A/N: Chapter 16 has arrived!
(Disclaimer) I do not own Harry Potter
The Guardian
Chapter 16: New Year's Eve & Back to Hogwarts
26 December 1995
Little sunlight showed through the half-closed curtains of Fleur's room. But, once the sunlight had hit Fleur, she opened her eyes slowly, getting them adjusted to the light. Then, opening her eyes fully, Fleur found herself spooned by Harry and his morning wood pressing between her legs. Memories of last night flooded her mind, finally having Harry take her for the first time, making Fleur smile at the events of last night. Twisting around within Harry's arms, Fleur noticed that her hips hurt slightly from the act, knowing that her first time was a little painful.
As Fleur faced Harry, she saw the slight smile on her boyfriend's lips, which made her smile gently in return. Cuddling closer to him, Fleur thought of how much Harry had come out of his shell when it came to being more relaxed in her presence. Kissing the top of his head, Fleur waved her hand in the general direction of the curtains, having them close out the sun from the room. Then, she closed her eyes, letting sleep take her over again.
Several hours, Harry slowly opened his eyes to see the wonderful sight of Fleur's breasts. Burying his head into her cleavage, Harry started to kiss the breasts, making Fleur moan lightly in her sleep. Then, becoming bolder, Harry took the left nipple in his mouth, suckling on the breasts. Fleur woke up to see Harry sucking on her left breast, making her horny to jump him again. Finally, Harry felt himself being pulled off of her left breast, and he looked up to see Fleur smirking slyly down at him, sending a pleasurable shiver down his spine.
"W'y don't you give my rig't breast some attention ~," Fleur purred out, batting her eyelashes, "S'e is feeling a little neglected ~."
Without a second thought, Harry took her right nipple into his mouth, suckling it. Fleur moaned loudly at Harry's attention to her chest, along with her grinding herself on Harry's morning wood. After a few minutes, Harry pulled away from his girlfriend's chest to kiss her on the lips, running his hands down her back to cup her ass. Once he grabbed onto it, Harry gave the ass a hard slap.
"Naug'ty ~!" Fleur squealed out. Then, Fleur leaned right next to the right side of Harry's neck, biting down and sucking on the skin.
"Fleur ~!" Harry moaned out, loving the way she was biting on sucking on his neck.
Fleur pulled away, running a finger across the unmistakable hickey mark, "Mine, and only mine," She said, smoky.
Harry had a light dusting of red on his cheeks, "I like the idea of you owning me."
Fleur raised an eyebrow with a sly smirk, "O', so you like 'aving an owner, a mistress ~?"
"Um," Harry stammered, very embarrassed, "Well, I am yours."
Fleur's smirk turned into a gentle smile, "You are mine, and I am yours." She kissed him on the lips.
"We should get up, Fleur," Harry spoke up after Fleur pulled away from the kiss.
Fleur sighed, "Fine, but we will be back 'ere later," She punctuated it with a wink before crawling off of Harry, limping slightly.
Harry saw Fleur limping, "Fleur, are you ok? You are limping."
Fleur smiled at Harry, "Yes, I am fine. Just sore from last nig't since it was my first time 'aving sex."
"I'm sorry, I did not know it would hurt you," Harry apologized, feeling bad for hurting Fleur.
Fleur shook her head, "Don't be. It was very pleasurable. After a w'ile, ze pain will go away."
Fleur and Harry got dressed, making their way downstairs to the living room to see Jean and Appoline sitting on the couch watching TV. Gabrielle sat on a chair with Hedwig on the back of the chair while Serpico was curled up in her lep as she ate some candy. When the two adults noticed the couple coming down, Appoline smirked while Jean raised an eyebrow. When Harry saw this, his face became very red at the thought of Fleur's parents hearing them have sex last night.
"Next time, place a silencing c'arm around your room. We 'eard sounds we did not want to 'ear." Appoline teased, looking at Fleur, who was slightly glowing from the aftermath of sex.
Fleur looked scandalous, "Maman!" But, on the other hand, Harry found the floor very interesting.
"Fleur, please at least tell me that you two are taking the correct precautions?" Jean asked with some apprehension in his voice.
Fleur scoffed, "Of course, Papa. I can be impulsive at times, but I know to take ze rig't precautions."
Jean let a deep sigh of relief, "That's good because I don't think I am old enough to have grandchildren yet. Along with the fact you two are still on the young side to have children."
Fleur rolled her eyes at her father's response but smiled all the same. Harry stepped over to where Hedwig was, petting her as the owl cooed in happiness. Fleur sat on the chair's arm that Gabrielle was sitting in and started to pet Serpico along with her younger sister. Harry smiled at the snake's attention, knowing that she loved Fleur and seemed to feel the same about Gabrielle.
$Serpico, you seem to like Gabrielle$ Harry stated in parseltongue.
Serpico turned her head to face her Master $Sshe reminds me heavily of your mate. Did you ever mate with her, Master?$
Harry's face, which had just returned to standard color, turned red again, $Yes, Serpico. I have mated with Fleur$
Serpico nodded her head before turning her attention back to the sisters. Fleur saw Harry's face turn red again, " 'Arry, w'y is your face red?"
"Well, er, Serpico asked if I had mated with you yet. I told her that I had done," Harry explained, embarrassed.
Fleur let out a musical laugh, "So, s'e asked zat question before?" Harry answered her question with a meek nod, "Your pet snake was trying to get you laid for a w'ile, wasn't s'e?" Again, Harry could only nod.
Appoline smirked, "You 'ave a very determined snake zere, 'Arry." Still not trusting his voice, Harry nodded again.
For the rest of the day, along with the days leading up to New Year's Eve, The Delacours and Harry hung around the house. Harry and Fleur did not continue the training as they thought the break could be good for them, not wanting to get burnt out. Instead, Harry was introduced to Appoline's taste in music as she started to show him some of the albums that she had acquired. Whitesnake to Led Zepplin, with many others in the middle, Harry found that he liked the music, which pleased Appoline.
One of the days that Appoline was showing him more music, Harry had a question for her, but he was nervous in asking.
"Appoline, could I ask you a question?" Harry nervously asked.
Appoline, who was going through the massive collection of records, looked up with a kind smile, "Of course, 'Arry. W'at is it?"
"Um," Harry took a deep breath, "Could you possibly teach me some French?"
Appoline tilted her head to the left, "Could I ask w'y you wanted to learn français?"
"Well, I know that all of you can speak English very well. I am not trying to learn anything about your language when you have mainly spoken in English. I want to learn from a native speaker, and I want to learn more about the language," Explained Harry, guiltiness lacing his voice.
Appoline's face split into a gentle smile, "I would be 'appy to tec' you some français." She set aside the collection of albums, turning to face him head-on, "You know 'ow to say 'ello in français, correct?"
Harry nodded, "Yes, bonjour."
"Good. Now, ze p'rase 'ow are you in français is, Comment ça va," Appoline explained, "Now, you try, 'Arry."
"Ok. Comment ça um," Harry was having trouble pronouncing the last word.
"Va," Appoline provided.
"Comment ça va?" Harry hesitantly said.
"Très bien!" Appoline exclaimed with a bright smile, "Alrig't, let's move on to some more p'rases."
For the next few hours, Appoline instructed Arry on some basic French phrasing and sentences. Harry was struggling with some of the pronunciations; thankfully, Appoline was a patient teacher. He was able to get the greetings and simple questions down reasonably quickly. She was also able to teach him how to pronounce the band names in French.
When Harry was learning French, he became closer to Appoline, who had become a mother figure. While Mrs. Weasley was the first mother figure he had initially, Harry slowly saw Appoline as the figure in France. However, he did not tell Fleur or the rest of the family about him learning French as he wanted to surprise them. So, when Fleur came home from being with her father or sister, she would see her mother and Harry listening to music and talking about the bands. Those sights made Fleur smile as she was happy that her family was welcoming Harry.
31 December 1995
On New Year's Eve, Harry found himself standing with The Delacours in the backyard, waiting for the arrival of Fleur's friends, Vivienne and Juliette. They were traveling by way of Portkey. Although Harry had Serpico with him while holding Fleur's hand, he was nervous about what her friends would think of him; on the other hand, Fleur was excited to see her good friends again after a long time apart. Finally, Jean and Appoline told them that Juliette and Vivienne would show up around 10 in the morning. The older Delacours also explained that the two girls would be staying with them until they leave for Hogwarts.
Harry was in his thoughts when a loud crack broke him out of it. Looking towards the source of the sound, Harry saw two gorgeous-looking girls standing there with smiles on their faces. Fleur let go of Harry's hand, running at the women, giving them both tight hugs. Next to him, Harry heard Jean chuckling and Appoline giggling behind her hand at the scene of her daughter and her friends. Since he was learning French from Appoline, Harry could catch a few exchanged words between the three of them before Fleur led them to him.
As the trio got closer, Harry was able to get a better look at the two women. One was about 6 feet tall with long black hair and brown eyes. She wore a tight-fitting navy blue shirt that displayed her cleavage and form-fitting black pants with regular white sneakers. The other girl was the same height as the first. However, she had bright red hair pulled back into a high ponytail and beetled black eyes. She wore a slightly less revealing white shirt and the same form-fitting black pants with red flats.
" 'Arry, I want you to meet Juliette and Vivienne, two good friends of mine," Fleur introduced her boyfriend to the two women, pointing to the black-haired woman and red-haired woman respectfully.
Vivienne smirked slyly, "So, zis is 'Arry Potter. Ze boy w'o stole our friend's 'eart."
Harry bowed his head with a blush, "It is very nice to meet you both, Juliette and Vivienne."
Juliette looked at Vivienne, then back at Harry, " 'E is polite." She and Vivienne stepped next to Harry, wrapping their arms around his waist, pulling him closer between the two girls. Fleur narrowed her eyes at the action of her two friends, not liking how deliberately close they were getting to her boyfriend.
Jean and Appoline, who were watching the interaction with amusement, waved everyone inside. Gabrielle followed after her parents, with Juliette and Vivienne leading Harry into the house. The two girls threw smirks back at Fleur, who was not particularly happy with her friends. Once everyone was in the living room, the girls detached themselves from Harry to give the adults hugs. Harry went straight to Fleur, who wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling his back against her front.
Harry and Fleur sat down on a chair, with Fleur sitting on Harry's lap. Jean and Appoline sat down on one couch while Juliette and Vivienne sat down on the other couch with Gabrielle. Looking at the couple, Juliette and Vivienne smirked mischievously.
"So, w'o wears ze pants in ze relations'ip?" Vivienne asked, causing Harry to turn deep red, along with Fleur. The latter was also glaring at her friend, who raised an eyebrow in response to the glare.
Jean pinched the bridge of his nose while Appoline giggled before responding, "I zink zat would be Fleur w'o wears ze pants in ze relations'ip."
"Maman!" Fleur embarrassedly exclaimed, "I do not wear ze pants, ok. 'Arry and I are in an equal relations'ip."
"Fleur," Jean spoke up, "You do, just like your mother." Appoline smiled at that statement, patting his head to emphasize it.
While Harry stayed silent throughout the exchange, he thought about who was really in charge, him or Fleur, within the relationship. Although now, Harry would never admit it out loud to other people, he did like the thought of Fleur having control for the most part. Thinking back to the night that Fleur had her way with Harry for the first time, Harry had a light dusting of red on his cheeks. Juliette saw Harry's red face and laughed.
"See, even 'e likes ze idea!" Harry buried his face in Fleur's hair out of sheer embarrassment.
The girls laughed as Jean and Appoline looked on with amused faces. Harry wanted to get a little revenge for all of the teasings they gave him. So Harry whispered into Fleur's ear, "Do you want some revenge for all of the teasing?" Fleur nodded discreetly. Harry smiled, "Alright, raise your right arm when I tap it."
Then, Harry turned to Serpico, $Serpico, when I give the signal, I want you to slither up Fleur's right arm and scare the two girls in front, ok$
Serpico nodded her head, $Yes, Master$
Harry turned his attention back to the group, and with a slight tap of Fleur's arm, she raised it parallel to the ground with a smirk. Then, Harry hissed for Serpico to make her appearance. Once the snake heard the hiss, Serpico coiled around Fleur's arm until she was at the end before stopping and hissing at the two girls in a threatening manner.
"Aaahhhhh!" Juliette and Vivienne screamed in horror as a Black Mamba glared and hissed at them from Fleur's arm. Then, laughter could be heard as Harry and Fleur broke out into gut-wrenching laughter at the faces of the two girls. Once Juliette and Vivienne caught their breath from screaming, they leveled a heavy glare at the couple, who were still laughing.
"Fleur, 'Arry, behave yourselves!" Appoline scolded lightly. Harry and Fleur lowered their heads in mock shame, still having smirks on their lips.
After the scare, Juliette and Vivienne looked upon the couple with smiles, happy that Fleur was happy with someone who saw her and not only the Veela. Then, Juliette asked a question that had been on both of their minds since they arrived.
"W'en did you two get toget'er?"
"I was 'ired to be 'is bodyguard and trainer by Albus Dumbledore. I found myself comfortable around 'im, and it did not 'urt zat 'e 'ad a crus' on me last year," Fleur explained, smiling at the memory of when Harry asked her to be his girlfriend.
"So, zat is w'y we did not 'ear from you at all during ze summer!" Vivienne exclaimed, now that the pieces were falling into place.
Fleur nodded, "Yep, I was contacted a few days after summer started by Dumbledore. I am sorry, I s'ould 'ave at lease told you zat I was busy."
Juliette waved off the apology, "Do not worry about it. We can understand w'y you could not tell us. 'Owever, I do believe zat we get to know more about 'Arry Potter now, non?" Her eyes landed on Harry with a predatory look in them.
Harry swallowed at the gaze from Juliette he was receiving but was saved by Fleur, "Knock it off, you 'arrlot. 'E is mine and mine alone."
"Well, w'at do you want to know, Juliette?" Asked Harry, curious to see what she wanted to know.
Juliette tapped her chin in thought, but Vivienne beat her to the punch, "Is it true zat you foug't ze Dark Lord last year?"
Harry tensed up at the question. He did not think that they would go for that one right away. Fleur grabbed ahold of his hand, squeezing it for comfort. Jean opened his mouth to say something. However, Fleur gave him a look that said not to say anything.
Harry spoke up, "Yes, I fought Tom last year." Then, seeing the confused look on the girl's faces, Harry gave a low chuckle, "Sorry, Voldemort."
Both girls had widened eyes at the conformation, "Was it 'im w'o killed Cedric Diggery?" Juliette asked after taking in what Harry had said.
A scowl formed on Harry's lips, "He gave the order, but it was Pettigrew who cast the curse. He was a Death Eater who was a spy for Voldemort." Harry shook his head, "Anyway, why did you want to know?"
"Zere are many rumors about w'at 'appened zat nig't. So w'en we 'eard zat we would meet you, we wanted to see if we could find out ze trut'," Juliette explained as Vivienne nodded.
"Anyway," Vivienne waved off the topic, "W'at we want to know is, 'ave you two consummate your relationship?" She had a playful evil look in her eyes.
Hary was surprised at how quickly they could switch topics as he felt his face lit up. Unfortunately, Fleur was not much better off; she could not directly look at her friends as her cheeks lit up as well. To the couple's absolute horror, Appoline was the one who answered for them.
"O' yes, zey did on C'ristams Day nig't." Jean faced palmed at his wife answering the question.
Appoline's statement caused another round of laughter from Vivienne and Juliette as Harry hid his face in Fleur's hair. On the other hand, Fleur was glaring embarrassingly at her mother for answering the question. Appoline just smirked at her daughter and shrugged. Then, turning her gaze to her father, Fleur saw him with his face still buried in his palm, telling her that he wanted to be anywhere but there.
Appoline turned her attention to Harry, who still had a slight dusting on his cheeks, " 'Arry."
"Yes?"
"I wanted to tell you zat Remus, Tonks, and Snuffles will be arriving early afternoon today," Said Appoline with a smile.
"Snuffles?" Fleur asked, turning to Harry with an eyebrow raised.
Harry grinned, "Padfoot, Sweetie."
Fleur made a knowing face before Vivienne's voice cut through, "W'o is coming over?"
Jean, who uncovered his face, explained, "Remus and Tonks are good friends of Albus Dumbledore and Harry and wanted to spend some time with him before he went back to Hogwarts. Snuffles is Remus' dog who is a big trouble maker."
For the next several hours, Harry got to know Juliette and Vivienne better. While they took great pleasure in teasing him and Fleur, Fleur also told some stories about when they were at Beauxbatons. Then, unfortunately, Jean had to leave for a few hours as he was needed at the Ministry for some 'important' business.
Around one in the afternoon, the floo roared to life as Remus and Snuffles stepped out of the fireplace. Tonks, on the other hand, tripped on her way out, landing flat on her face. Harry started to laugh at the mass of twisted body parts that was Tonks until a slap on the back of the head from Fleur got him to be quiet.
"Hey, Harry." Remus greeted, pulling Harry into a hug.
"How are you doing, Remus?" Harry asked before turning his attention to Snuffles, who was barking excitedly.
Harry petted the black dog while answering, "I am good. What about you, Tonks?"
Tonks, who grumbled as she untangled herself, stood up with a grin, "Wotcher Harry," Looking around the Villa, she whistled impressively, "This is someplace you got here, Delacours."
"Appoline," Remus greeted with a smile.
"Bonjour, Remus. I see zat Snuffles is still the trouble maker," Appoline commented, seeing that the black dog had gone up to Juliette and Vivienne, rubbing his face against their legs.
Remus looked at what the dog was doing, "Oi, Snuffles, knock it off!"
Fleur, Harry, and Tonks were laughing at the beaten-up look that Snuffles was giving Remus. Said man was glaring at the dog, silently warning him not to pull anything. Appoline giggled behind her hand, finding the scene quite funny. Fleur's friends were slightly confused at the black dog's action and the older man yelling at him. Snuffles laid down with his paws covering his eyes as he whimpered sadly.
"Oh, do not give me that!" Remus scolded with a scowl on his face. His face turned into a kind smile when looking at the two girls, "I am sorry about Snuffles. He seems not to know what personal boundaries are when it comes to women."
Vivienne shook her head, "No worries, Mr.?"
"Lupin, Remus Lupin. You can call me Remus." Lupin answered, "And this is Nymphadora…."
"The name is Tonks!" Nymphadora corrected with a hard slap to the back of the head for Remus.
"….Tonks," Remus finished, unfazed by the slap.
Harry and Fleur chuckled at the scene in front of them. Tonks hates her first name, and nobody seems to want to call her by her preferred last name. As she always claimed, who would like to be called Nymphadora? The couple could understand why she did not care for the name. It was still funny to her creatively correct people, either by hitting them with her fist or a hex.
"Harry," Remus said, "Could we talk to you for a moment alone?"
Harry raised an eyebrow at the request, but a nudge from Fleur made him nod in agreement. Remus and Tonks led him away from the rest of the group while the Delacour's and Fleur's friends walked into another room to give the trio a little privacy.
Once they had a bit more privacy, Remus spoke up, "Sorry to take you away, but we wanted to talk to you for a minute."
"What did you want to talk about?" Asked Harry, tilting his head to the right.
Tonks smiled before handing him a box wrapped up, "First of all, Merry Late Christmas from the Great Snuffles."
Taking the box and opening it up, Harry found a holster. He looked back to the two adults with a questioning look across his face.
"A wand holster. For easy access to your wand without the unwanted worry about snapping it when it is in your back pocket," Remus explained with a grin.
Harry put the holster on his right forearm, then put his wand through the loops. The wand tip was about two inches below his wrist, allowing for unrestricted movement. However, Harry did not know how to get his wand out, and he looked up at Remus with a confused look.
Remus saw the look, "Ah, you have to flick your wrist, and the wand will slide right into your grip." So he demonstrated, flicking his wrist as the wand slid smoothly into his palm, "Also when you are done, flick your wrist towards the holster. Again, the wand will slide back in."
Harry tried what Remus told him, flicking his wrist, and his wand slid into his grasp. He also tried putting back into the holster; Harry could do it on his first try. Then, he wrapped Remus, Tonks, and Snuffles into a big hug, thanking them for the gift, promising to put it to good use.
"Now, what we wanted to talk to you about is the rest of the semester at Hogwarts," Remus said, a worried expression marrying his face.
Harry looked on, curious, "What about it, Remus?"
"You have to be extra careful. We heard rumors about Fudge and Umbridge plotting to replace Dumbledore with the latter," Tonks explained.
"Just be careful, alright, Harry?" Lupin asked, looking straight into his eyes.
Harry inclined his head, "Alright, Remus. I will do my best to be careful."
Both adults smiled and led him back to everyone else. Fleur gave Harry a questioning look at his right arm, and Harry showed her his new wand holster. Fleur's questioning face morphed into a gentle smile as she guessed who gave him the holster. Harry grabbed her hand and squeezed it, giving her a smile of his own. However, Fleur could tell that Harry's eyes held something that he would explain to her, but just not now.
For the rest of the day, the Delacour's, Juliette, Vivienne, Remus, Tonks, and Snuffles talked, getting to know everybody a little bit better. Finally, around 11 PM, Everyone gathered around the TV to watch the ball drop for the New Year. As the hour got to the count down, everyone started to count down before the ball dropped.
"Happy New Year!"
Harry did not yell with everyone else due to Fleur's lips on his. Instead, he closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her closer and deepen the kiss. Like every other kiss, both parties loved each moment of it and only pulled away when the lack of oxygen became a problem. Harry and Fleur were broken out of their little moment when wolf-whistling and cheering came from the rest of the group. The couple had large blushes on their faces before Fleur dragged Harry upstairs, bidding the group a short good night.
Once Fleur and Harry made their way to the bedroom, Fleur threw Harry onto the bed as she waved her wand, casting up a silencing charm. Then, Fleur tossed her wand to the side and pounced on Harry, kissing and sucking on his neck. Moaning, Harry ran his hands up her shirt and underneath her bra, grasping her breasts. Fleur straightened up, took off the clothing, unclipped her bra, and wrapped it around Harry, pulling his head into her breasts.
"Suck on my breasts, 'Arry ~!"
Harry did just that, his lips attached to her left breast, lavishing the nipple with his tongue. Next, his right hand went to the breast he was attached to, making a milking motion while he took her right breast within his left hand, caressing it.
In between moaning, Fleur giggled at what Harry was doing, "You want my breast to lactate, don't you?" Fleur could see Harry blushing while he was still buried in her breasts, "I zink zat you would love zat." Fleur continued to grind her womanhood on his manhood while Harry gave attention to her chest.
Continuing for a few minutes, both became tired, falling back onto the bed with Fleur on top of Harry, his head still buried in her chest. Knowing that they could not continue due to their tiredness, Fleur wrapped them up in a cacophony of sheets and blankets. Kissing the top of his head while still keeping it next to her chest, letting him hear her heartbeat.
"Goodnig't Mon Héros."
|X|
8 January 1996
The start of the Spring Term finds Harry and Fleur hand-in-hand walking through the busy Platform 9 ¾. On Harry's right, Remus and Jean walked a pace behind. On Fleur's left, Appoline, Gabrielle, and Tonks were in line with Remus and Jean. Leading the way was Sirius in dag form, a few paces in front of the group. Once they all found a spot relatively clear of people, the group stopped to say goodbye to Harry and Fleur.
Remus patted Harry's shoulder, "Have a good rest of the year. Don't forget what Tonks and I told you, alright?"
"Ok, Lupin," Nodded Harry before he was pulled into a hug by Tonks.
"Be safe, Harry," Tonks pulled away to look into his eyes, "Don't go getting distracted by Fleur, ravishing her every chance you get."
Harry blushed, "Tonks!" He said indignantly.
Jean laughed as he held out his hand, "It was good to see you again, Harry." Harry grasped a firm handshake.
Appoline came forward, hugging Harry gently, "It was so nice to spend time wiz you, 'Arry." Then, she whispered into his ear, "I 'ope to tac' you some more français soon."
Gabrielle attached herself to Harry's waist, "Please revisit us, 'Arry!"
After saying their goodbyes, Harry and Fleur stepped onto the train, making their way to find some friendly faces. Towards the end, they found Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna talking in a compartment. Warm smiles greeted the couple as they stepped into the room.
"Hey mate, how was your Christmas?" Ron asked with a smile, clapping Harry on the back.
Harry smiled back, "It was good, Ron. Your's?"
"It was good."
Then, Harry turned his attention to the other three friends, "How was your holiday?"
Hermione responded that it was good, if not quiet because she spent time with her parents. Neville's response was about the same as Hermione's. On the other hand, Luna explained that she and her father went out looking for a scarce creature, something Harry had never heard of, and judging by the look Hermione had, neither did she. Harry sat down when Fleur decided to sit on his lap, her new favorite spot.
Hermione noted the closeness of Harry and Fleur, much closer than they were before Christmas break, "You two seem closer than before; something happened during the break?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
Under the scrutinizing eyebrow, Harry's cheeks became red as he could not answer out of embarrassment. Fleur, however, did not seem to have a problem answering, "We became one on C'ristams Day Nig't."
It took a minute for everyone to understand what Fleur had said. Hermione's expression was one that Harry had expected, a blush across her cheeks while having a slightly disapproving look. But, on the other hand, Ron and Neville had smirks on their lips, congratulating them, making Harry hide his face in Fleur's hair. Finally, Luna mentioned that Fleur needed to ensure that she did not attract any Wrackspurts that Harry had.
Fleur let out a hearty laugh, "Don't worry, Luna. I did not catc' any Wrackspurts from 'Arry."
The rest of the train ride was the same as before, The friends all talking and enjoying the small amount of free time they had left. Once the train pulled into Hogsmead station, the group got off and walked over to where the carriages were waiting. Then, when all of them stepped into Hogwarts and the Great Hall, Luna separated from the Gryffindors as she walked over to the Ravenclaw table. Harry, Fleur, and their friends found an empty spot at the Gryffindor table near the front of the Hall.
Dumbledore stepped forward in front of the pedestal, "I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday break. Now, tuck in!" Food appeared at the tables with a wave of his hands, and the Great Hall began to fill with voices.
A moment later, each Head of House walked down their respective tables handing out the schedule from each student. When McGonagall made it over to Harry and the rest, she handed them their papers and asked them if they had a good break. Harry, Fleur, Ron, Hermione, and Neville quietly discussed the D.A. meetings from now on during dinner.
Harry mentioned that he had an idea in mind but would not elaborate further than that. Neville told him that he should start teaching the basics of the Patronus Charm because he could do it while most adults could not. Ron and Hermione agreed with Neville while Harry nodded, adding the Charm to the mental listen he was making. Once dinner had ended, each table followed Head Boy and Girl to their respective common rooms.
Harry and Fleur, along with Ron, Hermione, and Neville, walked into the Gryffindor Common Room. After saying their goodnights to their friends, Harry and Fleur stepped in front of the fireplace. It opened for them as they made their way over to their living quarters. Making their way through the living room, up the stairs, and into the bedroom, the two found their stuff already spread out for the rest of the semester. Harry changed into a loose pair of sweat pants and a shirt as Fleur changed into a sheer black babydoll.
Hedwig and Serpico were asleep by the time the couple crawled into bed. Fleur curled her arms around Harry, cradling his head between her breasts and entangling her legs with his legs. Sharing a kiss, Harry and Fleur closed their eyes, letting sleep overtake them.
9 January 1996
The next day found Harry and Fleur were heading to Defense early that morning. Once the class had started, nothing had changed over break. Umbridge still tried to bait him over what happened with Cedric. Harry would not fall for it and kept quiet over the entirety of the course. Umbridge was not even trying to hide her disdain for him or anyone else who was on his side. Finally, as the time for the class was coming to a close, Umbridge called for Harry to stay.
After everyone else had left, Fleur and Harry were the only two left. However, Harry was able to see the sneer Umbridge had on her face at the sight of Fleur. Once the couple approached Umbridge at her desk, Harry asked her the question that had been on Fleur's mind too.
"What is it do you need, Professor?" Harry asked, trying to keep his tone neutral.
Dolores shook her head, "I asked for you, Mr. Potter. Nowhere did I ask for Ms. Delacour."
Fleur opened her mouth, about to rip the woman a new one, but Harry placed a hand over her's. Fleur was about to protest, but the look he gave her silenced any arguments. Then, begrudgingly, Fleur gave a stiff nod in Umbridge's direction, turned on her heels, and stepped out of the classroom.
Umbridge watched Fleur leave, and once she was out, the woman gave a sweet smile that did not deceive Harry, "Now, what I would like to discuss with you, Mr. Potter, is private." Then, at Harry's nod for her to continue, she did, "I was informed that you did not stay here at Hogwarts for Christmas break or go back to your relatives. So, for your safety, I want to know where you went?"
Harry raised an eyebrow at the question, "Why would it matter to you where I went, Professor?"
"It's for your safety," Came her response.
Harry gave her an innocent look, "Professor, you said that we did not have anything to fear. Who would want to harm children?"
Dolores' eyes flashed with anger for a second before her so-called innocent act came back, "I all want to know where you were during the break, Mr. Potter. Nothing more."
"I am sorry, but what I do outside of Hogwarts is no one's business besides my own," Harry came back with, shaking his head.
Umbridge knew that this was not going anywhere, so she tried the next best thing in her mind, Legilimency. Looking straight into the boy's eyes, she was going into his mind to find the answer she wanted. But then, Harry felt his mental defenses being attacked and noticed that Dolores had the same look that Fleur did when using Legilimency.
Anger started to course through him in waves. He used what Fleur had taught him and forced her out of his mind. Umbridge flinched as she was forcefully removed from the boy's mind. Opening her eyes, Dolores saw Harry glaring murderously at her. Out of pure instinct, she backed away slowly. Harry turned on his heels, marching out of the classroom. However, not before flicking his wand out and blasting a Reduco curse at the chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
Exiting the room as the chandelier came crashing down, Harry found Fleur looking at the door with a surprised look on her face as the loud crash was not something she had expected. Seeing the murderess look that married Harry's face, she was about to ask what had happened. She was interrupted, however, by Harry tossing her his D.A. coin.
"Set up a D.A. meeting for tonight after the dinner feast." The anger in his voice made Fleur worry about him.
Harry's anger did not quell throughout the rest of his lessons. Fleur would have questioned him on the events but could not find the right time. It was only after the feast, which was a tense affair as Harry was quieter than usual during that time, and right before the D.A. meeting was she able to ask him.
" 'Arry, w'at 'appened earlier today?"
Harry, who was still quiet while waiting for the rest of the D.A. members to show up, sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Do you want to know that badly?"
In response, Fleur nodded, causing Harry to sigh again, "Alright, Umbridge wanted to know where I was during the break."
Raising an eyebrow, Fleur questioned, "W'y would s'e want to know zat? Is zat w'y you became so angry?"
"She said that it was for my safety, complete bullshit. No, that was not why I was angry. It was she tried to use Legilimency on me," Harry confessed.
Fleur stiffened at what Harry had told her. Her brain was going through the many possibilities of how she would kill the toad-faced woman. The anger coursing through her was evident by the magical power she was released in waves. Seeing this, Harry grabbed her hands, making her look at him in the eyes.
"Fleur, I know that you are outraged, but you cannot do anything drastic, ok?" Harry tried to reason with his girlfriend.
Fleur was seething, losing control of her anger, "S'e tried to mind rape you!" She hissed out.
"I know, Fleur," Harry agreed, "However, we still do not have any ground to stand on for accusations. Even if I explained under Veritaserum, they would claim that I perceived the attack, and it did not happen."
Fleur closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and released the air through her nose, "Fine, 'owever, we will touc' on zis subject again."
Once she finished her sentence, people started to pour into the room through the doors that led from their common rooms. Then, after everybody was there, they lined up on the red lines. Harry observed them for a minute, thinking of the best to broach the next subject he wanted to try out.
"How was everyone's holiday break?" Harry asked the group. Everyone seemed to have a good break from what he could tell.
Harry nodded, "That's good. Now, did you all do your best to train during the time off?" About half nodded their heads in conformation, which was more than what he had expected.
"Alright, today we will start on how to work paired up with another person. Daphne! Susan! Step forward!"
The two girls stepped forward, wondering what they were going to do. Harry called for everyone to gather at one end of the room. Once, they were all in one spot except for the two girls mentioned above.
Harry then explained what they were going to do, "I want you two to work together to defeat Fleur in a one versus two matchups. This exercise will help out as you all will need to be watching each other's back when out there fighting."
Both Susan and Daphne tilted their heads in confusion; Harry explained further, "Fighting together will help you as Death Eaters will not play fair as I have explained before. They will do anything to get the upper hand. When you are comfortable working with each other, you will become better fighters as a whole."
Susan spoke up, "Wait, if you said that the Death Eaters would not play fairly, why are we going up against one person?"
"Good question. This exercise will help me gauge your abilities to work with another person. Once I see how everyone works, Fleur and I will be helping you out with working out the finer details." Daphne and Susan nodded their heads at Harry's expedition.
"Alright, take your places." With that, Fleur took her place across from Susan and Daphne. The duo looked at each other before silently agreeing about who does what. Once Harry saw that they were ready, he raised his wand in the air, shooting off a Vermillious Charm.
Reducto! Expelliarmus!
Protego!
Susan shot off two offensive spells before ducking behind Daphne, who erected a shield. Fleur stepped aside from the Redutco curse before casting her shield as the disarming spell slammed into it with a good amount of force. Then, Fleur dispelled the protection spell and waited for the duo to make their next move.
Daphne and Susan saw that Fleur had not tried to attack them yet, which made them cautious. Then, with the shield still up, Susan quickly stepped out and shot off more spells.
Confringo! Incendio!
Fleur bent her right knee slightly in anticipation of the right moment. Once the first spell came close, she rolled to the right, back on her feet with her wand level at the fire.
Aguamenti!
"Daphne, Now!" Susan yelled over the roar of the fire.
Daphne quickly dispelled the shield, running to Fleur's unprotected left side, raising her wand.
Stupefy!
With the clashing fire and water spells, Fleur could not hear what Daphne had shot at her but knew she needed to do something fast. Creating a fireball with her left hand, Fleur threw it at the stunning spell, causing an explosion which created the perfect cover for Fleur, who rolled to the right again, letting the fire she was holding back graze past her.
The smoke from the explosion caused Susan and Daphne not able to see their opponent. Then, suddenly, the smoke started to split down the middle until they could see Fleur standing there with a slight sadistic smile across her lips. Getting right next to each other, Daphne and Susan struggled to find an opening as Fleur seemed to have a counter for what they had in mind.
During the fight, Harry observed closely and liked what he saw. Susan and Daphne were able to work together better than he thought they would. Having one attack then ducking behind the one defending is a good strategy, especially when Daphne flipped the script and attacked Fleur while she was busy fending off Susan's attack.
Harry turned his attention to the rest of the D.A. members, "Pay attention to how the two girls can attack and defend at the same time. Teamwork will be key in surviving situations like this one."
Fleur decided to show them how far they still had to go, pointing her wand at the ground by the girl's feet.
Confringo!
Two feet in front of Susan and Daphne, the ground exploded, sending debris and smoke everywhere. Both Susan and Dahne covered their face so the smoke and debris would not get in their eyes; that would be a mistake. Then, Fleur took the opportunity that the smoke gave her to rust the two of them. Holstering her wand, she sprinted towards the cloud of smoke. Jumping through, Fleur found herself right in front of the girls.
" 'Ello girls!" Fleur smirked as she lit her hands on fire, "Never take your eyes off of your opponent."
Susan and Daphne look at the older Veela standing right before them, fear slowly taking over as Daphne takes a step back. Then, suddenly, Susan remembered what her aunt told her about mixing it up with some muggle fighting. Crouching, Susan swept Fleur off her feet, causing the Veela to fall onto her back with a grunt. With that opening, Susan and Daphne leveled their wands at Fleur, smirking at the shocked look on Fleur's face.
"Never underestimate your opponents, Fleur!" Susan taunted.
Fleur's shocked look morphed into a grin before kicking her feet in an arc, knocking the girl's wands out of their hands. The momentum caused by her kicking helped Fleur spin on her back until she could jump back on her feet before flicking her wrist; Fleur's wand slid into her grasp, having Susan and Daphne at wand point, defenseless.
"Good spar," Fleur complemented, " 'Owever, I do believe zat I 'ave won."
Daphne shook her head, smiling, "That was a good spar, Fleur." Susan bobbed her head in agreement.
Fleur smiled, "You two gave me a few surprises. Zat is a good sign of your progression." Fleur waved her wand in the direction of the girl's wands, summoning them to her left hand before giving them back to their rightful owners.
Harry stepped forward, clapping at the show of a good spar and sportsmanship, "I'm very impressed with the way you two were able to work together. I purposely paired you two up as I know the animosity between Slytherin and the other houses."
"Yeah," Susan scratched the back of her head sheepishly, "I know that a part of this club is to get over the house differences and work together. For example, both of us knew that Daphne is more capable in shields while I can attack faster, so we used that in our spar."
Harry gave them a proud smile, "I am glad that you are capable of seeing someone's strengths and their weaknesses. That will help you out in the future." Then, turning back to the rest of the D.A. members, "Can anyone tell me what Daphne and Susan did right and wrong?"
Cho raised her hand and answered when Harry nodded at her, "Well, what they did wrong was that they thought that Fleur was on the ropes when Daphne attacked her from the side before the smoke cleared." The tone in her voice showing a snobby attitude.
"Well," Harry frowned at Cho's attitude, "I did not see that. What I saw was both of them showing frustration at the fact that Fleur could combat everything they threw at her and tried something else."
Susan and Daphne glared at the Ravenclaw, seeing more of Cho's stuck-up attitude that she kept showing up to these meetings. This action made them wonder how she and Marietta Edgecomb bothered to show up as they were acting like Zacharias Smith before Harry defeated him soundly. After an awkward moment, Ginny raised her hand, and Harry acknowledged her with a head nod.
"What they did right was to work together, having one attack and the other on the defensive. Along with having Daphne flip the script from defending to attack while Fleur was busy with Susan's attack," Ginny explained.
Harry nodded, "Yes, having someone watching your back while you attack is crucial. What you just saw is what Fleur and I will be wanting to see from all of you." Harry nodded at Susan and Daphne, telling them they could go back to the group. Then, scanning the group, Harry called out, "Dean, Tracey, step forward."
Dean and Tracey walked forward. Harry could tell that Dean was uncomfortable teaming up with Tracey, but he needed to suck it up. Harry glanced at his girlfriend, "Do you want to continue or want me to fill in for you?"
Fleur shook her head with a grin, "I can keep going, 'Arry."
Harry nodded, "Alright, love." He walked over to the group and shot off a spark, signaling the start of the spar.
Match after a match, Harry watched the students fight against Fleur. Some were more capable than others in both defensive and offensive areas. But, overall, Harry was impressed with the D.A.'s growth over the past few months. However, just like with Zacharias, two people were not taking it very seriously. Cho and Marietta seem to be making snide remarks whenever they get the chance.
Harry ignored it for the most part; the remarks started to bother Fleur. While the comments were not about her for the most part, Fleur was becoming agitated with the two after they scoffed at Harry's critic of their performance. Not taking what he said into consideration, mainly when Harry had fought against the Dark Lord, along with Dark Creatures, multiple times, Fleur began to think that those two did not want to be in the club anymore.
After everyone had been paired up and sparred with Fleur, Harry had them stand in line like usual, "You all have improved greatly from the beginning of starting this club. Now, we will continue working on fighting with a partner again. So, before we leave for the night, I want to tell you all that next time, I will start teaching you how to perform the Patronus Charm."
Fleur did not need to see Harry's face to know that he wanted her to cast the Charm, pointing her wand towards the ceiling.
Expecto Patronum!
From Fleur's wand, a great stag came trotting out. The stag circled the room to look for any danger before coming to a stop in front of Harry, bowing its head. Harry stared at the Patronus in shock; it looked almost like his, except this one was a touch smaller. While everyone was gazing at the beautiful stag, Hermione smirked at the sight. She had read in the past about how Patronus Charms can change their appearances due to particular circumstances. However, for this specific situation, it was love that Fleur held for Harry that made her Patronus Charm change appearance.
After a minute, the stag began to fade away before completely disappearing. Then, Harry turned to Fleur with the same shocked look causing her to giggle. Then, shaking his head of the shock, Harry waved the group off to their respective common rooms. Once everyone had left, Harry walked over to Fleur, wanting to know something.
"Fleur, why did your Patronus take the form of a stag?"
Fleur blushed, "Well, my Patronus takes ze stag form because I am in love wiz you. It can c'ange forms when someone goes t'roug' a traumatic p'ysical or emotional situation or w'en ze person is in love. Ze Patronus is an extension of ourselves, s'owing w'at we feel."
"I-I did not know that…." Harry was lost for words. Seeing the stag made him remember when he could cast the Patronus fully for the first time trying to save Sirius, "I never had someone care so much for me," Harry admitted in a soft tone.
Fleur took Harry in her arms, "Zat 'as c'anged now, 'Arry. I love you so muc' and nozzing will c'ange zat." Fleur kissed Harry with passion, conveying the love she had for him.
After a lack of air became a problem for both, they pulled apart with a thin trail of saliva connecting their lips, making their way out of the Room of Requirement and into the living area of their shared living quarters. Stepping into the bedroom, Harry and Fleur changed into sleepwear before climbing into bed. Harry latched onto Fleur, burying his head in her chest while his arms wrapped around her waist. Fleur smiled lovely at the sight as she kissed the top of his head.
"Goodnig't 'Arry, I love you."
"Goodnight Fleur, I-I love you too." Harry's voice was muffled from her chest, but Fleur could hear it just fine and smile before letting sleep take her and Harry over for the night.
A/N: Alright, hopefully, you all liked the chapter. I have seen the answers to the question I asked in the last chapter about the length. Unfortunately, I have gone a bit overboard with this chapter; but I will try better next time. I have changed the Author Note format for me; from now on, Review Responses will be at the bottom of the page.
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Review Response
Madman479R: Challenge me, and I will step up. Your first point does have validation. When I initially wrote the chapter, I wanted to take Umbridge's sadistic nature up several notches. Looking back with hindsight, that was not a smart move all at. Taking away the curses and just having Umbridge make Harry write the two lines with the blood quill would have been a better way. Along with me, sticking to my guns after Chapter 8 did not help.
To your next point, Cannon Harry was the same way of not going to anyone, which I wanted to stay close to in that aspect. Think of it this way. If he constantly went to a teacher for his problems, he would never grow up with the will to persevere. Your mark about Harry throwing a Reducto at Umbridge, I never wrote that Harry cast the curse at Umbridge. It was at her desk, which was not her.
Harry attacking Seamus, remember everyone, including him, treated Harry like shit last year, and now Seamus is adding more salt into the wound Harry already has with what had happened. So why would Harry be punished when nobody else was last year with how they treated Harry; you cannot have it one way and not the other. The reason was to send a message that he was not to be messed with anymore as Harry has had it with being loved one second then hated the next.
I know that my response will not please you more than likely, but I knew that. You do not have to like my story, and that is fine. However, I am glad that you gave it a chance. I hope you provide the story another opportunity in the future, but I can understand if you do not. Once I have finished The Guardian, I will rewrite some chapters, and Chapter 8 will be one of them. Thanks for the review!
I want to thank everyone else who has reviewed the chapter. Most of the reviews I saw were criticisms that have been covered already, but I still appreciate them all the same. Anyway, I think that this Note has gone on for long enough. So please Read & Review all the good stuff, and I will see you all next time!
Swat303810 Signing off!
(Posted on 9/23/2021)
