Disclaimer: I own none of the things you already know of.
Harry Potter and the Smallest Change.
Chapter 32. Fourth Year, Part 14. 1995.
The next day, the first of June, Harry received a letter at lunch.
He gave the letter a quick glance; it was short and to the point and from Hermione.
Harry,
We need to talk in private.
Hermione.
Harry sighed and showed the brief note to Fleur, who sat on one side while Holly sat on the other.
Fleur raised a single eyebrow.
'You share a class with her, do you not?' she asked, and he nodded.
'We have Runes at the end of the day.' Harry confirmed, and Fleur smiled.
'How is your work on Runes going?' Fleur asked.
Harry chuckled, earning another raised eyebrow.
'Hermione goes from being impressed at how far ahead I am in that class to annoyed that I'm further than her. She knows that I'm decent at enchanting, of which Runes is a major part, but I think she forgets that sometimes.' He explained.
Fleur rolled her eyes at him.
'I meant whether you were comfortable with the NEWT level material yet.' She said, and he sighed and gave her a nod.
'Yeah, I might even be able to disarm your rune traps and break your wards properly now.' He said.
Fleur smirked and patted his cheek.
'Then I'll have to start testing you on your knowledge then.' She purred, and Harry narrowed his eyes.
'You already do.' He pointed out, and her smirk turned sweet.
It sent a shiver of apprehension down his spine.
'I will test you properly from now, in a way that will force you to learn.' She said, and he sighed.
'What have I gotten myself into now?' he muttered, and her smile turned mischievous.
'You'll find out soon.' She said, her eyes twinkling.
Later that day, in Runes, Harry sat beside Hermione. It was one of the few times that the two could spend any time together due to Neville not wanting anything to do with Harry.
The two sat in the back corner of the room, Hannah sat on Harry's other side, running interference with anyone else who sat near them.
Hermione leant toward him while she kept her eyes on Professor Babbling, who spoke at the front of the room.
'Neville had a nightmare in Divination. I've convinced Ron to let me know when they happen.' Hermione started and Harry frowned.
'And?' Harry asked as he took notes from the board.
'And the two of them believe that it's a vision from Voldemort. I think it might be because of the connection they share through Neville's scar.' Hermione whispered, and Harry raised an eyebrow.
Professor Babbling paused in her description of covalent Rune bonding, something that Harry and Hermione already knew in detail, to answer a question from one of the other students.
Hermione sighed.
'Neville told me in our second year that Voldemort transferred some of his powers to him the night he got the scar. Him being a Parselmouth is one of those powers, but who's to say he didn't create a magical connection between the two that night as well?' Hermione hissed.
Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
'Hermione, what do you think I can do about anything?' he asked, and she glared at him.
'I know that you and Fleur are doing more than just snogging in broom closets, more than this Tournament. The two of you have been inseparable since she arrived.' She sounded a little bitter, then she sighed again.
'It's just under a month until the Third Task, judging by the previous tasks, something will happen at this one. I think Voldemort has something planned.' She whispered, and Harry nodded.
'Something is going on, but I don't know what it is, yet.' Harry agreed and Hermione bit her lip.
'I will tell you if I find out anything more. I know that you and Neville don't get along, but I know you are only looking to keep everyone safe.' She said.
Harry smiled.
'I appreciate it. Is there anything else bothering you?' he asked, and she bit her lip again.
'No.' she muttered before staring at her book.
Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Hannah nudged him with her leg as Professor Babbling drew near.
'Are you having any trouble with your assigned task, Mister Potter?' the pretty witch asked, and Harry grinned up at her.
'No Professor, everything is fine, we'll be finished soon.' He said, and she nodded with a smile and moved on.
A few days later, on Friday morning at breakfast, Holly giggled by Fleur's side and showed the Veela the Daily Prophet.
Fleur covered a laugh with a cough and caught Harry's eye and motioned to the paper.
Harry leaned over Fleur's lap and she held him close to her as he read Holly's paper. It was an article detailing a scandal about Rita Skeeter being questioned by the DMLE about being an unregistered Animagus, a tiny blue beetle.
Harry's eyes widened, and he sat back in his spot, he met Fleur's gaze.
'Sirius?' he mouthed at her and she nodded, her lips twisted into a smirk as she returned to reading the full article.
Over the next two weeks, Rita Skeeter's articles in the Daily Prophet became almost non-existent. She was reportedly chased by people in the street.
On the weekend, Sirius called Harry in the mirror while he was in the Room of Requirement with Fleur.
'I did a little digging on Skeeter, and I found a load of dirt on the crooked woman.' The Marauder said without a greeting.
'Will she be a problem any more though?' Harry asked and Sirius' face turned grim.
'That vile woman will always be a problem; she will never quit. But now that the Prophet won't officially look at her, they'll probably hire her under a different name.' Sirius explained and Harry sighed.
'What can we do to stop her from targeting innocent people?' Fleur asked, and Sirius rolled his eyes.
'The two of you shouldn't worry, I will handle this, the Marauder way.' He boasted, and Harry shook his head.
'Should I even ask?' Harry asked and Sirius grinned.
'No, you probably shouldn't. Also, don't ask Moony about it either, he'll spill the beans like he always does when Lily asks him.' Sirius said, then rubbed his chin in thought.
'Actually, don't ask your father either, he has a duty to the law and whatnot.' Sirius added, and Harry groaned.
'Fine, it'll stay between the three of us then.' Harry said and Sirius grinned.
'Have fun you two.' He called before the mirror went dark.
Harry turned to Fleur.
'Shall we get back to preparation for the Tournament then?' he asked, and she frowned.
'What about your exams? They are starting soon.' She said, and he shrugged.
'I'm confident about them. But I think we could still prepare a little more for the Third Task.' He said, and she nodded with a slight grin.
Finally, June Twenty Fourth came, and with it, the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament.
Harry sat with Fleur at their customary spot on the shore of the Black Lake and together they watched the sun rise. After a quick workout, more to settle the nerves than anything else, the two made their way into the Great Hall for breakfast.
As breakfast ended, Dumbledore stood at the head table, with his arms outspread until silence reigned in the Great Hall.
'Today's classes are cancelled so that all can enjoy the day as we prepare for the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament which will be held this evening.' Dumbledore announced to cheers from the Hall.
The doors opened and Harry turned to see a group of adults and a few children enter the Hall, the families of the Champions.
Harry grinned and turned to Fleur.
'Go, greet your family.' He whispered.
Fleur beamed at him, then pulled him out of his seat and dragged him toward her family, to the laughter of their friends.
As Harry approached the Delacour's, Gabrielle threw herself at both him and Fleur and pulled them both into an embrace.
Gabrielle released Fleur and hugged Harry tighter while Dominique and Apolline pulled Fleur into another hug.
Dominique released Fleur and turned to Harry.
'Harry, any chance you can take us outside somewhere where we can sit down?' the man asked.
He had more grey hairs on his head than Harry remembered.
'Of course, follow me.' Harry grinned and led the Delacour's out to the spot by the lake he'd met up with Fleur that morning.
As they approached, Harry and Fleur shared a glance and together, conjured a three-seater couch and two squishy armchairs.
Fleur pulled Harry down on the couch with her and Gabrielle threw herself at the two, wrapping her arms around both Harry's and Fleur's necks.
Harry looked to Dominique and Apolline.
'Will this do?' he asked, and Dominique smiled at Harry.
'This is perfect, thank you.' He said and turned to Apolline who took a seat in one of the squishy chairs and smiled at the three on the couch.
'Before we met you Harry, I never even considered going to England, let alone enjoying a warm, sunny day beside a beautiful lake. Hogwarts, and Scotland I suppose, are full of surprises.' Apolline said as she relaxed back in her chair.
Harry gave a small smile and looked between the four French magicals.
'Is there anything you wanted to do while you're here?' he asked.
Dominique and Apolline shared a glance, their faces turned grim. They turned, as one, to meet Harry and Fleur's gazes.
'Before we can have a fun day, I wanted to take Gabrielle to see the Greenhouses, it's said they have some of the rarest plants out of the three schools.' Apolline said, her eyes darted to Gabrielle's.
Gabrielle's eyes widened, and she nodded, sending her silver hair in disarray.
'Oh, please, Maman, can we?' the little Veela pleaded.
Harry wondered why Gabrielle seemed so much younger than Fleur did at the same age. She was about fourteen and would go through her maturation in the next few years. But after a moment of thought, he put it out of his mind.
Apolline sighed and smiled down at Gabrielle, she sent a wink to Fleur and Harry.
'We'll be back in about half an hour.' Apolline said as she stood and offered a hand to Gabrielle, who took it and left with her.
Dominique met Fleur's eyes, then Harry's, and sighed.
'What have the two of you done to prepare for whatever will happen today?' he asked.
Fleur turned to Harry, who gave her a smile and a nod. She beamed at him before she turned back to her father.
'We have been training throughout the year in a room in which time slows down.' She said, and Dominique raised his eyebrows at her.
Fleur brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
'In Hogwarts, there is a room called the Room of Requirement, 'Arry has been using it since his first year, as you can tell, he does not look like a fourteen-year-old.' She continued and Dominique blinked.
The older man ran a hand through his greying hair, before he turned to Harry and sighed.
'How old are you now?' Dominique asked in a tired voice.
Harry let out a breath and rubbed the back of his head.
'I'm not sure, but by now, more than seventeen, less than eighteen.' He admitted and Dominique groaned.
'What have you been doing for the extra three years?' the Frenchman asked.
Harry gave a sheepish grin.
'I've been training, studying ahead in classes and pursuing my own projects, mostly with enchanting, but I've dabbled in a lot of areas.' He admitted.
Dominique sat back in his chair and ran his hands down his face before he met Harry's gaze.
'Do you know what the two of you have done? Meddling with time is something not even the wisest of magicals should do. Yet Harry, you've been doing it since you were eleven.' He paused, his eyes searching Harry's gaze for something, before he sighed.
'Depending on how I look at it, it's either highly impressive, or incredibly foolish.' Dominique finished, and he looked between the two as they held hands on the couch.
Dominique smiled.
'I'm proud that you've taken the dangers of this year so seriously.' He said, and his eyes bored into Harry's.
'I appreciate all the help you've given Fleur throughout the year. You're pretty much family already, and it would do me no good to threaten you. I just hope the two of you know what you are doing.' He said.
Harry turned to Fleur with his eyebrows raised and she smirked back at him.
Fleur turned to her father and nodded.
'I feel confident of my chances in the maze.' She assured.
Dominique smiled and turned to Harry.
'Do you have anything planned for any other things that may occur?' he asked, and Harry nodded as he squeezed Fleur's hand.
'I and the Professor's all have maps that cover the school. They show the names of all the people inside the schools wards.' He started and Dominique's eyes widened.
'We haven't seen the names of the two mystery women, nor have we seen the other two individuals who the Aurors could not capture about a month ago.' Harry explained and sighed.
'I'm not sure how the four are connected, if they even are.' He admitted, and Fleur squeezed his hand.
'It's okay, we will figure it out.' She said and smiled at him, which he returned.
'All you need to worry about is the maze. I'll work on everything outside of that.' Harry said.
Dominique coughed.
Harry turned to Dominique, followed by Fleur.
'Harry, you don't need to worry about anything but Fleur in the maze. You should let the adults handle the situation.' Dominique said, and Harry smiled at the man.
'So far, I've found myself in the middle of whatever is happening in these tasks. But this time, I'm prepared, as much as I am able, anyway.' Harry said.
Dominique nodded before looking up, past Harry and Fleur, and smiled widely.
'How were the Greenhouses?' he asked, and Harry turned, only for Gabrielle to leap onto Fleur and him, forcing herself in between the two.
The rest of the day passed by in what felt like minutes to Harry as he spent time with the Delacour's.
But finally, the sun reached the mountains in the distance and bathed the grounds of Hogwarts in an orange glow.
Harry saw a stream of people heading down toward the Quidditch Pitch, where the Third Task was being held.