Chapter 21

Arriving at the Chateau Delacour was an experience. From the time the two men arrived in the entryway of the home he was smitten with the place. It resembled a beach cottage of sorts. The floor to ceiling windows across the home gave a promising view of the Oceanside, and a nearby beach. Tiki torches, and other tropical decorations covered the patio area that stretched through a massive area on the side of the house that could easily be seen from where he entered. The inside of the house was charming as well. It was not often he saw blatantly wealthy homes were furnished with tact and grace, but this place fit the bill perfectly. The smooth marble floors, and well decorated banisters around the home still had clear colored lights on them remaining up from the Yuletide celebrations.

Harry was taking the house in carefully memorizing the details to himself when a vaguely familiar woman stepped from a nearby archway illuminating herself to the two men, "Monsieur Potter, welcome to our home. You are the first guest to arrive, but I believe my 'usband intended it that way. Non?"

Sebastian gave his wife a smile and swept her into an embrace planting a kiss on her cheek, "Of course, mon amour. I wanted our young ally to get a feel for our home before he became overwhelmed with the guests."

Harry offered a slight bow to the matriarch of the family, "Madame Delacour, it's an honor to be back among friends."

The woman offered her hand which Harry smoothly took and placed a soft kiss on the back of, and the woman smiled, "Let that be the end of the formalities from you, Harry Potter. You saved my daughter's life, and even gave her a wonderful Yule. You have earned the right to be informal with us, dear."

Offering another short bow of the head Harry smiled, "Thank you, Appoline. The invitation to your home has been quite the blessing, and I look forward to celebrating a new year with allies."

"He doesn't know how to turn it off, does he, Sebastian?" The woman teased.

This made Harry blush slightly, "Sorry, Appoline, my master has beaten the politeness into me. It is very difficult to turn it off at times."

"Charms like those I can see why Fleur says you can get yourself into trouble." The woman said glossing over what he said about Grindelwald.

"Speaking of Fleur, where might I find her?" Harry asked curiously.

The woman chuckled, "No doubt she knows you are here by now. She is likely putting the finishing touches on her look for the evening, and will be right up. Before then there is someone that requested to meet you before the rest of our guests arrive. May I escort you to our lounge area?"

Refusing to fidget under the possibilities of who insisted on meeting him he offered a charming smile to the woman, "Of course. Only a fool would turn down the chance to be escorted by someone as beautiful as you, Madame Delacour?"

Sebastian could only shake his head with a grin, "Shunning me for a younger man right in front of me, Appoline? You have no shame."

"Our daughter would be quite disappointed if I did, I think. Not to worry, mon cher I will make it up to you later." The woman answered as she wrapped her arm through Harry's, winking at her husband teasingly.

The banter made Harry happy. The sign of a happy family that was comfortable among themselves.

The two walked down a long hallway together in comfortable silence for a moment before the woman said, "I was very impressed with the magic you used in the First Task. It is not often my husband is humbled by magic users, and I could tell you had his respect with your choices of shields, and the cursed fire ward you used."

Dodging the unasked question he merely nodded, "Thank you, Appoline. I worked very hard on numerous strategies for combating a large assortment of possible magical beasts I might've had to face."

The woman didn't react to that, but merely said, "I shouldn't have expected any less after what you did for my daughter at the World Cup. It is for that reason that you have attracted the attention of my mother."

The words barely registered as they crossed into a room, and he felt a full assault on his mind shields. Without a moment's hesitation his occlumency was reinforced with everything he had, and his wand shot into his hands sparking threateningly as he nearly leaped in front of Appoline to protect her from whatever was assaulting him. The realization that he had not been attacked by a legilimens took longer than it should have. His eyes met with a woman that was grinning at him like a cat that ate the canary, and obviously in this analogy he was the canary.

The woman before him was intensely beautiful. She was not young by any means. He could see that in her eyes, but her outward appearance was that of elder beauty. There were no wrinkles on this woman, and her hair was as silver as Fleur's and her mother's, while the blue eyes that pierced him were a dead give away, "Your master trained you well, boy. He told me you were formidable."

Harry's eyebrows likely disappeared as he registered the elder's words. It had been a long time since he had been this surprised, and clearly his expression was comical as the woman laughed, "Oh, yes, I know him. We have known each other for many years. He sought me out not long ago, and sought to renew our alliance. I, of course, at first shunned the idea. With his reputation it would be dangerous to align with him, but he said instead he wished me to align my community with his rising star of an apprentice. I have to say I am not easily impressed, but you have made a good first impression."

Appoline looked confused as Harry felt when his eyes glanced at her, but he moved forward offering a much lower formal bow than he offered his allies from earlier, "Any friend of my master is a friend of mine. Harry Potter, at your service, my lady."

The woman was smirking when Harry's eyes went to her, "My name is Anita Laurent, and I am the head of the French Veela conclave."

When the woman said this her eyes glowed an amber color, and Harry knew he had never been in the presence of a powerful veela. With a bow of his head he responded, "I am sure my master informed you, but I am of course willing to submit to any test you or your conclave see fit."

The woman grinned at his answer, "Your master did not wish to partake in the challenge of sleeping with every veela in the conclave to prove dominance, perhaps you will not pass up the opportunity."

This floored Harry, and he had to stop his jaw from dropping as his eyes went from Anita, to Appoline, to Sebastian. He quickly tried to come up with a witty response, but laughter from the three in the room with him told him everything he needed to know, and a voice from behind him broke his train of thought, "Grandmother, you should not tease our guests so mercilessly."

Fleur entered the room casually, yet her look was anything but casual. There are few times in Harry's life he had ever been truly speechless, but if he thought the girl looked like a knockout at the Yule Ball, he was befuddled with the dress she wore this evening. Far from the modest cut she wore on Yule, this dress was very low cut in the legs, and in the bust line. The black dress was strapless, and was anything but modest. It was clear to Harry now more than ever that Fleur made even the most beautiful veela look plain, and without a stitch of makeup her face was clear to perfection, and her skin was flawless. He had never believed in the perfect woman, but he had to think Fleur was as close as it would ever come.

Anita Laurent gested with her granddaughter, "If I am to align our noble clan with this young man I must know he can at least keep up with the banter the others are sure to ensnare him with. It is not just magical power we crave, but wit, personality, and of course acceptance of who we are."

Fleur didn't seem surprised that the veela were planning to align with him specifically, but Harry himself was floored, and wishing he had been more prepared, "I am honored to even be considered."

Anita gave the body a stern look, "Of course, I have heard of your prowess with a wand, and knowing your master I do not doubt his word. However I must see it for myself, as should the others in the conclave. Sebastian, you will push the young man to his limits, and find out if he is worth supporting against this English Dark Lord. Tonight in front of our guests."

The man frowned at this, "I did not invite Monsieur Potter this evening to be tested, Anita. It is not proper to take away his ability to prepare for such a challenge."

Before the woman could respond Harry answered, "Monsieur Delacor, this is too important for me to be worried about what is proper. If you stand as the conclave's chosen champion, I accept the challenge in single combat."

Anita clapped her hands together, "Excellent! Worry not, gentlemen this will be a friendly contest. To disarm, or incapacitation. Maiming is allowed, but not preferred. My community will be in a frenzy afterwards!"

The woman said this last part with a little too much glee, and Harry locked eyes with the man who offered him a small grin that showed dangerous confidence. When his eyes shifted to Fleur she had a different look that he couldn't quite identify. He wasn't sure if it was concern, worry, or desire, but whatever it was it held an intent he didn't comprehend.

Anita waved her hands, "The first guests should be arriving soon, Fleur, take your fellow champion on a tour of the house, while we wrangle in our friends, allies, and clan members."

Fleur took the dismissal as well as Harry's hand, dragging him from the room. As soon as they cleared the room and made it down a short hallway out of any line of possible sight, Fleur stopped, turned, and kissed the young man soundly. Harry immediately put his hand around the girl's waist pulling her in closer, and when they separated she sighed, placing her forehead against his, "I had been waiting to do that all day."

"I am slightly disappointed you didn't do that in front of your grandmother. The way she keeps teasing me about the other veela coming in has been an experience." Harry said with a breath let out that he hadn't realized he had been holding in. Kissing Fleur sober was better than he mentally prepared for, and he found himself wanting to do it again.

Before Harry could succumb to those thoughts she laughed putting a little distance between the two, "My grandmother just likes to rile people up. You may not be marked by me, but I plan to spend most of the evening at your side if you will allow it. My cousins, and their friends can be quite the nuisance. I would hate to have to maim anyone myself tonight."

This made Harry grin, "I think I can endure your company for an evening, my lady. Especially if it protects my virtue from the veela horde."

This made the girl turn and give an exaggerated look up and down, "Oh, you think your virtue is protected? Mon Cher, you are terribly mistaken. You entered the veela den. Your virtue will be in constant danger until you return to your home country."

With a sly wink the girl continued forward, and Harry had to remind himself that his occlumency shields had to be in tip top shape all evening. It seemed Fleur and her family were doing their best to dismantle his train of reasonable thought, and he could not be allowed to show weakness in front of possible allies. He kicked himself for being caught off guard by Anita and her knowledge of Grindelwald, but also wondered why the man hadn't told him. He couldn't help but feel that it was all a test.

Fleur showed him around the home that she claimed to have grown up in. She explained to Harry that the Delacour line had really not been so prominent before she was born, but now they sat at the top of the political pecking order in France. She then began speaking of things around her house as she showed him around, and that allowed him to begin getting his bearings of the property.

It was not long before Harry began meeting guests that Appoline and Sebastian were welcoming into their home. He wished he could say he remembered names and faces immediately, but it wasn't true. Thankfully every time someone walked up to Fleur and himself she greeted them by first name to give Harry a little boosted reminder of who they were congregating with. The notable people they met all claimed to be Fleur's cousins, and they were escorted by men who were either foreign dignitaries or French diplomats in the government that worked with Sebastian. They were even besieged by Fleur's little sister who was wearing the most age appropriate dress Harry had seen on a female that evening. The rest of the veela all appeared to be reveling in dressing scandalously among men who could control their reactions...for the most part. When too many of them gathered in one area Harry would notice the facial features of the men may start to slacken, and jaws may become a little unhinged, but it certainly wasn't what it would be like among an average group of men.

As Harry and Fleur walked away from one of her many cousins she scowled when they were out of sight, "Drunk harpy."

The 'harpy' in question had just proposed some type of threesome between the trio in very inelegant and vulgar terms, and Fleur looked like she was about ready to burn the girl to a crisp while Harry shook his head amusedly, "It's pretty early to be that intoxicated."

"She played it up more than she was. She has never liked me. She has always known I was magically more gifted than her even though her allure is stronger. I am happy you could resist, though I am not surprised. After resisting my grandmother I doubt any one veela could sway you."

"Sounds like an old grudge. Should I start a betting pool that curses could be traded before the night is over?" Harry asked with an amused smile.

Fleur scoffed, but a grin replaced it, "She wouldn't dare. None of them would. Other than the obvious fact that I come from the most prominent family in France I am a champion at Beauxbatons, and have dueled since I was a little girl. I would wipe the floor with anyone in the conclave except perhaps my mother and grandmother. They were both formidable witches in their younger years from what my papa tells me."

"I will try to avoid getting on the bad side of the witches in your family then." Harry said jokingly

"You could start by finally telling me about this infamous mentor of yours. I was grilled quite extensively by my grandmother about you. She says the man that trained you is one of the most magically powerful people to ever live, and that we would be fools not to be the first to jump to align ourselves with you. I have never seen her act like this before, and she refuses to tell me the identity of this man." Fleur said the last part accusingly clearly only interested in finding out the exact identity of the man.

Harry couldn't help the frown that fell upon his face, and Fleur turned to look him in the eyes as he formulated thought. After his hesitation showed she shook her head, "You don't trust me?"

The hurt in her voice was clear, but Harry took her hand, "It's not that I don't trust you, it's that this secret may hurt a lot of people. I know it is going to come out one way or another, but I wish to spare people for as long as I can. I thought it would last until I was out of Hogwarts and out in the world making a difference, but I have made mistakes, and his identity may become known before that."

"Wouldn't you rather me find out from you? Before the world can tell their version of the story? You can trust me 'arry." She said this last part in his ear as they were now standing incredibly close. Definitely closer than what would've been socially acceptable in a British standing, but here in France among all these other veela, no one even batted an eye.

Before Harry could answer that the voice of Sebastian Delacour flooded the house, "Good evening my friends, and family, please make your way out to the beach where Monsieur Potter and I will be providing you with tonight's entertainment."

The young man couldn't think of a better example of being saved by the bell at that moment. He knew it wasn't over though, and by the look on her face they would be resuming this conversation as soon as possible. Offering his arm in hopes of appeasing the young woman, he gave her a short, forced smile, and she took it with a look of exasperation. He knew this had gone on too long. This news affected her family now, and he could not expect any hope of a relationship with the young woman if he continued to keep this secret from her.

When they went out the front doors of the house, tiki torches lit the way down to a well lit area of the beach that sat close to Delacour Chateau. Dozens of people had spilled their way onto the beach, and Harry felt a small adrenaline spike in anticipation of the coming battle. When the whole party made its way down to the beach Fleur grabbed Harry by the front of the shirt and kissed him softly. When they separated she whispered quietly, "Do not hurt him too badly, mon cher."

Harry nodded at the girl and turned to see Sebastian looking at him with a smile on his face, before it fell and his look turned serious. "Come, Harry, let us place some wards on the north side of the beach to protect our spectators."

Fleur however called out to her father with her wand drawn, "Allow me."

With concentration and a swirling of her wand, ward after ward began sprouting out in front of her until an invisible wall separated the duelists from the guest.

With a swirl of Sebastian's wand his well tailored suit was brushed away, and in its place was a tank top, and loose fitting lightweight shorts followed with a pair of running shoes to top it off. Harry nodded at the man and did the same matching his outfit exactly. Several wolf whistles from the ladies of the crowd followed, but Harry tuned them out.

Anita stepped through the wards holding her wand to her throat, "Gentlemen. This duel is to disarm, incapacitation, or surrender. Fighters at the ready."

Harry dropped a single wand into his hand, determined to only draw his second if necessary. Sebastian matched his stance as he began swirling his magic in a flex of power. Harry however closed his eyes at the start of the countdown. He felt his body start to flood with power as the desire for battle rose within him. He felt the water from the waves roll up to his shoes. He felt the still breeze going through the evening air. He felt the excitement in the air from the spectators, and then he felt the calm and deadly poise of his opponent's magic.

His eyes opened at the end of the countdown, and his wand was moving in a blur as he began moving out of the way of the curses sailing towards him. He had to immediately credit Sebastian Delacour. The man certainly had speed, and no shortage of power. Harry however was used to dealing with someone of a much higher caliber as he whirled his wand forming a massive metal shield while he moved his wand over the sand transfiguring the grains into small dog-like creatures made of sand that took off towards his opponent. With some type of area of effect blasting spells, however, the man managed to keep firing at Harry while also destroying his creations.

Sebastian then realized he could not break Harry's shield, and began summoning the sand and forming it into a spear that was hurtled at the young man, but they were easily dissolved with flicks of Harry's wand as he attempted to slip blasters and stunners into the man's defense, but with no luck.

Clearly tired of the games, Sebastian flicked his wand back with a snap and a massive fire whip came hurtling towards Harry, but the young prodigy transfigured his arm quickly into a metal hand, and allowed the whip to wrap around him before yanking the man forward, hard. This opening gave Harry the opportunity to throw the man backwards with a blasting spell that caught him in the chest, and sent him sprawling 20 feet away. Cheers erupted from the sidelines, and Harry offered a bow while he allowed Sebastian to get up.

The man looked at Harry with clear surprise before saying, "You transfigured your arm and absorbed the blow. How ingenious."

Giving the man a grin, Harry now began to feel comfortable fighting the magical star in front of him. Sebastian was powerful, and admittedly quite crafty with his magic, but Harry had been raised to be the best. Sebastian seemed to take a breath before lifting his wand over his head and spinning it around multiple times before he shot dozens of conjured frozen spikes at Harry. With a quick wave of his wand, however, he transfigured them all into bats, set them on fire, then returned them back at the man.

The battle of transfiguration continued for several minutes when Harry realized he wasn't going to beat the man easily. He was fully on guard and seemed to be aware that Harry was hardly more than playing with the man at this point. The duel could last for an hour if he allowed it, and quickly began to think of ways to put it to an end. A way that would cement his status among the veela, and the people of France that had gathered that evening. He thought back upon one of the duels he had with his brother earlier that fall, and began to grin when a plan formed in his mind.

With a flick of his non-dominant hand he summoned his original wand. The power of his first partner coursed through him, and he had to fight the smile that rushed to his face at the feeling. With a sideways slash he threw a force of magic that cut through the air and continuously rammed into a hastily summoned shield by Sebastian. When the shield shattered Sebastian fell backwards, and Harry wasted no time in turning towards the water, and flicking both his wands in an upward direction.

Sebastian was dazed on the ground due to the surge of magic that uprooted him, but the gasps on the crowd told him he was in trouble. He found a way to get back to his feet without too many problems, and he had his wand back in his hand in an instant. He turned to Harry to cast a curse at him, but noticed the young man was focused on something out at sea. With a glance towards the water Sebastian paled, and dropped his wand in awe. A tidal wave was coming towards them. If he had cursed the boy in front of him the entire property likely would've washed away at sea. He had never seen anything like it when it stopped less than twenty meters from the shore. Harry showed hardly any strain controlling such a massive tidal wave, but when the young man turned to face him he noticed his eyes were pulsing green like the killing curse, "You have dropped your wand. Should I accept that as a surrender?"

The tone was joking, but Sebastian had a look of shock plainly written on his face, "I am the most powerful wizard in France, but you...you made me look ordinary. How did you do this?"

"I was trained by a master to perform at my best, Monsieur Delacour. Nothing less was acceptable." Harry explained gently, not wanting to offend the man.

The head of the Delacour family reached out and touched the perfectly still water, and he could only nod dumbly in acceptance, "If it wasn't obvious before, I do surrender.."

Harry smiled, clapping the man on the shoulder, "This was actually my brother's idea. I nearly dropped a tsunami on him once, and he did the same thing you did. I made fun of him that day, but now I can see how intimidating this can be."

With a flick of his wrist the wave went splashing back creating massive waves in response, but with a flash of Harry's wand the tide returned to normal. The applause that followed was humbling, and Sebastian grabbed Harry's hand and held it in the air for all to see. When the two separated they waved their wands returning their outfits to normal, and while Sebastian looked a little ragged, and out of breath it was almost like they hadn't been trying to defeat each other moments before.

Sebastian put a hand on his shoulder as they walked towards the applause, "That was impressive. I could have used a wizard of your caliber in the revolution. It would have been only too easy."

Harry gave a slight grin, "I would have been honored to fight by your side."

When they approached the group Anita was staring at the young man who offered her a slight bow, "I hope I lived up to your expectation, Madam Laurent."

The woman smiled at him, and shook her head, "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I wouldn't have believed it. Your master has trained you well. Sebastian, it was a pleasure as always to watch you work, and I never thought I would see you bested so handily."

To a less humble man that would've been a great insult, but Sebastian seemed unbothered, "I never would have thought it possible myself. Not from someone so young."

Fleur was staring at Harry with that same unreadable look from earlier, and the young man desperately wished he could use legilimency on the young veela to know what she was thinking. Anita however clapped her hands, "It seems we have more than just a new coming year to celebrate. Now that our entertainment for the evening has ended, let us retire to the ballroom."

One final round of polite applause followed, and Harry felt the eyes of many on him as he walked over to Fleur. Her unreadable look never left her face when she said, "Why do I suddenly feel as if this whole tournament is nothing but a footnote in your life now?"

Harry could only offer a smirk, "It'll be a big footnote by the time it's over if that makes you feel better."

Appoline swept over to the pair, throwing her arms around each of them, "Come 'Arry we must all have a drink, and celebrate before the New Year rings in. There are so many questions from our friends, and family that I don't even know where to begin."

Harry looked over to Fleur and offered her a comforting smile, "The beginning would be a good start."

Fleur's unreadable expression finally broke into that of interest as she looked at the green eyed young man, and Harry braced himself for what would happen next.

(A/N) Hello everyone! Join my discord to read through chapter 28 today. Cheers, and see you all in two weeks.

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