Vahriin
Fleur retracted her wings, wincing as they merged back into her body. Soon she found herself joined by Hagrid and Madam Pomfrey who had run out to the field.
"Wow!" said Hagrid, watching the interaction between the blonde and the Horntail, "did yeh just tame tha' Horntail?!"
"Non, I didn't tame it, I befriended it. A Veela can make a soul bond wiz a dragon. It iz disrespectful to call it taming because it iz not a pet, it 'as equal standing in zis relationship," explained Fleur as the dragon huffed at the word "tame".
"Oh, I'm sorry" apologised Hagrid sincerely, worried that he had offended the dragon.
"It iz fine," said Fleur and was about to introduce the dragon to the caring half-giant when she was interrupted.
"Miss Delacour! You are hurt! Can we leave this for later? I would like to administer treatment first" scolded Madam Pomfrey.
Nodding, the blonde allowed Hagrid to lift her up and they made their way to the medical tent with the Horntail following closely, much to the fear of the Head Nurse.
"Do not worry, it iz not going to 'urt you. Vahriin, do not attack anyone, ok?" Fleur said, getting another huff as a reply from the dragon.
Hagrid was amazed at how the Veela was communicating with the dragon. He had heard just mentions about such things before but had never witnessed it. On the other side, Madame Pomfrey relaxed a little bit and was relieved when she entered the tent with Hagrid following her in with the blonde while the dragon stayed outside, walking to a corner outside the tent before laying down. "Vahriin Wah Fin Lein is her name. It means 'sworn to the world' " Fleur whispered, explaining to the large beaded man.
Hagrid nodded and deposited the blonde on one of the makeshift beds while Madam Pomfrey started bustling around the blonde muttering about '…ruining my previous hard work' under her breath.
The flaps of the tent were thrown open as a dishevelled Hermione burst in, panting hard. "Fleur!" she croaked out, as she shuffled closer to the blonde.
"'Ermione!" cried Fleur happily, excitedly lifting the Egg that was in her hands to show it to the brunette, "See, I managed to get ze Egg, ompff!" she was cut off by hands seizing her tight, crashing her into the chest of the Gryffindor.
"You scared me so much!" yelled Hermione when she suddenly felt something sticky on her hands. Removing them from the back of the blonde, she watched in alarm as they came back with blood.
"Miss Granger! Move aside! I have not finished with my patient" scolded Madam Pomfrey, butting in between the girls to spell out the blood from the blonde's back and the brunette's arms. Checking the now clean wound, she spelled out some stitches before moving to the dislocated shoulder.
"Now this will hurt but will take just a minute. Bite on this" she said, shoving a piece of cloth in between the blonde's teeth. Grabbing her wand, the nurse spell-pushed Fleur's shoulder back into its socket, ignoring the muffled groan from the blonde. Madame Pomfrey spelled the scratches all over the blonde clean and conjured a bandage under Fleur's jersey around the blonde's cracked ribs.
"Now the leg, I have to set it back as well. Then we'll cast it and give you Skele-Gro". The blonde's face turned into a grimace at that. Quickly muttering a spell on the broken leg, she watched it twist back into position, resulting in a louder groan coming from the blonde's throat.
"Done. This will take some time to get better and will be painful." announced the Head Nurse as she finished spelling a cast onto the broken leg. "Now drink these two" she gave the Blood-Replenishing and Skele-Gro potion flask to the blonde.
Fleur took the Skele-Gro potion first, guzzling it as fast as she could before washing it down quickly with the Blood-Replenishing one which actually helped a little bit…just a little bit…a tiny bit?
After her patient had been properly attended to and taken her medicines, Madam Pomfrey went outside the tent to help Hagrid tend to the dragon.
Hermione approached the blonde as soon as the Head Nurse went out. "Are you crazy?!" shouted Hermione forcefully, "what in bloody hell was all that?! And what were those spells?! And the wings? You…you...went after the dragon instead of the Egg! Couldn't you just, I don't know, try to get the Egg and run away!? Like everybody else?!" Hermione threw her hands in the air and ran them in her already dishevelled hair in frustration. " You were thrown into a wall! And then you got head-butted by the dragon! And why is that dragon outside the tent!?"
"It didn't go zhat bad, 'Ermione," started Fleur, trying to reply to the barrage of questions from the brunette.
"Not that bad?!" mouthed Hermione incredulously, "You are lying down on this bed with a dislocated shoulder and a broken leg, not to mention all the scrapes you have everywhere and you say not that bad?!"
Fleur winced at the Gryffindor's tone. It had been a while since she had gotten scolded like that. It reminded her of her mother after she got caught for her mischiefs. "Uhm, I did make a friend out of a dragon zhough," she whispered meekly.
Hermione stopped the frantic gestures she was making with her hands and looked squarely at the blond, confused. "Say what?" None of them noticed Harry entering the tent.
"I made a friend wiz a dragon" Fleur repeated animatedly, not able to reign in her excitement.
"How does someone make a friend with a dragon?! You mean, you tamed it?" Hermione asked, perplexed.
"Wait, what?" asked Harry, not understanding.
"'Arry! I waz just going to explain things to 'Ermione 'ere." Fleur pointed at the dishevelled brunette. "We do not call it taming, 'Ermione, it iz disrespectful. Vahriin will not like it. It iz making a soul bond wiz a dragon. Ze Veela can do zis." She explained.
"What was that magic you used? I've never heard those spells before," asked Harry puzzled. Hermione just nodded at the blonde, eyes glaringly asking for an explanation.
Fleur sighed, "Veela know magic, we are magical beings. With Veela magic and the general magic we all use, those spells were created a few years ago."
"Ehh, is it different from our magic?" asked Hermione, "and what is this soul bond?"
"Oui. Veela magic iz slightly different to ze magic we practice daily. For every spell zhat you cast, it iz cast wiz the magical essence inside you. Ze essence within you two is 'uman. Ze essence of a Veela iz much different than of a 'uman because zhey are magical creatures and thus that allows zhem to cast magic differently. Ze gold light at ze end was ze soul bond. Zis specific type of soul bond comes from a dragon. It means zat ze dragon has bonded wiz me."
"And why did you need the dragon to bond with you?" asked Hermione, sceptically, not understanding why all this was needed when Fleur could have just gone after the Egg."
"Because it iz a magical bond zat links ze dragon's soul to mine and zen I can speak to Vahriin by telepathy. We can sense each ozer and come to each ozer's aid." Then a huge grin erupted on the blonde's face. "I made a permanent dragon friend!" screamed Fleur gleefully.
The two Gryffindor jumped out of their skin when an equally happy, short and high pitch roar erupted outside the tent.
Fleur laughed which made the dragon outside start making happy sounds as well as if they were sharing a private joke.
"Hagrid, make it stay still!" ordered Madam Pomfrey outside.
"I'm tryin!" the Care of Magical Creatures Professor replied, running around the beast, trying to calm the beast down.
Fleur smiled and shouted, "Vahriin, let zhem tend to you." The Dragon huffed and blew a small flame onto the tent wall which caught fire easily.
"Oh my god! Aguamenti!" cast Madam Pomfrey, using a jet of water to put out the fire, which had already created a huge hole in the fabric. Vahriin poked her head through, looking at her soul friend and snorted.
"Ahahaha! You are so funny Vahriin!" laughed Fleur while two astonished Gryffindors looked on, eyes wide at the display.
The Horntail gave a low growl and pushed its head close enough for Fleur to pat it on the head before it retreated back outside, settling itself still onto the ground.
"Madame Pomfrey, She iz going to stay still now. Please 'eal her."
The Head Nurse grunted, muttering "it's about time…destroyed my medical tent" under her breath as she went back to treating the huge beast with Hagrid's help.
"That was awesome! Did you speak to it?!" asked Harry excitedly.
"She asked me if I waz ok, saying she waz sorry for 'urting me and zhat she will stay still, now zhat she 'as checked on me," replied Fleur, fondness laced in her voice as she stared at the hole in the tent.
"...Wow…first a gyrfalcon, now a dragon, next thing we know, you will start making friends with Acromantulas," said Hermione, awed yet exasperated and frustrated at the blonde.
"Ewwww, I do not like spiders. Zhey are disgusting!" Fleur scrunched her face in disgust and shuddered at the thought of those eight-legged, furry and ugly creatures.
And with that, the Trio burst into raucous laughter, breaking the worry and scare that was lingering in the air. Even Vahriin joined in much to the exasperation of Madam Pomfrey.
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Celebrations…
Harry, Fleur and Hermione later learnt that Fleur had gotten the most points from the First Task, with three nines from Dumbledore, Maxime and Bagman and an eight from Karkaroff, leaving the blonde with thirty-five points, Harry in second place with thirty-two points and Krum last with thirty-one points.
"Have you opened the egg yet?" asked Hermione to Harry, as they sat in front of the fire in the crowded Gryffindor Common Room. They had been ordered to go back to their towers after Fleur had been asked to tell the dragon to follow Hagrid and then Madame Pomfrey escorted Fleur to the infirmary.
"Not yet, it's supposed to be a clue to the next task," replied Harry, eyeing the Egg he had on his lap.
Harry was jostled by two taps on his back. "Harry!" called out Neville as he walked in front of the boy, "that was bloody brilliant, mate! You came out of there with no scratch at all compared to the other Champions! If you do not count the burn, of course."
"Yeah!" Seamus butted in, "I don't get how they gave the Beauxbatons Champion more points. I mean, she got thrashed." He said puzzled by the jury's scoring system.
"But what she did was brilliant! She tamed the dragon! I'd give her a bloody hundred points for that!" gushed Harry, recalling Fleur's performance.
"Harry, you should not say 'tamed', Vahriin will not appreciate it. Fleur said to call it 'befriended'" Hermione reminded the black-haired boy.
"Ah yes! Sorry Mione, I forgot." He replied sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.
"Wait, who is Vahriin?" asked Dean, looking at the Gryffindor Champion for an answer.
Seamus shrugged, "We'll talk about that later. Now Harry, won't you open the Egg! Come on Harry!" he urged excitedly.
Dean and Seamus lifted the boy onto their shoulders. The surrounding Gryffindors started cheering, "Harry! Harry! Harry! Harry!"
Harry, smiling, nodded and twisted the knob at the top of the Egg which split it open and a deafening screeching and wailing sound nearly ripped their eardrums. He quickly scrambled to close it back.
"Oww…" mouthed Hermione, bringing her hands back down from where they were protecting her ears. "What was that?!"
"No idea! That was horrible," said Harry, wriggling his ears as he noticed he was hearing everything low. He could see everyone around him testing their ears as well. Poor Seamus and Dean had been using their hands to carry him around and couldn't protect their ears.
"Man, I think my brain is leaking out of my ears!" exclaimed Seamus as he and Dean put Harry back down,
"Mine is still rattling in my skull," complained Dean.
"Alright you two!" scolded Ginny, "we're running late for the dinner party"
"What party?" asked Harry, not having heard anything about any party.
"We are celebrating the success and survival of all the Champions tonight!" said Dean, "and dinner parties for all three schools are being held in the Great Hall!"
"So we are celebrating that they didn't die?" asked Hermione, incredulous.
"Yeah" replied Seamus shrugging, "I think that's what it is, mainly"
"BUT! It is also a celebration for their successful completion of the task," explained Dean. "Anyway Harry, is Ron still not talking to you?"
"Yeah, he thinks that I didn't want to put my name together with him because I somehow had a way to get the Goblet to choose my name. I keep trying to talk to him but he is not listening. He is avoiding me and also Hermione because he thinks she is taking my side," said Harry, a bit sad but mostly annoyed at his best friend.
"Well, you know how it is. He will come around" said Seamus, patting Harry on his back in sympathy.
"Alright, less talk, more action. LET'S GO!" instructed Dean, pulling Harry with him with Seamus following while Ginny pulled Hermione along.
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The party was already in full swing by the time the group went through all those annoying moving stairs.
"Would you look at that!" exclaimed Dean, taking the scene in.
The hall was decorated with the colours of the three schools. Streamers were strung all across the magical ceiling. Colourful party hats sat upon most of the students going around. Confetti was bursting regularly from the ceilings, raining down onto students while disappearing totally before they hit any food, since nobody wants confetti on their food. And talking about the food. There were piles of different dishes all around the place, food from the different countries. Party snacks, main dishes, huge decorated cakes, chocolate fountains, so many sweets, you would think Honeydukes Sweetshop exploded all over the place. Seamus eyed the snails being served as French food and shuddered.
"Ugh, how can they eat that? Snails," grimaced Seamus, eyeing the dish as if it was going to jump on him, "though it would be a good idea for a joke." Now that he thought about it…
"Ze French term would be 'escargot', it sounds so much better zan snails," said Fleur, hobbling towards them in her crutches.
"Fleur!" Hermione quickly rushed to the blonde to give her a helping hand. She took one of the crutches, propping it against one of the walls and put her arm around the slender waist to help the blonde move more easily.
"Merci" replied Fleur, grateful, eyes full of adoration for the caring brunette. Elle est magnifique… [She is magnificent...] Fleur couldn't get enough of watching her.
"What are you doing here?! Shouldn't you be resting in the infirmary?! You are hurt!" scolded Hermione, her gaze sweeping the blonde's body looking for any reopened wound and staring intently into the blonde's face looking for any sign of discomfort.
"They are still snails no matter what you call them and I am not going to eat that!" Seamus replied at the blonde's comment, breaking the connection between the two girls.
"Well, I do not eat it either. I find it disgusting as well." The French girl shrugged. She could smell the scent of lavender and honey and she wanted to rest her head against the brunette's shoulder and bury her nose into Hermione's neck for more of it.
Dean gapped at the confession, "How is that possible? Aren't all French crazy about those snails?"
"Well, I did try it" confessed Fleur, amused at all the disgusted faces that the Gryffindors were making, "but I didn't like it."
"Well good, because I don't think I can be friends with you if you eat that!" laughed Harry.
"I 'eard one of your friends vomited slugs in one of your school years," countered Fleur, grinning at the scrunching faces that erupted around her once more.
"Yeah. That was Ron" replied Seamus, when suddenly his face lit up like he had had a brilliant idea. "Hey Dean!" he exclaimed, "Let's take this plate to him. He might appreciate the taste of it!"
"Great idea!" and they took the plate and went to look for Ron, mischievous faces plastered on them, Ginny following them, not wanting to miss the prank on his annoying brother.
"So how are you feeling, Fleur?" asked Harry.
"I am feeling better. After much insistence on my part, Madame Pomfrey gave me a painkiller potion and some other potions so I could participate in ze celebrations. I am not feeling ze pain right now. Zhough she said I will feel it later." She explained.
"Let's go sit then. It is not good for you to be on your feet. Will you sit with me?" asked Hermione shyly.
"It will be my pleazure, 'Ermione," said Fleur with a smile. They all made way to sit at their usual Gryffindor place with Hermione helping Fleur settle onto the bench.
"Fleur, what would you like to eat?" asked Hermione, grabbing the blonde's plate.
"I would like some of ze Boeuf Bourguignon.," Fleur pointed out at the beef dish one pace away. It seemed the kitchen had gone all out again for the celebration, cooking French and Bulgarian dishes along with the usual British ones.
Hermione nodded and stood up, walking towards the dish. She then started dishing out the food onto the plate she was holding. "With bread or rice?" she asked for Fleur's choice again.
"Bread," replied Fleur, eyeing the brunette's actions curiously.
Hermione grabbed a few bread pieces from the basket next to her and returned back to her place, setting the plate in front of Fleur. "There you go," she said, seating herself back into her place.
"Merci…" Fleur whispered, greatly touched at the brunette's gestures. She watched as the brunette smiled at her in response before starting to get her own food.
Sometimes just simple gestures from her brown-eyed wonder would make her fall deeper in love. Her heart was fluttering in her chest at that moment and she wanted to voice out all her love but she reigned herself in. Trying to distract herself from her overflowing emotions, Fleur started to eat.
"Here," she heard Hermione say, hearing a 'plunk' onto the table which she found out to be a goblet when she looked up from her plate, "I poured you some pumpkin juice."
"Zhank you again"
"What happened with Vahriin?" asked Harry, munching on his own piece of bread.
"She iz at Hagrid's. I got special permission to keep her zhere. I didn't want zhem to put her in a cage." Fleur frowned at that, "She will also stay 'ere till ze end of ze year. Hagrid waz really 'appy about zhat" she grinned as she remembered the face the half-giant had made when Dumbledore had announced that.
"Ha, of course, he would be happy. Hagrid has always wanted a dragon. We had an episode of that in first year." Said Harry.
"Yes, he told me zhat he loves dragons and he is ze Care of Magical Creatures Professor. I thought he would be perfect for taking care of Vahriin. My dragon will not leave wizout me and I 'ave to stay 'ere. So when I go back home, I will take her wiz me," explained Fleur, spearing a piece of beef onto her fork.
"Hey Harry! Come see this!" shouted Dean from the other side of the Hall.
"Excuse me for a moment, girls," Harry said, grabbing his plate as he got up to see whatever it was that Dean wanted to show him.
"Fleur, I have to say it, thank you for including me in your secrets, with the vow and all," Hermione stated gratefully.
"To allow someone like you into our circle is an honour, Hermione," replied Fleur.
"Thank you for that. I can't wait to learn more about the Veela, especially about your transformation during the Task, the wings were amazing!"
"Zhank you. We'll talk about ze transformation soon, just not 'ere, in ze open. Now, I 'ave somezhin to ask you…"
"Yes?", Hermione watched intrigued as Fleur blushed a little bit, seemingly embarrassed.
"You remember I told you I 'aven't done muggle studies for years now," Hermione nodded, "I dropped it in ze first year itself. Well, I spoke to Madame Maxime if I could get into ze subject again and she accepted. I tried it but it seems I am failing ze subject," the blonde said, more embarrassed than ever when she heard Hermione gasp, "Madame Maxime said I can only continue if I restart wiz second-year classes or if I find a muggle studies partner to 'elp me catch up. I was wondering if you would 'elp me since we are in ze same class?"
"But of course, Fleur! Failing a subject is dreadful! I cannot let that happen to you!" said Hermione seriously.
"Oh, zhank you 'Ermione!" Fleur's eyes shined with joy.
And thus, they spent the whole party, just talking to each other, frequently getting interrupted with people coming to congratulate Fleur for the First Task and ask about her dragon.