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, Harry was again feeling proud of himself. His willpower had survived intact, even with Fleur throwing herself at him. He also recognised that if he had given in and taken Fleur up on her varied and tempting offers, then this year would have been brutal – he already missed her kisses when they were away (despite only kissing once, briefly, over the last year), how much more would he miss... the more intimate activities Fleur had desired?
Katie was again the first to join him in the carriage, sitting down next to Harry and putting a carefree arm over his shoulder. "So...?" she asked.
Harry looked anywhere but at Katie. "We're, erm, still just friends", Harry replied.
"How?!" Katie asked, shocked. "She was practically begging you for... well, a whole lot!"
Harry blushed and nodded. "But I don't want to risk it, and it was sort of my fault for teasing Fleur over Easter, and we've already waited a while; one more year will be ok."
Katie was amazed at her best friend. She didn't have too long to wonder about that though, as the door opened and they were joined by their usual carriage buddies – Neville, Hermione and Ron.
...
The train ride, and the sorting, passed without much incident, aside from Harry noting that Fred and George were still at Hogwarts; he had been led to believe they had given up on school after getting their Potions NEWT, but apparently not. Though their reason quickly became known when, after the welcoming feast, the school was set on its ear.
"Welcome back students, it's wonderful to see you all here! There are several announcements to make, but I shall start with the most exciting one", began Dumbledore.
"This year, after a long hiatus, the Tri-wizard tournament will return, with Hogwarts hosting!" he declared.
There were several reactions, but Harry distinctly heard "Sweet!" and "Totally worth staying at Hogwarts for!" from further down the Gryffindor table.
After the initial reactions, Dumbledore continued. "For those unaware, the Tri-wizard tournament is a competition between the three most prestigious wizarding schools in Europe: Durmstrang, Beauxbatons and our own Hogwarts."
Harry froze in shock. Did Dumbledore say...?
"The prize for the tournament is one thousand galleons, and glory for yourself and your school. But be aware: the tournament is dangerous, and was cancelled due to the high death toll. Additional safeguards have been put in place, but you risk your life competing", Dumbledore continued. It didn't sound like many people were put off.
"Due to the danger, the tournament will be open to any sixth and seventh year students, and I will personally be ensuring no-one else is entered", explained Dumbledore, over the groans of some of the younger students.
Dumbledore continued, mollifying the lower years. "But fear not! There will be plenty of other opportunities for prizes and glory – Quidditch, competitive duelling, potions; further details will be available over the coming weeks."
Had Harry been thinking straight, he might have been excited about that latter part.
"As Hogwarts is hosting the events, we will also be hosting a contingent of students from both Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, who will be arriving in two weeks and remaining for the academic year. I'm sure you will all make our guests very welcome!" Dumbledore finished, to cheers from the students.
Harry, however, just picked up his mirror. "Fleur? Fleur, are you there? I've just heard... And I can't help but hope... Fleur?"
"'arry? Is that you?", came the unexpected voice.
"Aunt Appoline? How come you have Fleur's mirror?" Harry asked, confused.
"She forgot to take it to school, and left it here" Appoline replied, twisting the truth. In fact, Fleur had deliberately left the mirror at home; she wanted to surprise Harry at Hogwarts, and knew if she spoke to him she would cave and tell him the good news.
"Did she say anything about the Tri-wizard tournament?"Harry asked.
"What's the 'Tri-wizard tournament?'"Appoline asked, deflecting.
...
Hundreds of miles away, Fleur was delighted. It had just been confirmed she was going to Hogwarts (not that she'd doubted), along with a host of other sixth and seventh year girls; Fleur suspected most of the students in those years would be attending.
And she only had to wait two weeks! Of course, those two weeks would be the longest of her life, especially considering the prize that awaited her at the end! She was also pleased to see Pauline was on the list – that girl was going to get a very unpleasant surprise!
Pauline had seen Fleur's reaction, and was inwardly impressed by her acting. Oh, Pauline knew she was putting on a brave face, pretending she was excited, but Pauline knew it was just an act. Or was it? Did Fleur think she could make Harry Potter adore her just by meeting her?
It would be her allure, Pauline realised. Fleur would be reliant on it, and would use it to convince the school of her lies – that she had known Harry all this time. Well, Pauline had planned for that. That part of the plan had cost more gold than she'd liked, but that was nothing compared to the gold she would be extracting from the lying tramp.
Now it was just down to the timing; perhaps on the journey over, where there was no way to communicate with the outside world? Yes, that would be perfect.
...
Back in the Gryffindor common room, several of Harry's friends had the same question. "Well? Is your best friend Fleur coming for the tournament?"
Harry had to have answered that question about six times already. Thankfully, Hermione had taken pity on Harry and answered for him, this once. "He doesn't actually know, and he can't use his mirror to ask Fleur as she's left hers at home", she explained succinctly.
"Oh, that's a shame! Terrible time to leave a mirror at home, right?"
"Right", Hermione answered, though internally she had her suspicions; not that she would share them with Harry, in case she was wrong.
Harry, for his part, could barely think of anything but the Beauxbaton students' arrival. He realised he was going to be an appalling student over the next two weeks, so did the only thing he could think of – he went to brew a helpful potion.
...
The next morning, a parcel arrived for Harry via owl. Hermione was immediately interested in it, as it looked suspiciously like a book. Harry saw there was a note attached and read that first:
Dear little brother,
I believe you will need this book at some point over the next year; it's better to know too soon than too late, so I suggest you start reading sooner rather than later.
Love you!
Cheveu
Shrugging, Harry opened the package... then immediately hid the book back in its wrapping, a blush blooming on his face.
"Harry? What book were you sent?" asked Hermione, curious.
"Oh, erm... nothing important!" replied an embarrassed Harry. On the contrary, the book might become very important to him, but he was not going to tell Hermione that his big sister had just sent him 'How to please your woman'!
Other than the book (which Harry did start reading... in private!) and talking to his family to share his hopes, nothing much of note happened during that two weeks, other than Harry being quite possibly the worst student he had ever been, even with daily doses of a concentration potion – in one lesson he had almost ruined a very potent strength potion, which was unheard of for Harry! Thankfully, he realised his mistake whilst it could still be corrected.
For Fleur on the other hand, the two weeks were quite eventful, mostly dealing with organising things for the trip. But it was also quite lonely; she didn't realise how much she would miss talking to Gabrielle, her Mama and Papa, Uncle Sirius, Uncle Remus, Cheveu, Katie and especially Harry.
Fleur also had a sneaking suspicion Pauline was planning something – there were hushed whispers and unpleasant glances quite regularly now, though Fleur knew it would be short-lived; soon her fellow students would know she had been telling the truth.
Still, she put that out of her mind, and sent another letter home. Letters; she had barely written any during the last few years, as her mirrors made letter-writing quite redundant! Well, it was good practise for her penmanship, at least.
...
Finally, the day of her departure arrived, and Fleur made sure she was the first to settle into the horse-drawn carriages that would be transporting the students who had signed up for this inter-school competition.
After stowing her things, she had sat in one of the common areas, reading a book, and thinking that perhaps Pauline hasn't planned anything. No further had she thought that than Pauline arrived, along with quite a large contingent of Beauxbatons students.
"Fleur! You must be just positively thrilled we're on our way to 'ogwarts!" Pauline began, with fake friendliness.
"I am. I am looking forward to seeing an old friend." Fleur stated simply; there was no point hiding this now, they would find out tomorrow.
Pauline grinned like the devil. "Oh yes! 'arry Potter, your old best friend! Tell me, do you two still keep in contact?"
A few of the other students sniggered, though some had an oddly eager look in the eye; Fleur was immediately on guard.
"Often. In fact, I saw him most recently over the summer", Fleur answered honestly.
"Really?! Then he will be very happy to see you?" Pauline asked, hunger and malice in her eyes.
Fleur gave a small smile. "I would say so, yes."
Pauline grinned. This was going exactly as planned! And now to spring the trap. "You're so confident, I see. Would you bet gold on that?"
Fleur cocked her head to the side, examining Pauline. She couldn't be serious! Surely she wasn't going to... A sneaking suspicion grew in Fleur's mind, and she fought to stop a grin from appearing on her own face; it may have matched the one Pauline wore if she did!
"A bet? Why would someone want to bet on that?" Fleur asked, carefully.
From that reply, Pauline was convinced of her plan – if Fleur really did know Harry Potter, she would be biting her hand off for free galleons! "Maybe because they think you're a lying, attention-seeking tramp. Because they've seen through your lies, and your allure, and they want to see you taken down a peg" replied Pauline, a little anger in her voice.
"If someone wished to bet based on that view of me, I guess I would have no choice but to accept", Fleur replied.
"Well, I bet fifty galleons 'arry doesn't even know who you are!" Pauline wagered with a sneer.
"I accept" Fleur replied, before laughing a little. "I'm sure the first thing he'll do when he sees me is hug me."
"I bet thirty galleons he won't!" wagered another student.
"I accept."
"I also bet thirty-five galleons he won't hug you!" wagered a third.
"I accept."
"I bet ten galleons he doesn't know your name!" "I bet fifteen galleons he ignores you" "I bet thirty galleons I can get him to pay more attention to me than to you" "I bet twenty galleons he's not your friend"
"I accept. I accept. I accept. I accept." Fleur responded.
After a few more bets were made, one of the seventh year girls raised a question. "How do we know you even have enough gold to pay us all?"
"I won't need to. But to make you feel better: I, Fleur Isabelle Delacour, declare that I have sufficient galleons for any and all bets I make today, so shall my magic prove". A bright light followed the vow.
"Well, then I bet fifty galleons you were lying back in first year", wagered the seventh year.
"I accept."
Pauline thought Fleur was risking a lot, but she suspected her plan. "Of course, you have your allure. How do we know you won't use it to bias 'arry Potter's reaction in your favour?" Pauline asked.
Fleur smiled. "I won't need to. But I don't know how I can prove that, my allure is a part of me."
"And if we had a way to safely block your allure? Would you agree to it?" Pauline asked, finalising the trap.
"If such was possible, and didn't cause any danger or unpleasant side-effects, I see no reason why not", Fleur replied simply. Inside she was in disbelief; how much planning had Pauline put into this? She was going to take the idiot title away from Simon at this rate!
Pauline grinned like a shark, holding up a pendant. "You mean something like this? An allure suppression pendant, made by your kind. Consider it a 'gift'. We expect you to wear it!" Pauline declared.
Fleur was now truly in shock. She held the pendant in her hands, feeling the Veela magic inside, and feeling her own allure muted, even this close. Caution told her to demand one thing from her enemy first, however. "If you swear an oath this is what you say, and that there are no curses or other charms on it, then I will wear it for our bets."
...
Finally, after what felt like months, the time had arrived. The Durmstrang ship arrived first, with Dumbledore welcoming their Headmaster – a Headmaster Georgi Dinchev – then finally the Beauxbaton carriage arrived, and out stepped Madam Maxime.
Harry loosely heard the greeting, but his eyes were scanning the students. They all had scarves wrapped around them, and he couldn't see any of their faces; he couldn't see her face. Had she really not come?
Fleur was giddy, trembling with excitement. At her headmistress' request, Fleur was containing herself for a moment, but the time had nearly come.
"Well, Fleur, nervous? Afraid that your plan won't work whilst you wear that pendant?" Pauline whispered nastily. Several of the girls sniggered.
Finally, Dumbledore said the words she had been waiting for. "Now, at least two students have been graciously waiting whilst Maxime and I talked, but I dare say they have been waiting long enough. If you happen to have friends visiting from another school, you can go ahead and greet them now.
Fleur had been carefully unwrapping her scarf as Dumbledore spoke. "You thought me nervous right now? I have never been more excited. Never have I lied to you; watch and learn from your foolishness."
With one final tug, her scarf was off and she was stepping forward towards her best friend, and future lover.
"Fleur!"
"'arry!"
Harry tore away from his fellow students and raced towards Fleur. She sped up, and after a few moments she had thrown herself into Harry's arms. A moment after that, he was spinning her around joyfully.
After he had put Fleur down, but still with his arms around her, Harry started rambling. "You're really here for the tournament? For the whole year? When you didn't have your mirror, I couldn't ask, and..."
"Shhh, my heart. I'm not here for the tournament, I'm here for you. And yes, I'll be with you for the whole year." Fleur confirmed, before placing a delicate kiss on his cheek. "Consider it an early Christmas present" she added, cheekily.
Harry kissed Fleur's cheek in return, then pulled her into another loving, warm embrace. Fleur nestled her head into his shoulder; she was finally with Harry for good. She was home.
The two were interrupted by two very loud catcalls. Remembering where they were, the two hurried towards the castle, hand in hand, looking lovingly at each other.
Fleur, of course, sat next to Harry, as did many of the Beauxbaton contingent.
"It's good to see you again, Fleur, and so soon!" Katie welcomed.
"Thank you, Katie. It's very good to see you too!" Fleur replied, smiling.
"So you're Fleur!" Neville greeted. "Fleur, Harry does not stop talking about you. We've heard so much about his best friend since our first day at school! I'm Neville, by the way", Neville stated, smiling.
"Nev's right, I feel like I'm meeting one of my friends, with how much he's spoken about you! I'm Ron, by the way", offered Ron.
"'ello Neville, 'ello Ron. It's good to finally meet you both. And 'ello 'ermione, it's good to see you again"
"It's so exciting you're here! Harry has been positively pining after you ever since you 'misplaced' your mirror" Hermione replied, a slightly mischievous smile on her face.
"Hey!" Harry objected.
"It's ok, my poor neglected heart. I am here for you now" Fleur teased.
Harry merely replied by kissing Fleur's cheek, quite close to her mouth.
"Anyway, let me introduce some of my friends. This is Jean..." Fleur began.
"Bonjour!"
"... Marjorie..."
"'ello!"
"...and Amelie."
"Hello everyone", came the final, surprisingly non-accented greeting.
...
Pauline was horrified. As were the girls who had betted against Fleur. This couldn't be happening! She couldn't have been telling the truth, could she? There was only one thing Pauline could do.
Walking over to Harry, she put a hand on his shoulder. "'arry, you don't need to sit with Fleur. There are many of us 'o would love to get to know you", she purred.
Harry turned to face the girl. A quick squeeze from Fleur's hand told him who it was.
Harry began. "Sit down, and let me explain something to anyone who has ever doubted Fleur.
"When I was one, my parents were murdered and I was sent to live with my aunt and uncle. But as long as I can remember, my French Godparents would visit me at least once a month.
"Now, I love my Godfather and Godmother, but let me tell you about someone else I grew to love growing up. She is someone who brings a smile to my face when I see her. Someone whose mere presence brings me joy. Someone who I've sat in patisseries with, eating cake. Someone who I've spent countless hours just cuddled up on a sofa with, reading stories. Someone who I would, and have, willingly given my gold to. Someone who I love – really, truly love – like the family they are. And do you know this girl's name?"
A few despairing murmurs of "Fleur", then Harry continued.
"That girl is Gabrielle Delacour. And every month, when I first arrived at the Delacour home, I ran past her. I ignored my beloved sister, to see Fleur first. I love Gabrielle dearly, and would do almost anything for her, but I adore Fleur. And you are either ignorant of that, or you must believe a stranger can mean more to me than family, to think you could possibly pull me away from Fleur right now." Harry finished, with emphasis.
Pauline sat back down, gobsmacked.
Fleur turned to her fellow students. "Does anyone believe their bet has not been settled?" she asked.
Galleons were placed on the table and pushed towards Fleur. "What is this about, my cherished?" Harry asked.
"Some of my fellow students did not believe I knew you. So they made bets", Fleur explained.
"They bet you didn't know Harry?!" Hermione asked, astonished. Several Beauxbatons students hung their heads in shame.
"How did you get enough money for all those bets? That's a lot of galleons on the table" Hermione pointed out.
Fleur couldn't help it – she laughed out loud. "I bet with the galleons in mine and 'arry's shared Gringotts account!" The sound of many heads banging against the table was heard.
Fleur turned towards her fellow students. "Many of you doubted me, even though I have never given you reason to do so – other than my heritage, I suspect. But I do not wish to be harsh, and I assume some of you may have wagered more than you can afford."
Fleur counted out one tenth of the galleons she had won. "If anyone gambled too much, and will struggle this term, you can take from this pile. But you must do so now."
Four students, ashamed, took a few Galleons; none took more than half of what they wagered, and all thanked Fleur quietly for her generosity.
...
After the meal, there was one more interruption.
"Harry, is this the Fleur?" Daphne asked.
"Yes?" Harry replied, uncertain of the question.
Daphne swore, dropped a galleon on the table, then muttered, "You could have just mentioned you mistook me for a Veela", before wandering back to the Slytherin table. Fleur, having vaguely remembered the relevant story, and Harry's own wager, started laughing.
But after a moment, Daphne came back. "Wait. I thought you were dating Katie? But you're..." she pointed to where Harry and Fleur were holding hands.
Katie, Harry and the Weasley twins joined Fleur in her laughter.
"But the twins saw Harry and Katie kissing! All the time!" Daphne insisted.
By now, Fred and George were actually crying with laughter. One of them managed to choke out "She still believes us!" between fits of laughter.
A look of horror dawned of Daphne's face; she had been so gullible! Though in her defence, Katie and Harry were such good friends, and Katie was so tactile, that everyone had assumed they were dating!
Appalled with herself, Daphne headed out of the great hall; she would have to pay the twins back, somehow.
...
Harry's friends had wanted to get to know Fleur better, and Fleur's friends had wanted to get to know Harry better. Unfortunately for them, Harry and Fleur had something much more important to do that evening.
"Fleur and I need to, erm, catch up on something", Harry explained weakly.
Hermione smiled and rolled her eyes, whereas Katie grinned happily for her friend. "It's about time! Go on, enjoy your... conversation."
Harry blushed, but Fleur grinned back, before leading Harry out of the hall. "You don't have your own room at 'ogwarts, do you, my heart?" Fleur asked as the pair, hand in hand, stopped to consider the best place to go.
Harry shook his head. Unfortunately not!
Fleur grinned. "I do. Would you like to come and see?"
Harry practically dragged Fleur towards the Beauxbaton carriages. On the way, the two were quick to clarify what Fleur's arrival would mean. "Fleur, my love, you'll be at Hogwarts all year?"
"Yes, my heart. No more distance between us." Fleur confirmed, squeezing Harry's hand in anticipation.
"Fleur, my cherished, will you be my girlfriend?" Harry asked, partly nervous but mostly eager.
"Of course I will, my love! You've kept me waiting so long, I couldn't bear to be without you any longer" Fleur replied, her pace quickening.
"I'm going to kiss you the second we're alone in your room", Harry promised eagerly.
"No, I'm going to kiss you the second we're alone in my room", Fleur countered, her heart beating faster.
"I'm going to pin you against the wall, then kiss and bite your neck" Harry declared. By now the two were almost running to Fleur's carriage.
"I'm going to show you the second and third things I wanted to do with you after I graduated; I think you'll prefer them to just neck-biting" Fleur again countered. If the teens weren't running before, they were now.
The two reached the carriage, then Fleur led Harry quickly to her room. The moment the door was shut, Harry had indeed pinned Fleur to it, and was kissing her lips, her jaw, her neck... Fleur's hands roamed over Harry's body, then threaded through his hair, holding his head against her neck especially, so he wouldn't stop.
After a couple of minutes, Fleur pushed Harry onto the bed, then climbed into his lap and began kissing him with love and desire. Harry revelled in the taste of Fleur's lips and then tongue, craving more and more.
But as Fleur began kissing Harry's neck, he was distracted by a thought. "Mmm... Fleur? Oh, that feels so good, but... Fleur?"
Fleur paused, a grin on her face. "Yes, my love?" then she slowly, gently nibbled on Harry's neck as a distraction.
Attempting to pull together his willpower for a moment, Harry tried to ask a key question. "Fleur? Mmm... Wait, it's just... Mmmm... I can't... Allure..."
Fleur paused; she had enjoyed Harry struggling to form words, but it meant she had no clue what he was trying to say! "What was that, 'arry?"
Harry tried once again to summon his willpower. "I... I can't feel your allure; how come?"
Fleur grinned – all this, including Harry's lack of control, and there's no way anyone could claim it was her allure! "It's my necklace, I'd forgotten about that. Let me just take it off..."
The warm, comforting, sensual feeling of Fleur's allure washed over Harry, and all he could do was kiss his girlfriend more passionately than before.
Fleur moaned into the kiss; she had waited so long, but this was worth the wait! However, it wasn't the only thing she had planned. Pushing Harry backwards, Fleur fiddled with the clasp on her cloak. "Are you ready for the second and third things I had in mind, my love?"
Harry nodded, his eyes alight with desire.
...
A couple of hours later, cuddled up with Fleur, Harry felt wonderful! There was still much for them to try – they'd not got anywhere near actual sex, for example – but what they had experienced together was indescribable!
The fact that he had experienced this with his very best friend, who he utterly loved and adored, made everything so much better; Harry had never felt so deeply in love.
Fleur, similarly, was in absolute bliss. She loved her new boyfriend so much! Harry was just so utterly perfect, and the new physical side to their relationship was a wonderful complement to the solid foundation of their friendship.
After stretching out luxuriously, Fleur kissed Harry's lips briefly but lovingly. "You realise I'm never letting you go, my love?"
Harry chuckled. "That might be a problem with getting to our lessons, my cherished", Harry replied.
Fleur laughed, then lightly hit Harry's arm. "No, my love I don't mean physically! I mean... I want you to be mine, forever."
Harry shook his head amusedly. "If you think I'm letting you go after all these years of waiting and after... that... You're my best friend, my perfect love – I plan to grow old with you, in our house together in France."
Fleur kissed her wonderful, loving boyfriend again - slowly, lovingly and full of emotion.
...
Author Notes – quite lengthy this time!
Thank you all for reading this far. I hugely appreciate the feedback and response I've got to Delacour Godparents, it's blown me away.
As you might guess, this is the other chapter I was really looking forward to writing, and it contains the scene that first popped into my head to inspire the whole story to date.
For those either dreading or hoping for Katie to be included in the relationship: I'm aware from the reviews that there are conflicting views in where this story appears to be headed; oops! I aim to keep the pairing as per the story description, but I plan to write other stories in future (PM me if curious). I appreciate the feedback, and I'll keep it in mind!
I know several people have expressed a little frustration at how long Harry and Fleur took to get together; I wanted to explain before, but didn't want to give out spoilers. However I can explain now, for anyone interested.
Fleur is currently 17, Harry 15. This website's rules don't permit sexual relationships under age 15; I know some people ignore this, but I'm unwilling to. Some authors get around this by starting Hogwarts two years later, but due to how this story is starts from Harry being 1, that would have just added pre-hogwarts years and made the delay even more weird. I could also have had Harry and Fleur dating but not progressing further physically in their relationship, but that seemed even less realistic, at least to me – especially given how close they are. I'll also admit that canon-Harry not noticing girls until he's nearly 14 is highly convenient for rule-abiding authors, though I can see how that translates to cliché; apologies for that.
I'm sure there are better ways I could have worked within that constraint – including some suggested by kind reviewers! – but by that point the story was already mapped out quite far.
Massive thanks to those who have reviewed: BMS, guest and guest. And thanks to the superheroes who are Earth Guardian 28, iamshinydragonmist, Spider of Dreams, Urgazhi, Magnus Whitlock, bahnannah, Mitkon2001, Arnie1701, kjtrack, SKFF, alix33, Fellbane, Sheogorath-Loves-His-Cheese, amortentiate, magitech and The Prime Cronos.
alix33 – thanks, as always! Good question; magically-clean pockets? Steak with peppercorn sauce is amazing if done well.
The Prime Cronos – hmmm... Maybe, maybe...
Magitech – good point regarding judges. As for the other comment, hopefully that's answered above
All other comments and questions have hopefully been answered by the main author notes above!