was as fresh as the slices he and Gabrielle had enjoyed; after they finished a potion lesson with Sebastian, Fleur made Harry a cup of delicate French tea, then massaged his hands, one at a time, whilst he drank it; Harry spent an hour brushing Fleur's hair, whilst he whispered how much she meant to him and his fondest memories of their time together.

Days ten and eleven were spent as a family, and day twelve and thirteen were spent with the teenagers telling each other exactly what they wanted, throughout the day – "I want you to pin me against the wall and kiss me" "I want to taste your soft lips" "Please kiss me, I crave it so badly" "We have two hours alone; imagine what would happen if you kissed me now" – and whilst the game was still a stalemate, Fleur came closest to winning when she told Harry, "If you kiss me right now, I don't think I could stop from offering you much, much more." Harry knew she meant it, too.

But somehow, to both the teens' surprise, the holiday ended in a draw. Both desired the other more than ever before, but as they said goodbye away from the ears of others, they admitted the game was perhaps unhelpful in trying to not-date, and maybe they should try teasing less over the summer; though Fleur did point out Harry had started it.

...

The summer term was fairly uneventful, and nothing of note happened... for Harry. For Fleur, there may as well have only been one event, as it was monumental.

"Students, I have an important announcement to make", Madame Maxime had begun one evening, in the middle of dinner. Fleur idly hoped it was a new anti-bullying policy, as Pauline was getting bolder and Fleur suspected (with a small degree of sadness) that she had turned some of Fleur's classmates against her; at least if their sudden coolness was anything to go by.

"Many years ago, a competition was held between three magical schools – the Tri-wizard tournament", Maxime began.

Fleur's eyes widened. She couldn't mean...?

"The magical schools were the three most prestigious schools in Europe – 'ogwarts, Durmstrang, and of course our own Beauxbatons. The tournament was cancelled many years ago due to the high death count among participants." Maxime continued, building excited tension in the hall.

"The Headmasters of 'ogwarts and Durmstrang, and myself, have worked tirelessly over the last two years to find a way to re-establish the tournament, keeping the excitement but lessening the danger. We were successful. Next year, the tri-wizard tournament will take place at 'ogwarts", Maxime explained, then paused whilst the hall erupted in noise.

Fleur couldn't believe it; could she spend part of the year at Hogwarts? Her face oozed her shock, obvious to anyone who paid attention – and one girl in particular.

Once most of the noise had quietened down, Maxime continued. "The tournament will not be the only event taking place. The Tri-wizard tournament was revived to build relationships between the schools, but for those who don't wish to risk the danger, lesser though it will be, there will be other opportunities: a duelling tournament, Quidditch matches, even a Potion-Brewing competition.

"As such, any sixth and seventh year who wishes to take part in one or more of these events will be welcome. But be warned – the event will take place for almost the entire year, and any student participating will take their exams at 'ogwarts. Some may find this a disruption they would rather avoid", Maxime finished, knowing those latter words were utterly futile, but at least she could claim she tried.

Fleur might have sat there all evening, thoughts racing behind her eyes, if two things hadn't happened, both being unpleasant in their own ways.

The first was that Pauline, who had watched Fleur's reaction and misread it as shocked terror, saw it as her moment to strike.

Pauline's plan formed quickly, as Fleur sat there looking shocked and, dare she hope, horrified? That reaction cemented Pauline's view – who would react so badly if they had an opportunity to see an old friend? No, Fleur knew the game was up, all Pauline had to do was find the most exquisite way to twist the knife.

As Maxime had answered a few questions, Pauline refined her plan further; after all, she had heard rumours that Fleur had some gold, why not use this to rightfully take some of it as punishment?! If she was careful – if she was subtle – she could double what gold she had!

"Well, you must be delighted, Fleur", asked Pauline, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Fleur, still coming out of her shock, just nodded.

"To think, you must be overjoyed; didn't you once tell us you were best friends with Harry Potter? He goes to 'ogwarts, doesn't he? You'll probably be one of the first to sign up, won't you?" Pauline continued, with a number of her friends sniggering.

Fleur again nodded, though as she started to process the laughter of others – at her expense – her face dropped a little.

"Well, don't let me keep you! You must be eager to get to that list!" Pauline finished, her voice oozing a rancid fake friendliness.

Fleur tried to put Pauline's words – and her classmates' laughter – out of her mind; it was easy to do when she considered that Harry could be hers a year earlier than expected! She was about to go and sign up – then eagerly share the good news with Harry – when the second interruption came.

"Miss. Delacour? A word?" asked Madame Maxime politely.

...

It really wasn't fair, Fleur inwardly groaned! Maxime had asked – well, ordered, really – Fleur to do something that every fibre of her being resisted! It was a cruel, cruel matter, much worse than the poisonous words that Pauline had attacked with earlier! She had been so excited, but no sooner had she made plans that those plans were in ruins!

Fleur took a few deep breaths. She was being melodramatic, she knew; it could be much worse. But Maxime's words still rung in her ears: "I know what you will want to do, but I must ask you not to. You see, 'ogwarts will not know about the tournament until the beginning of the year; I know how close you are to Mr. Potter.." ('doubtful!' thought Fleur) "... and I know you will be eager to use that wonderful mirror of yours, but I must ask you not to tell him about this."

Fleur sighed. It was a reasonable request, she grudgingly admitted, but without it she and Harry could start their relationship over the summer! They could start it now!

But then an idea came to Fleur. A terrible, sadistic idea. She had enjoyed her and Harry's game over the Easter holiday, though had felt guilty about it. Well, not anymore. This summer she would play it again, and she wouldn't even pretend to play fair. And if Harry gave in, his punishment would be a relationship that started a few weeks earlier than it should. And if he managed to resist? Well, Fleur had a few ideas for a suitable reward.

...

Harry, meanwhile, had no idea of the impending doom Fleur had planned for his willpower. He led Gryffindor to another Quidditch victory; he grew his friendships further; he did well in his exams, coming top of his year in Defence and top of his surrogate year in Potions (not including the Weasley Twins – they had sat their Potion NEWT); he profited nicely from the potions he brewed with Jones in their evening sessions (especially from Felix Felicis!).

As Harry sat with Katie, Neville, Ron and Hermione on the Hogwarts express, chatting, eating, playing games and (in several cases) ignoring hormones, Harry had no idea he only had four more weeks until Fleur's game would begin.

...

Author Notes:

As I write this, there are over 670 people who have favourited Delacour Godparents, and almost 1000 people who are following it; thank you all so very much! And thank you especially to those who review: to Unknown, Mugetsu700, pavook and Fellbane; and to the Potion Masters who are Spider of Dreams, alix33, bahnannah, amortentiate, Urgazhi, Magnus Whitlock, Isabelle6116, Arnie1701, SKFF, MauserTeleri (X2), rishi547, Earth Guardian 28, The Prime Cronos, and Fellbane (X2) for additional reviews since last chapter.

For anyone following my response to other's comments, I've corrected one from last chapter – when I responded I was tired and completely misread the question... Oops!

alix33 – your help is, as always, very much appreciated!

Unknown, pavook – a fair point. I'll go back when I have a moment, and update the nickname from when Harry is around eleven.

SKFF – he's doing well, as you'll see from the end if the chapter. Can he defend himself in a real fight? Who knows, he's not had one yet :-p