Ingenio ab Artifex (Formerly: Flowers for Your Grave)

by JaimeJabs

There have been many rumours surrounding me and my life—especially my love life. So, after due consideration—and a few well-aimed words from our resident bookworm—I have decided to publish my autobiography. For any questions and questionable charms placed on your copy of my self-updating autobiography, feel free to owl my publisher, Jaime.

6. Episode V

Chapter 1: One Ring to Bind Them

December 6, 1994

I walk down to the breakfast a little late today. Why you may ask. Because Sirius and Remus are evil men who like to hurt children. We've been training since the start of the school and lately, I've started to actually beat them in one-on-one duels.

Okay, I still lose more often than not but I get a win every three, four duels which is a big accomplishment for a boy my age. Both Sirius and Remus are top tier wizards amongst their age group, and I take pride in challenging them.

But do I get a 'well done, Harry'? Of course not. Instead, they both attack me and keep attacking me all day long mercilessly. Everything hurts. I want to find whoever suggested Remus that he should read Nietzsche and beat them senseless. What the fuck kind of motto is 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger'?!

I won't even bother to understand why Remus would take Nietzsche seriously when the bastard would preach the righteousness of executing werewolves for purity of the wizard-kind.

Anyway, I should focus on the good side. Sirius is one of the best fighters there is and I can beat him, even sometimes, then I am progressing along rather well.

There is another reason for my lateness though. I couldn't sleep last night because of my nerves. Today, I will ask Fleur to be my date for the Yule Ball.

I don't understand why I am nervous. It's not like I haven't asked her out before though that was more of a spur-of-the-moment thing. Maybe Sirius was right. Maybe I should just forget about it.

No. I will do this. I won't let anyone call me a coward. Even if that someone is me.

Fuck you, Potter, I'm not a coward!

Yes, I realise cursing yourself in third person is not what sane people do but like I told Cedric in the tent, sanity is overrated.

I walk into the great hall and spy Fleur sitting on the Ravenclaw table with Aimee and a brunette girl whose name I don't yet know. I thank my lucky stars for the empty seat on her right.

Speaking of lucky stars, I should ask Firenze if such a thing exists and which are mine.

Focus, Potter, and stop acting like a…

Go on, say it. I dare you.

Sigh. I need help.

I walk to the Ravenclaw table and sit down next to her. "Good morning Fleur, Aimee, the girl whose name I don't know but would like to find out," I greet them with a calm voice and a frantically beating heart.

Fleur stares at me searchingly. "Good morning, Harry. What are you doing here?"

I smile at her charmingly and conjure a single white jonquil and give it to her while doing the same with a single purple viscaria behind her ear. That second one is done wandlessly.

Yeah, I'm that cool.

Okay, honestly, it's not that hard. It's all about timing. If you have sufficient understanding of Transfiguration, you can cast it so it reverts to its original form in time. What I did here was time it close and cast a simple wandless Finishing charm. Because it was already on its way to reverting, it was possible for me to give it that little push it required wandlessly.

Oh, the flowers? I don't get why Sirius keeps mocking me for knowing the language of flowers. It's a wonderful thing, the symbology. This combination, for instance, is perfect for the occasion. Jonquil means a desire for returned affection. Viscaria is my way of asking 'will you dance with me?'

"Would you like to be my date to Yule Ball?" I ask her, looking deeply into her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she answers after a few seconds. She holds the jonquil for me to take.

"Keep it. I wasn't trying to buy your affection. If I may?" I ask and touch her middle finger when she nods. The jonquil turns to a cyclamen. 'Resignation.' "Enjoy your breakfast, ladies."

I get up to move to the Gryffindor table and notice the silence around the great hall. Wonderful. "What? Haven't you seen a guy get rejected by a beautiful woman before?" I shout. People start murmuring. I shrug and make my way to where Hermione is sitting with Neville and Ron. "Morning, minions."

Hermione looks at me indignantly while Ron looks uncomprehending. "Good morning, m'lord," Neville greets me back.

"I'm no one's minion," Hermione informs me haughtily. "If anything, I'm the dark lady and you are my minions."

"Hermione, there is no such a thing as a dark lady. Women can't lead. Everyone knows that," I lecture in a disapproving tone. "You need to be realistic about your goals. Find a nice man and get married. Don't worry unnecessarily about things like career and leadership."

I love Hermione. She knows I'm joking but she can't help rant with something she's passionate about.

Balzac cuts in from behind me before Hermione can start her rant. "I miss Dacia," he says sadly while sitting down.

"If you miss her, do what I do. Hermione can be as passionate as her about women's rights."

"When I say I miss her, I don't mean her ranting. I mean... Never mind. That's no topic for polite company," he clarifies. "Did you really ask Delacour to the Yule Ball?"

"What gave it away? Was it the flowers, the question or my loud comment afterward?"

"Just a gut feeling," he answers. "I'm sorry it didn't work out."

I shrug. There is no use crying over spilled Felix Felicis. "It's life I guess. What are you going to do for Yule Ball? Are you going to go alone?"

"Why would I?"

"Because if you don't, Dacia may think it's a good idea to cut off your balls and feed them to you," I tell him wistfully. Now, that would be fun to watch.

"Oh, that's why!" His head bob up and down in exaggerated movements. "Actually, I won't be here for the Yule Ball. I'm having dinner with Dacia and her mother."

"Finally meeting the in-law?" I ask surprised. He answers with a confirming nod. "Be honest, how nervous are you? On a scale of one to ten."

"How would you rate 'every time I think about it, I feel like puking my guts out'?"

"I'd say there is more to it than just a dinner with her mother."

"You'd be right. I plan to ask her to marry me," he declares proudly.

I can feel my pupils widen as if to escape the confines of my irises. "No way! Good for you, man." I give him a manly hug. Yes, a manly hug. Shut up.

Wait, I can have fun with this. "But what if she says no? Or her mother doesn't like you and convinces her to dump you?" I ask in a low tone to add to the effect.

He gapes like a fish and I can barely hold it together. Hermione slaps me on my arm. "Harry. Stop messing with the poor boy's head. He's going to freak out."

I can't take it anymore, I laugh. My laughter doubles when he bellows, "You are an asshole."

"I'm sorry. Honestly, I'm thrilled for you," I say sincerely. "What are you going to do about the ring?"

He looks down. "Well, I was hoping you could make me one."

"It'd be my honour. You should know, my rings go for somewhere between a thousand and two thousand galleons on the market but I like you so I'll give you a discount. Nine hundred and ninety-nine galleons and sixteen sickles."

"What rings?"

"Well, I'm new to the market. This will be my first ring. Imagine that. You will have the first ring ever made by Harry James Potter," I boast. "Never mind that now," I say and take out my notepad. "Do you want just an engagement ring or do you want me to make you a matching set of wedding bands? Do you want a simple diamond or can I be creative with the stones? Do you want something simple and classy or something sophisticated?"

"Calm down, mate." Ron chuckles. "Breathe."

"Yes, you are right," I say, my cheeks redden. "I don't know why but my oestrogen levels are off the chart. I need to do something manly. Balzac, may I punch you in the face?"

"No, you may not. And to answer your question...s, I'll trust your judgment."

I take a deep breath. I don't know why I went crazy suddenly. I guess I'm happy for my friends. And frankly, I adore Balzac and Dacia's relationship. It is everything love should be and more.

I open my notepad and sketch the first idea that pops into my head. It's a ring that has seven gemstones. A large diamond in the middle surrounded by four small serendibite stones and two medium size amber stones. All seven stones sit on a six-pointed snowflake template with the diamond in the centre and the amber stones sit parallel to the band. For the metal, I think platinum.

For those of you wondering why the different stones, it is the custom in the Magical World and while Dacia holds on to her Muggle roots; she knows to appreciate Magical World's customs.

I show the design to Balzac and explain it. He nods with an open mouth. "That looks great."

"I'm thinking a modified Impervius charm, a location-fixed, a phrase-activated Portkey charm, an intend-based mild Muggle-Repelling charm, an Unbreakable charm, a Tracking charm, Anti-Summoning charm, and a Remind-Me charm for enchantments. What do you think?"

"What's a Remind-Me charm?" Balzac asks me.

"It's something I came up with. It's like an alarm you set to remind you something specific. Let's say you have an important meeting at three in the afternoon. You set it to two thirty and when the clock hits two thirty, you suddenly remember a pre-set sentence. I came up with it this year when I kept forgetting to practise Occlumency before sleeping."

"Well, all of them sound great."

"Are you sure you can do all that, Harry?" Hermione asks me skeptically.

"Nope," I say cheerfully. "I mean I can but the charms would wear off in a year at best. I still can't wave the charms together good enough to last. I know someone who can though."

I take my notepad and get up from my seat. Returning to the Ravenclaw table, I sit next to Fleur once again. "Sorry to bother you ladies but I need your help with enchanting a ring, Fleur." I beam at her.

Fleur groans. "Please tell me you are not planning on giving me a ring."

"My dear, I know it's every girl's dream to get a ring from me but I don't think we are at that stage in our burgeoning relationship yet. Wouldn't you agree?" I chirp. "No, a friend of mine plans to ask his special lady-friend to marry him and asked me to craft the engagement ring. I have the design ready but, as I said, I am not great with Enchantments so I thought 'why not go to the expert?'"

"You make rings?" Aimee queries unbelievingly.

"This will be my first time but I can make pretty much anything. I have a great sense of aesthetics and am prodigious in Transfiguration. Fleur, you remember my temple? I made almost everything in that room myself," I boast.

"Everything? Even the instruments?" Fleur asks curiously.

"No, I bought those, but that sounds like a fun summer project. I should look into it this summer." I look up as I consider the possibilities. "A magical musical instrument? Now, that's an idea."

All three girls, Fleur, Aimee and their friend who I don't know, look at me like I'm an alien.

"What makes you think I'm such an expert?" she challenges.

"You hinted that your mother is an enchanter. You are also knowledgeable about Enchantments yourself. You are great with charms, perhaps even better than me. Thus an enchanter," I lecture. "Here is the ring design." I put the notepad on the table and show her.

Fleur examines the sketch, her fingers grazing the lines. "This is magnificent."

I feel a giggle coming and I stop it mercilessly. I'm not a schoolgirl with a crush. I'm a boy. Eh, man. Whatever.

"I know."

Aimee loses the battle to her curiosity and leans over Fleur to get a look. "You can ask me to marry you anytime with a ring like this," she jokes.

"I might," I sing with a wink. I tell them about the stones and the metal I plan to use. "So, what do you think, Fleur? Are you up for this?"

"What kind of charms do you want?" the blonde goddess asks so I tell her. I explain the Remind-Me charm as well when they ask. "So, one charm per stone?"

"I thought anchoring each charm to a single stone would work better than using a single frame and locking it with a representative rune would increase efficiency."

"Well, you'll have to teach me the Remind-Me charm but I can do it." She frowns and gives me a narrow-eyed look. "You do know I must charm the stones as you place them on the metal if you want the magic to take hold on the ring itself instead of just the stones?"

"I know. I can prepare everything for the enchanting for this Sunday."

"Sure. Find me when you are ready."

"Great. How long do you think it would take?"

She bites her lower lip in thought, causing a boy a table over faint and my heart rate increase. That look is the embodiment of the word 'sexy'. "A little over two hours, I think."

"How about my room on Gryffindor tower? We'll have privacy." She nods in agreement. "Wonderful. Thank you, Fleur. Ladies, always a pleasure."

I return to my friends and sit down next to Balzac. "Fleur agreed. I think I'll be able to deliver your ring next Monday if I can convince Sirius to take me shopping."

"How much will it cost?" Balzac asks me apprehensively.

"Don't worry about that. This will be my engagement gift to you. The bands will be my wedding gift but I'm going to need Dacia's input for those so there is no need to hurry. Besides, I don't want to make them now in case Dacia says no," I say with a grin.

"Asshole."

"What? Did I say something wrong?"

-HP-

December 11, 1994

It's been fun five days. Shaping the ring's metal and the stones were a lot harder than I thought it would be. Because I had to work with precision where a sixteenth of an inch can mess up everything, I wasted a ton of good material.

It was great.

I spent yesterday engraving the necessary runes on the side of the stones I will stick to the ring. When enchanting, weaving the charms to runes is always a plus. Here, it's a little redundant because the gemstones are already susceptible to magic but redundancy is good.

The engraving was difficult. I couldn't enlarge the stones because that would mess with their composition. Think about it for a second. I had to engrave runes on a surface smaller than a sixteenth of an inch. Muggles use lasers for this stuff. I had to use my wand because, let's be honest, spending tens of thousands of pounds on a professional machine is not logical.

Fine, I couldn't convince Sirius to part with so much money on a whim.

The machine wouldn't work in Hogwarts, anyway, so instead, I ordered heavy iron plates that were cut in the shapes of the runes and charmed them to be heat resistant. Just so I'll have them ready in case I ever need them, and because metal sheets are not expensive, I ordered one for every rune I know.

Another difficulty was determining Dacia's ring size. I thought about using an Auto-Sizing charm but decided against it. That is just too… impersonal, and it'd mess with other charms I want the ring to have. So, I went to the headmaster and used his pensive. Creative, right?

Metal work was hard too. Transfiguring a metal is always difficult. Especially metals like gold, silver, bronze, platinum, cobalt. I had to heat the platinum to a thousand degrees to allow for easier and more precise Transfiguration. Safe to say, I had to drink a lot of water, a lot.

It really was a fun week. This is the stuff I live for.

Right now, I'm looking for Fleur so I could get her to my room. Yeah, I wish I could get her to my room for different reasons too. No, I don't mean sex. Get your mind out of the gutter. I mean so I can watch her play the violin again. And sex.

I find her eating lunch with her usual two friends in Great Hall and make my way there. "Hello, ladies," I greet them.

"Hi, Harry," Aimee and the third girl whose name I recently learned is Samantha chorus. Fleur only nods.

"Well, Fleur, the ring is ready for you to do your magic whenever you are ready." Fleur nods and focuses back on her food.

Is it me or is she colder than usual?

"Are you okay?" I ask her in a low voice. "You seem upset."

"I'm fine."

I don't think she's being honest with me. She's glaring at her food like the food killed her children and she wants sweet revenge.

I sigh. "We can do this some other time if you prefer. Or if you changed your mind, I can pay someone to do it even."

Aimee cuts in before she can answer. "Boys have been asking her to the ball nonstop for days."

"Yeah, I can see how... annoying that would be. For what it's worth, I'm sorry if me asking you out bothered you."

"No," she responds a little too fast and I smother a smile. "Yours was sweet actually. The others, they all thought making a grand gesture would be a good idea. Like punching someone. Or making a ton of flower petals rain down. Or singing. Or yelling. Or reading me a poem. One even tried to give me a ring."

Merlin, I thought she was being dramatic when she asked if I was going to give her a ring. People do that?

I can help it, I laugh. She looks at me crossly. "I'm sorry. It's just... Man, this school is filled with idiots." Aimee and Samantha chuckle as well. "You'll have to excuse my countrymen for their lack of sense. What about you two lovely ladies? Do you have dates or is every male in this school stupid enough to let you two stay single?"

"Why? Do you plan on asking one of us?" Aimee jokes, making her eyebrows dance.

"Nah. After the brutal rejection from five days ago, I became celibate," I quip. "I already landed myself a date, thank you very much," I answer, for real this time, when they look at me weirdly.

"I already have a date," Aimee informs me.

"If you don't have a date, Samantha, I have a friend who is emotionally constipated and is in the market for some clean fun. He's tall, not bad looking, funny and can understand women as much as a smart four-years-old can understand quantum tunnelling effect."

"I don't need leftovers, thank you very much," she clips.

"He's not that bad, really. He's average looking and fun. Actually, he's the one that tried to yell Fleur into dating him." I give a small laugh. "It's your call, though. I won't stick my neck out for him on this. Just thought I could help."

"I'll take my chances but thank you," she responds, less angrily this time.

"Anyway, I'll leave you to your lunch," I say and move to get up but am stopped by Fleur's hand on my arm.

"What about the ring?"

"Are you sure you want to do it today? We can work on it some other time."

"I'm sure. It sure will be better than spending the whole day rejecting my would-be suitors."

I giggle on the inside. She prefers spending time with me to other boys asking her out. I then groan on the inside. I should stop acting like this. It's unbecoming.

"Okay. If you'll follow me, my lady, I'll be happy to take you to my room." I give her a cheeky grin.

"You know this is not a date or anything of the sorts, right?" She glares at me.

"I know. I told you I'd ask you one last time, and I did, Fleur. I have no intention of chasing after you like a stalker," I remind her. "If anything will happen between us, you will have to be the one to make a move."

Her nose rises up a notch. "I wouldn't hold my breath."

"I won't. I may like you, a lot, but I will not waste my time waiting for you. Life is too beautiful and short to live at the mercy of another."

We walk silently for a while. "Why do you like me?" she blurts out. "I mean it's obvious you are not too affected by my charm so it's not about my beauty. Why?"

"I'm not really sure. I think it's because how emotional you are," I guess. "You don't show it but I can feel the storm that's inside you. There is anger in you, and sadness, and loneliness, and love. You are like me in a sense; you feel a lot," I add when she looks at me quizzically.

"Consider all of our encounters so far. In all of them, you first greeted me coldly but warmed up slowly," I explain. "It's not what I see when you are cold. I like the part you show when you are warm."

I lead her to the seventh floor but we turn to the corridor on the right when we come up to the fat lady instead of going in. When we get to the painting with an old man with a wig, I give my password, 'artis de cor'.

We climb the stairs silently and enter the room through the second entrance. This door was built so past the head of Gryffindor house could leave their private chambers without having to go through dozens of students. You can also enter it from inside the common room.

It's a nice perk to have if I ever need to bring a girl here without the hassle of the common room, like now.

She surveys the room interestedly. "This is quite similar to your temple," she points out.

She's right. The circular room is furnished in a similar design to my room in France. Instead of a wall filled with books, I have a small wooden bookcase on the left side of the room next to an ornate mahogany table. On the opposite of the table, I have my piano, a violin and a guitar. The opposite to the entrance is a double four-poster bed. There is a large coffee table in the centre and around it are two chairs, my various knick-knacks and a wooden easel.

Like the temple, everything in this room, except the instruments, some painting supplies, a cooling box and clothes, I made myself.

"I know. Figured if it works why change it."

"It's beautiful," she compliments. "Do all Hogwarts students get their own room?" she asks me as we sit on the middle table.

"No. Only the head boy and girl, and me."

"What's special about you? I mean, yes, you are talented but that's no reason to give you a special treatment."

I consider being honest but decide against it. "That's something I'd rather not answer," I plead. "That's Puck," I say, pointing at the Raiju sleeping inside a small wooden basket. "He's the most awesome familiar ever."

"He's cute."

"He doesn't like it when people call him cute. He likes to think himself as scary." I show her the rings and the stones. "What do you think?"

"Good work," she compliments. "You really are good at this."

"Thank you." See, I can be humble. "I made extra of everything in case we make a mistake. I'll use the leftover material to make gifts for the ladies in my life."

"Ladies? I thought you were single?" Fleur asks me, a little threateningly. A part of me wishes it was jealousy but I guess she thinks I cheated on someone with her.

"I am. Who I mean by ladies are Hermione, who is like a sister; Minerva, who is the Transfiguration Professor and an honorary aunt; and Poppy, who is the school healer and the only woman to see me naked other than you."

"I was your first?" I feel a little proud that she's surprised as it tells me good things about my performance.

"I'm fourteen, for Merlin's sake. Of course, you were my first," I chuckle. "Why? Was I that good?"

SAY YES!

"You were okay, I guess." Blood rushes to her cheeks and adds to her beauty. How can someone so beautiful can become even more so? It's unfair to the rest of the world.

"You guess?"

She looks away, the blush on her face intensifying. "I have had little experience," she admits in a small voice.

I nod at that. "That makes sense."

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asks indignantly. Her head rises up and she looks at me like I smell awful.

I can't help smile at how quick she can go through emotions.

"Well, you said most men can't string together an intelligent sentence around you. You are cold towards people you don't know well. It makes sense that you haven't shared that much intimacy with many people, especially men."

"Sorry, I get..."

"Defensive. I understand. It must be hard to feel judged by the masses all the time. Hell, I've been feeling that for only two months, if you discount my second year, and I'm about to go crazy. I can't imagine how it must be like to go through life under the spotlight."

We hold each other's gaze in silence for a while. "So, why were you surprised that I was your first?" I ask when the silence becomes too charged.

She gives me a small smile in understanding. "You weren't overexcited like how I assume a teenager about to have sex for the first time would be."

"Believe me, I was. From the moment I sat next to you, I kept repeating to myself 'be cool, be cool'," I confess. "You were my first kiss. Before the club, I had dinner with Balzac and two other friends from Beauxbatons. Balzac joked about how since I became fourteen that day, I should start noticing girls. I guess he was right." I am laughing by the end.

Her melodious laughter joins mine. "Is that what happened?"

"Okay, this is getting weird. I refuse to discuss my hormonal development with you," I inform her with a shake of my head.

"Why not? Are you turning shy on me suddenly?" she mocks me. I smile at her uplifted mood.

Raising an eyebrow, I ask, "do you really want to discuss my masturbation habits and such things?"

She sobers up. "No. That's a good point." She points to the ring materials. "How about we work on the ring?"

And we do that. We spend the next hour working. She charms a stone; I apply a little blood I got from Balzac on the rune with a syringe and place the stone on the ring just as she finishes the chant for the stone and apply a permanent sticking charm. This is blood magic, so it's on the edge of legality but what the government doesn't know, they can't punish.

-HP-

"I think we deserve a break and a drink," I offer after we finish the third stone.

She leans back in her chair and stretches. That move draws my eyes to her chest. I can't help it. She's just so... "Sorry. When you did that, your blouse got... Sorry."

She smiles warmly at me. "Don't worry. It happens to every young man."

"Well, it's not my fault you have a nice body, now, is it?" I smile back.

"Nice body? That's like saying lake is a little moist, don't you think?" She waves a hand as if to say look at this work of art.

I take good advantage of the nonverbal offer, of course. I am a hot-blooded male. Merlin, those curves, those two… Focus, Harry!

"Let me rephrase that. Your body is as nice as your ego is big." She shakes her head with a smile. It's nice to see her without the walls and I must be doing something right for her not to feel upset over it. "What would you like to drink?"

I get up and move to the cooler. It was Sirius' idea to give me this. All I had to do was point out how often he will be in the castle and how he might need a cold 'drink'. I may have had to point out how cute Professor Sinatra is, forgetting to mention the beautiful woman takes her pleasure in other female forms.

"What do you have?"

"I have coke, butterbeer, real beer, wine, fire-whiskey, real whiskey, gin. I can also make us tea or coffee if you prefer something hot."

"Do you serve food as well?" she quips.

"Dobby." Dobby pops in.

"Yes, master Harry Potter sir. What can Dobby dos for you, Harry Potter sir?"

"Please, oh, please stop calling me sir or master. Dobby, you are a free elf. Act like one. Remember what I said? How can you expect other people to treat you with respect if you don't respect yourself?"

"I forgot." Dobby looks down.

"It's okay, Dobby. You'll learn in time."

"What can I dos for you, ma- Harry James?"

I sigh. That's something I guess. "Can you bring us some sandwiches, please? And some food for Puck."

He snaps his fingers and a tray full of sandwiches, a bowl of fruits and a bowl full of small fishes appear. Puck wakes up instantly and attacks the fish. I turn around to tell Dobby that the tray is too much, but he's long gone.

"I was joking," Fleur says. "I ate just an hour ago."

"I know. When you mentioned food, I realised how hungry I was. I skipped lunch and breakfast. Now, drink?"

"Is wine any good?" she asks me.

"No clue. I'm fourteen, remember?" I smile at her. "Though I doubt it's bad. Sirius claims to have good taste in drinks."

"I'll risk it."

"Living on the edge? I like it." I laugh.

"Hey! Wine is important," she says indignantly.

I pour her a large glass and get a bottle of coke for myself. "Right. You are French."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She glares at me warningly.

"Nothing. I know how picky French people are about wine and food," I answer with a puppy eyes.

"It's better than eating that garbage you Englishmen call food and drinking that god awful orange thing," she shots back.

"Hey, I may be British but I grew up in France. I'd like to think I embody the best parts of both cultures," I say with my head held high.

She responds with a chuckle. God, it's impossible for me not to be proud every time I earn that sound. It's a beautiful, beautiful sound.

She takes a sip of the wine and nods. "Not bad." She looks at me weirdly as I sit down. "You have a weird relationship with your house-elf."

"Did you not hear what I said? He's not my house-elf. He's a free elf. He was Malfoy family elf before I tricked dear old Lucius to free him. He's having a hard time adjusting, but he is a proud little fella and a good friend."

"I never knew house-elves wanted to be free."

I shrug. "Some do, some don't, I guess. Hermione is going on and on about freeing them but the elves here hate her for it. It all depends on the elf and the treatment they receive, I reckon."

We sit in silence while I eat but it's not awkward. "Tell me, what does Fleur Delacour dream of when she lies awake at night? What do you want to do when you grow up?" I ask in-between bites.

She hums thoughtfully before answering. "I want to be an enchantress like my mother."

"Is it because you want to be like her or because you genuinely enjoy it?" I want to know more about her. It doesn't matter that she won't be mine. I'll take what I can get and I have no problem admitting that.

"Because I enjoy it. My mother... Well, let's say we don't have the best relationship," she confides.

"Let me guess, she's controlling and demanding?"

She laughs. "That's putting it mildly. How did you guess?"

"The way you act, walk and talk in public is not natural to you. It's a learned skill. I first thought you do it because of the way men behave around you but you do it grudgingly. There is a resentment to the whole act that isn't only directed at the masses."

She finishes her glass in one go. I summon the bottle and pour her another glass.

"Did you do wandless magic like it is nothing?" she asks me incredulously. Good change of subject though.

I laugh at her expression. "How many times do I have to say it? I am awesome. Just roll with it."

"That's it? You are awesome?" She takes another large sip.

"I've been doing wandless magic since I was five. It's not much, but it's helpful," I tell her with a shrug.

"You are confusing."

"Why?"

"You say you are awesome and then you act like being able to do wandless magic is nothing."

"Because it is not useful. It helps me do parlour tricks, and it's nice not having to get up to get a drink but in the end, it doesn't serve a purpose. I like doing things with a purpose. With meaning. Magic is much more than a tool to allow us to be lazier."

"Like with the flowers?"

"Yes, exactly."

"It was a nice trick, transfiguring the jonquil to a cyclamen."

I lean back and smile. "It wasn't transfiguration. It was a switching spell. I had the cyclamen ready."

She tilts her head to the side. "You were ready for rejection?"

I shrug. "I expected it. You said your answer wouldn't change. I had no reason to doubt your word."

"Why would you ask me if you knew I would say no?"

"Because I liked you and I wasn't going to let a little thing like the knowledge your likely rejection stop me."

She looks at me curiously. "Liked. So, you don't like me anymore?"

I give her a look that said 'don't be stupid'. "I am working on it."

"Working on it? Just like that?"

I gaze at her searchingly. She sounded a little disappointed there. "You rejected me twice, Fleur. Three times if you count the morning after we had sex. You can't call that 'just like that'. I did my part. You made it clear you are not interested. It would be stupid of me to… encourage whatever it is I'm feeling towards you."

This time, the silence is awkward and I don't like it. Change of the subject is necessary.

"Well, if you want to be an enchantress, this is a good start. This ring will be the talk of Beauxbatons this year."

"Beauxbatons? Are you making the ring for... Pierro?"

That pause tells just how much she cuts herself off from her peers. She has a hard time even remembering their names and Balzac Pierro is a recognisable fella, what with his height and general demeanour.

"Yes. He's planning on asking Dacia to marry him at the end of this month," I confirm with a nod. "Please tell no one. I'd hate to ruin his surprise."

"Don't worry. I won't."

I finish eating and lean back. "This is a good opportunity for you. Like I said, the ring will be the talk amongst the girls of Beauxbatons and if the boys want to impress them, they must open their pouches."

"I didn't make the ring." She puts both her feet on the chair and hugs her legs with one arm while sipping from her glass.

"It doesn't matter. Most of them can't afford me anyway," I brag cockily.

She tilts her head. "What do you mean?"

"I am obsessive with doing this kind of stuff. I have to have the best. I have to do things just right. I have to have the right material," I answer in one breath. "The materials for this ring cost me four thousand pounds. That's three hundred galleons. If I was to sell it, I wouldn't accept less than a thousand galleons and that's what an average wizard makes in a year."

She looks at me with wide eyes. "How rich is Balzac if he can afford this?"

"I'd never take money from my friends. This is a gift."

"Just how rich are you then?"

"Don't know, don't care. That's not the point, anyway. You can have two sets of jewellery makers. You can get cheaper jewellery from a muggle jeweller for your average customer. For those willing to part with their gold, you can come to me or go to a muggle designer. There aren't a lot of places people can buy enchanted jewels."

She mulls it over for a long time. "It's a good idea."

I scoff at her. "Damn right, it's a good idea. I never have bad ideas."

Her wine glass is once again empty so I full it.

She smiles. "I'm curious. Are you arrogant or joking?"

"It depends on what I talk about. When I say I'm great at something seriously, I usually mean it. But when I say things like 'I never have bad ideas', it's a joke. I am a guy who thought going after a Basilisk was a great idea, remember?"

"You say things like that often. Sometimes I think you mean it, sometimes I'm sure you don't. It's confusing," she admits.

Puck walks over climbs up my leg and sprawls over my lap. I love it when he does that. His purring is so relaxing.

"That's part of the reason I do it though," I tell Fleur. "You have to understand since I was a child, I've been told people are out to hurt me. People like Lucius Malfoy. I've been in this school for four years and trouble keeps finding me. If my enemies don't know what I'm capable of, they are bound to either underestimate me or overestimate me. I have a lot of secrets."

She looks at me unbelievingly. "What secrets?"

"If I told you, they wouldn't be secrets now, would they?" I raise my left eyebrow. "I told you one when we first met, though. Everyone thought I was a Black by birth. I only told you I was adopted."

"Tell me another one," she urges. "Everyone knows who you really are now."

I consider what I can tell her. I can tell her I am an animagus but that has legal implications and it can be a way to escape out of a tight situation. Considering Voldemort wants to kidnap me, it's a wise move to keep that a secret.

I definitely can't tell her about my second wand, the one I carry on my necklace. That, Albus told me, will be a useful weapon if I ever have to fight Voldemort or if I am ever disarmed in a dangerous situation. Besides, it's frowned upon to carry two wands.

I can't tell her about the necklace itself and what I carry on it. It's a wonderful work of enchantment by Albus himself and is for dire emergencies only. Because I am not allowed to reveal its existence without a just cause, I mostly can't use my invisibility cloak and that's a shame, really. Though with the way Albus allows me more freedom than a regular student, I don't really need to sneak around.

I have other secrets as well but most of them, I can't share because they are not mine alone to share.

I can tell her about my tattoos though, and the stories and meaning behind each of them.

What I plan to share is not a secret, but the stories associated with the tattoos on my back are mysterious enough. The lives I took. They are a part of me I wish I didn't have but still; I carry them with pride. They are my choices and my struggles; my victories and triumphs.

"How about I tell you a story about one tattoo of your choosing?"

She nods so I stand, causing Puck to show his displeasure with his claws though the pain is easy to ignore. I take off my shirt and turn around so she can see them. She stands, moving around the table to get a good look. I shiver at when a finger graze my back and repress the urge to turn around and steal a kiss.

"The snake," she requests, her finger caressing the said tattoo on my back.

"That's a good one. Remember what I told you about petrified students?" I take her silence as confirmation and tell her the story, glossing over the parts with Voldemort.

"You were bitten by a Basilisk? So that article was true?" she asks me in a charged tone, somewhere between unbelieving and troubled.

"Yeah. All of that article was true. Well, mostly true. There were a lot of details that were kept out." I turn around and notice just how close we are. Her hand doesn't leave my body but instead travels to my chest with my movement. "Touch the basilisk's mouth. You can feel the wound."

She does what I say and finds the inch wide puncture wound. She's so close can smell the wondrous and mouth watering combinations of flowers that always accompanies her.

This will not end well for me.

After checking it and rechecking it, her hand doesn't live my arm and I look up to see her eyes on me with an emotion I can't identify.

She looks so damn kissable with her wide, blue eyes and parted pink lips. Resisting the temptation is far too hard but I am stubborn. We stand there, gazing into each other's eyes for some time. I make no move, afraid that it'll make her move away. I want to stand here like this until my legs give out and then stand more even if I have to cast a Binding charm on my legs.

Her eyes move to my lips and back, and she's a little closer. I still make no move. I'm a man of my word. I won't chase after her no matter how much I want to kiss her.

She moves closer still and my hands find her hips. It feels like she wants me to kiss her. I'm pretty sure. I still don't kiss her.

She kisses me.

My mind turns to mush. I can't think straight. Is this what I have to do to be good at Occlumency?

Kiss her, dammit!

I kiss her back. My hands travel up her spine a little. She tastes like paradise and I never want to taste anything else.

She breaks off the kiss and leans her forehead on mine as we both gasp for air. My hand moves to her cheek out of its own accord and caresses her beautiful face. I look into her eyes and lose my breath at the passion and beauty I see.

I don't want the moment to end, ever. I don't want to be anywhere but here, in this moment. But I have to know. "Will you run off again when the day ends?"

She takes a deep breath. I can see something I can't identify shining in her eyes. "I will."

I want to ask so many things. Why? Why would she kiss me if she won't acknowledge it tomorrow? Why would she reject me but kiss me? Why would she reject me if she wants to kiss me? Why?

I ask none of them. If this moment has to end; if I can't kiss her again tomorrow, then I will make damn sure I kiss her as much as I can while I can.

She speaks again in a husky tone. "But you can have me for today."

That's all I need to kiss her again, more passionately this time. I kiss her with everything I have, saying everything I can't say tomorrow.

What follows is the best sex I ever had. Like the first time. And the second time. And dammit, I want to do this all the time, not just now.

"Play for me," I ask. No, I plead.

She laughs melodically. "What's with you and playing music after sex?"

"Well, you are beautiful when you are naked but you are even more beautiful when you play."

She does as I ask. She plays for me. I play for her. We play together. We finish the ring together.

The day is even better than the first time because I get to spend more time with her. It's pointless to lie to myself; I am in love with her. I've been in love with her since the moment she first smiled at me and now, I know it to be true.

Then the morning comes…

- Flowers for Your Grave -

Chapter 2: Calm

December 12, 1994

I wait by the corner for potions class to finish and make my move. Snape walks out of the class and I ram into him.

"Sorry, professor. I didn't see you there."

He snarls at me. "How can you not see me, Potter? Do you not have eyes?"

I glare at him though my lips curve up slightly. It should be telling enough but I clue him in verbally as well to be safe. "I'm sorry, sir," I spit. "I have a lot of things on my mind."

"That will be five points for your disrespectful tone, Mr Potter. And a detention of cleaning cauldrons without the aid of magic would help your eyesight, I think. Eight o'clock tonight."

"That's unfair, that is," I complain just for show.

"One more word and I'll have you cleaning the boys' toilet without magic for a week," he threatens.

I nod and make my way to where my excuse for being here is, my friends who I am here to walk to lunch with.

The clock hits eight and I knock on Snape's office door. "Enter."

"I thought it would be a good idea for you to check my progress in Occlumency," I get right into it.

"I gathered that. You were quite obvious with your act. Saying you had a lot on your mind would have sufficed," he informs me. I am surprised he didn't insult me at all. "If you were a spy, you wouldn't survive a day." There it is.

"Of that, I have no doubt. To be a good spy, you'd have to know how to blend into the background, I imagine. I am lousy at that as I'm sure you know."

He looks at me searchingly for a second before barking "clear your mind" and attacking my mind.

I wasn't ready for that at all. That barking wasn't even an attempt to warn me to get ready. His attack is easy to feel as he picks apart my memories with an ease that terrifies me.

I wasn't lying when I said I have too much on my mind. I do. The day before, the wonderful and wondrous day I spent with Fleur is all I can think about.

Now, Snape knows too. Shit.

That small freak out is enough motivation for me to throw him out of my mind as an instinct I didn't know I had kicks in.

We both take deep breaths to gather ourselves. "Please tell me you didn't see too much?"

He looks at me inquiringly and I can't help feel uncomfortable. The man has an uncanny ability of looking at you and making you feel smaller than an ant. "Calm down, Potter. I am not a paedophile. I didn't see your little girlfriend naked."

"She's not my girlfriend," I mumble. He raises an eyebrow as if to ask 'do I look like I care?'

"I have no interest in your love life, Mr Potter. That was pitiful, by the way. You spent so much time dwindling around that if the dark lord ever enters your mind, you can be sure he'll know your every little secret. Not the least of which is your little paramour."

Double shit.

"Well, I kicked you out in the end, didn't I? All I have to do is improve on it."

"Yes, but it still was pitiful. Detecting and ejecting a foreign presence is only a part of Occlumency and the easiest part at that. You have to completely master your mind, know the reason behind every emotion and every thought and become adept at understanding how your mind works. Then and only then you can claim to be an occlumens."

We spend the next five minutes discussing various concepts in relation to Occlumency. Well, I discuss things and ask questions while he finds creative ways to insult me while imparting tiny bits of wisdom.

We have such a healthy relationship.

Just as I open my mouth to ask another question, I notice him grip his wand and ready myself for the oncoming onslaught.

It still takes me a lot of time to get him out of my mind. This time, though, I don't just kick him out. Other than the first memory he sees, of the night Katie spent in my arms, every other memory was something trivial. I showed him the chess match with Ron from a week ago and Hermione ranting about some book I don't remember the name of.

"That was not terrible." That translates to 'good job'.

"You still weren't able to keep me out and Dark Lord won't be as gentle as I am when he's in your mind. He will attack like a rampaging hippogriff, shredding your mind to pieces and when he's through, you'd be lucky to breathe autonomously, let alone think."

'Son, you have to learn how to be always ready for an attack because if Dark Lord ever gets control, you are screwed.'

And gentle? If that was gentle, growing new bones was a love tap. Still, the man has a point.

"Professor, I can't 'clear my mind' as you put it. I can quieten it but I don't get how I can think nothing."

"Stop being an idiot, Potter. No one can think nothing. There are two ways of defending one's mind. The first is to have an impenetrable mind. A mind that is simply not there for anyone to see. That is a rare talent to have; I know no one who can accomplish such a thing. The second, the one you are trying to learn, is by trapping the intruder in a thought or a memory so empty, so inconsequential that it's as if you aren't thinking and by giving them no material to manipulate."

"So I shouldn't try to think nothing. I should try to focus on thinking... an empty clearing, for example?"

"Yes. Now, clear your mind!"

I do better this time. I keep him out of any important information though the technique he's trying to impart still evades me.

"Not bad, Potter. This is enough for today. If you keep this up, I may not be forced to spend an hour once a week in your pitiful presence."

'Great job, Potter! I can see how much pain you are in so we should call it a day. Keep up the good work and hopefully, I'll not have to cause you pain for much longer.'

I get up and move to the door but stop before stepping out. "Thank you, professor. I appreciate your help."

"Get out, Potter."

'Good night, Harry.'

Like I said, a healthy relationship based on respect and mutual admiration.

-HP-

December 17, 1994

I am once again scared out of my breakfast. This time by Aimee jumping on the bench next to me. "Harry! It's snowing!"

"Yeah," *cough*, "that happens," *cough*, "when it's cold."

Fleur and Samantha arrive at a more sedate pace. I didn't see Aimee arrive so I can't be sure the difference between their pace but it's a safe bet.

"I know that, silly. But it's snow. We must go play." Her voice is far too energetic for this early in the morning. It's a little annoying, to be honest.

"How about I finish my breakfast and then take you to play?"

"No. I want to play now."

Fleur shakes her head from behind Aimee. "You can't win. She goes crazy whenever it snows."

"But I-"

Aimee grabs my arm and drags me off my seat. "Let's play."

So we do. We start by building a snowman. Then we have a snowball fight. Another snowman. Snow angels. Snowball fight.

By the time lunchtime rolls around, I am cold, wet and tired. Yet Aimee still wants to play in the snow. "Aren't you the least bit hungry? I'm starving."

"We can eat here. You call that elf friend of yours. Dobs?"

"But-"

"James, stop being silly."

Sigh. "Let's set up a blanket by the lake then." Her head bobs up and down rapidly. There is no way that's healthy. We move to the lake shore after I ask Dobby to set us up with a picnic basket and half a dozen blankets. "Wait. Where are Fleur and Samantha? I've not seen them... in hours."

She smiles at me. "Oh, I only need one friend to play so they suckered you into being the one."

"So what? I'm your babysitter?"

She nods without an ounce of shame or offence. "Yep."

I'm not sure what to feel. Am I that easy to fool? "Why do you love snow so much?"

She looks at me like I'm crazy. "Because it's snow! Duh!"

We reach my spot to find a small feast waiting for us. "Dobby has trouble understanding the concept of 'enough'," I say when Aimee looks at me questioningly.

I arrange the blankets and sit down while she throws herself onto the blankets.

"It's cute how much he adores you," Aimee says as she sits down next to me and munches on a sandwich.

"It was creepy at first. In his sick little mind, breaking my arm is a perfect way to protect me."

Aimee laughs pretty hard at that. "He broke your arm?"

"Yeah. He charmed a bludger to attack me during a Quidditch match. I almost lost my... you know."

She shakes her head. "I don't. Your what?"

I think it's time to change to subject. "How are the preparations for the next challenge coming? Have you figured out the clue yet?"

"I figured it out, of course. Have you? Or are you trying to get me to tell you what the clue is?"

"I haven't worked at it yet, to be honest. I have a lot in my mind lately."

"Like what?"

I gaze on the lake with unseeing eyes. "Everything that's going on. My name coming out of the goblet. Suddenly being this hero to everyone, or a coward depending on who you are asking. Learning how to fight four days a week. Learning Occlumency."

"And Fleur."

"Yeah." It takes me a moment to realise what she said. "Wait, what?"

"You like her a lot. Not like those morons who are caught up in her spell or her beauty."

Should I play it cool or just be honest? "What makes you say that?"

"Half the girls in Hogwarts are mooning over you. Some of them are beautiful even. You could have any of them if that was what you are after. Instead, you are running after Fleur like a lovesick puppy."

"A manly puppy, you mean."

She grins at me and agrees. "Fine, like a lovesick manly puppy."

"Yeah, I was but not anymore. She made it clear she doesn't want to be with me."

"Yet, she kissed you again."

I look at her with wide-eyed surprise. "She told you about that?"

Aimee shrugs. "She didn't have to. I waited all night for her to come back so we can gossip but she didn't."

"Gossip? About what?"

"You," she answers, looking at me like I'm being obtuse.

"What about me?"

"We made a bet. She said you'd definitely use the ring excuse to try to get her to bed."

"And what did you say?"

"I said you were far too excited about the ring for it to be an excuse."

"I was, wasn't I?"

She laughs at me. "You were like a bridesmaid shopping for a wedding gown."

I grin at her description, then sigh. "It doesn't matter, though. She ran off again in the morning."

She gives me a small, secretive smile. "So, that's it?"

"That's what she said." She must be a cinema goer because she laughs at my joke with me. When we settle back, I add, "but yeah, that's it. I asked her out twice. She said no twice. She kissed me twice. She ran off on me twice. What would I gain by pursuing her other than feeling like a stalker?"

"And what will you do if she kisses you again?"

I am saved from having to answer by the arrival of Ron, Hermione, Neville, Balzac, Fleur, and Samantha.

"Oh, food."

Hermione rolls her eyes. "Ron, we are coming from lunch."

"So?"

I ignore the bickering non-couple and turn to Fleur. "I'm hoping you are here to relieve me of babysitter duty?"

She nods and smiles unashamedly.

"No! I want to continue playing with you," Aimee whines.

"But-"

"No."

"I-"

"I said no."

Sigh. "I swear I'm never having children."

The excitable girl ignores me as her face lights up with a new idea. "We should make an ice castle!"

I wave my wand and an ice castle rises up twenty feet from us. "There is your ice castle."

Aimee shakes her head and looks at me like I'm being stupid, again. Something must be off about me. "No, silly. I mean with our hands."

"But I can't feel my hands."

It doesn't work. I whine, I cry, I yell but they still convince me to build an ice castle. At least I'm not alone with the crazy girl this time.

We spend the rest of the afternoon making ice castles in two groups to see whose will be better. Girl versus boys.

Girls win. They always win. Though the wet clothes clinging to their skin may have given them an unfair advantage. Who knows?

-HP-

December 21, 1994

"Hey Harry."

"Hey, Katie."

"What are you doing?"

I turn around from where I'm standing next to the window in my room. "Nothing. Just thinking."

"About what?"

"A question a friend asked me the other day."

"And that is?" she asks with a lifted eyebrow.

"It doesn't matter. What are you doing here?"

She shrugs. "I am bored. Entertain me."

She speaks in a tone so childish I laugh. "How may I entertain you, m'lady?"

She gives me a sultry look and walks up seductively though she stumbles for a step halfway. "I don't know. We can find something fun to do, I'm sure." Her voice is sultry and combined with the tight pants she's wearing that shows off her body and the way she walks... Let's just say it has the desired effects on certain parts of my anatomy.

"Katie…"

"Jamie..." she responds in same trailing tone.

I do a double take on that one. "Jamie? Really?"

"Yeah, it didn't come out like I thought it would."

She's right in front of me now, looking up at me with those bright brown eyes of hers and I can smell a faint note of alcohol on her. My hand finds her cheek. "We can't."

"But-"

"Can you promise me you won't be sad when nothing is different between us tomorrow? Can you promise me you won't be heartbroken?"

"No more than today."

"But if this keeps happening, you won't be able to move on."

"How do you know?"

I smile. "Because I'm awesome?"

"Yeah, I'm not buying that."

"It doesn't matter how I know. How did you feel after the last time?"

She smiles cheekily at me. "Wonderful."

I lose the fight to my ego and smile. "I was talking about the day after but still, that's good to know."

She sighs. "Any boy would have ripped off my clothes by now."

"And they would be lucky to."

"Give me this last night. I am too far gone tonight. I'll get over you tomorrow."

"Tell me I won't cause you any more pain and I will."

She nods. "You won't. I promise."

I look at her eyes, searching, judging the truthfulness of her words. And knowing the lie, I still kiss her.

Ah, how easy it would be to love Katie. How wonderfully simple and good a relationship with her would be.

I hate that life is more complicated than that and hate that I can't decide who I fall in love with. I hate not being in control.

But for tonight, for tonight I can love Katie. For tonight, I can make her happy and for tonight, I can pretend life is as simple as it should be.

I hope I'm not making a mistake.

An hour later finds us in bed, sweaty and in a good mood. Katie is lying with her head on my chest and a thin layer of sheet covering her lower body. She lifts her head and looks at me with shining eyes. "I can't believe I promised to give this up."

I smile at her. "Yes, baby, keep stroking it."

She looks at me with a puzzled expression. "What?"

"My ego. Keep stroking it."

She laughs and I can feel her breasts vibrating on my chest. That feels oddly nice. I wonder why. "Prat."

I pout. "That's the opposite of what I wanted you to do." I tuck her hair behind her ear. "Why do you find me attractive? What about me that makes me different from any other boy?"

"Other than the obvious?"

"Yes, other than my insane charisma and manly, masculine, totally awesome body."

Her laughter fills the room and makes me wonder for a second whether she's laughing at me or at my joke. "Well, for one, you are thoughtful. I don't just mean thoughtful as in making me smile when I'm upset. You worry about not only how I am feeling now but also about what I will be feeling tomorrow. Few people would try not to sleep with me to spare me further heartache."

"You are perceptive. You listen not only to what I say but how I say it. You sometimes understand me better than I do."

"Continue."

"What? Wasn't that enough material for your ego?"

I swing her around so I am looking down on her. "More than enough." I rain down kisses on her jawline and cheeks. "Tonight is not about me, at any rate. Tonight is about you. Command me, my lady, and it shall be done."

Her hand goes to my hair, and she makes a feeble attempt to tame it. "I like that idea. Let's see. What do I want you to do? What do I want you to do?" She muses for a minute before deciding. "I want you to draw me."

"You know I have like fifty drawings of you, right?"

"Ah, but I want you to draw me naked. I want to see what you see when you see me naked."

"Alright, like I said, tonight, you are the princess and I'm your lowly servant." I push myself off of her and stand up. I walk six feet away and turn back to her. "Lie on your side with your elbow propped up. Good." I walk back to her and push her hair back so it doesn't stand in the way of her face. I rearrange the blanket so it covers her hip while leaving one of her legs outside.

I move back again and look at her, taking in every inch of her body and memorising. She looks seductive yet vulnerable, happy and confident yet resigned. She truly looks beautiful and I wonder who will be lucky enough to truly win her.

I walk back to bed and lie next to her all the while she watches me with a puzzled expression. "Aren't you going to draw me?"

"I am. Tomorrow. I work better from memory, it helps me add my perception. More importantly, I want you to enjoy tonight to the fullest and that means not making you pose for nearly an hour. I promise you will have the painting tomorrow. I will charm it so anyone other than you will see… I don't know. I'll figure that part out later."

Her eyes water and my heart breaks. "What's wrong?"

Her voice quivers when she speaks. "Why can't you love me back?"

I look at her eyes when I speak, imploring her to understand. "Because I can't choose who I love. If I could, I'd pick you in a heartbeat. If I could choose, I'd be so happy with you."

"If I could choose who I love, I'd choose you, anyway."

That… that breaks my heart a little more.

"Dammit, I don't want to spend tonight crying." She wipes away her tears angrily. "Promise me something."

"Anything."

"Promise me if whatever it is holding you back goes away… When you are free to love, you'll try to love me."

"That would mean giving you hope, giving you something to cling on when it is healthier to move on."

"I don't care. Promise me."

I graze her cheek with my knuckles and then cup it. I lean in and give a kiss to her forehead.

"I promise."

- Flowers for Your Grave -

Chapter 3: Bells Unrung

December 25, 1994

"Just how long do they plan on making us wait?" Neville asks me in an exasperated tone. "They've been getting ready for three hours."

"According to Sirius, this is what women do. He said to not complain and to just enjoy the results."

The common room is not a beautiful place right now. Every male fourth year and over is standing around, waiting for their dates impatiently. That is a lot of foot tapping and bored sighs.

I hear Neville give a little squeal and glance up to see Ginny walking down the steps. She has a pale blue dress that goes well with her toned skin and red hair. She looks beautiful. "See?"

"You look beautiful," Neville stammers.

"Thank you." The redhead curtsies cutely and hugs the nervous boy's left arm. She looks at me appraisingly. "Hermione said not to wait for her."

I lift my nose up in stubbornness. "Why would I wait for someone who doesn't even tell me who she's going to the ball with," I say as I move to the couch to sit on the armrest.

"Stop being childish."

My response is cut short by the arrival of my date, Katie. She's wearing a black mini-dress that reaches just above her knees with a cut on the left that shows just enough of her thigh to liven up imagination without revealing too much. The damn dress hugs her body like a second skin, highlighting her shapely behind. "Beautiful doesn't even come close to describing you," I whisper to her as I get up and take a step towards her.

"You look rather handsome yourself, Mr Potter," she says taking my hand.

I'm wearing a midnight blue tuxedo with a matching bowtie. It's not my style but Remus insisted I dress appropriate for the occasion. "I know." I give her a crooked smile and she laughs. "Shall we?"

"We shall, shan't we?"

Oh god, not again. Katie is great. She's easy to talk to and a lot of fun. One thing she has is this weird obsession, she loves saying things in ways that sound ridiculously fancy. 'Shan't' is her latest running gag.

"If you say shan't again, I swear I'll ditch you as my date and find a first-year."

"You wouldn't dare!"

I bob my head vigorously. "Oh, yes, yes I would. I'll ditch you so fast you'll get dizzy."

"Fine." She sniffs. "Suck all the joy out of the world, you... you... joy sucker!"

We walk out of the common room and cruise down to the great hall with Neville and Ginny. "That's what Dementors do. Are you comparing me to a Dementor?"

"A Dementor doesn't care how I talk. You are worse than a Dementor." She gasps and her hand moves to her mouth in a pretend shock. "I can't believe I agreed to be your date."

"Well, it's too late now. You are mine and so is your soul." I give what I'm hoping is an evil laugh.

"Don't do that. You suck at doing an evil laugh."

"Like you can do better."

She laughs like a crazy witch which might be true.

"Stop that. Didn't Binns teach you anything? That's the reason Muggles burned witches at stakes."

"Really?"

I nod knowingly. "Yes. That's why Statute of Secrecy forbids us from laughing around Muggles. So they won't get scared and burn us."

She looks up at me with comically large eyes as if I am the second coming of Merlin. "Wow. You are just so smart."

"I know, baby, I know."

"Will you two cut it out?" Ginny says. "You are being ridiculous. Muggles didn't burn witches because we laugh like maniacs. They burned us because when we laugh too much, we get these giant moles on our faces and those moles are ugly. They can't stand ugly."

Katie gasps. "I will never laugh again. I can't let anything mess with this gorgeous face of mine."

"Good. I hate it when women do that."

"Do what? Laugh?" Neville asks.

"Yeah. A good woman should never show her teeth, should be obedient and should know how to cook. Everything else they do is just above their station." I wait for the rant but it doesn't come.

"Hermione isn't here, mate," Neville points out.

"Dammit. I wasted such a good material for nothing."

We reach the doors to the great hall but before we could go in, Professor McGonagall stops us. "Mr Potter, the champions and their dates will enter last as the guests of honour."

Neville and Ginny wave and go in to the great hall while we move away from the doors.

"Makes sense. It wouldn't do to treat us like commoners," I whisper to Katie. I have no intention of raising McGonagall's ire for a cheap joke.

"Why are you acting weird?"

I stare at her with shifty eyes. "I am Draco Malfoy polyjuiced to look like Harry Potter."

She cocks her head to the side in contemplation. "Whatever. I'm okay with that."

I gasp. "How dare you?"

She shakes her head and smiles at me. "How are you coming along with the clue to the second task?"

"Haven't focused on it yet. I think the shrieking is a code. Maybe a language or I have to do something specific for it to ma... ke..."

"Harry? Oh."

Yeah, oh. Fleur just entered the entrance hall in Roger fucking Davies' arm. She's wearing a dark blue mermaid-dress that just kills me and makes my heart go into overdrive. The colour of her dress highlights her hair perfectly. She looks so...

Fuck!

Yep, tonight is going to suck. I shake my head to clear it and focus back on my date. Katie and I may go as friends but I will not ruin her night by mooning over another girl or sulking. "I'm sorry. As I was saying, I don't care about the clue right now. I want to enjoy this holiday season without worrying over this tournament."

She smiles appreciatively at my attempt. "I hope you are not making a mistake."

"I care little about the tournament. I'll win either way and there are more important things in life."

"Like what?"

"Like the fact that I have a beautiful girl in my arm and more importantly, Quidditch."

"Quidditch is more important than me?" She wipes a fake tear out of her eye.

"Yep. Quidditch is love; Quidditch is life."

"I thought I was going to this ball with Harry Potter, not Ronald Weasley."

"I am actually Ronald Weasley polyjuiced to look like Draco Malfoy polyjuiced to look like Harry Potter."

She laughs sweetly.

"Hey! I thought we agreed that women should not laugh."

"I'm sorry, mister. Please don't punish me." She speaks in a voice that just begs to be punished, the naughty girl.

"Next time you laugh, I will bend you over my knee and spank you."

She seems to like that idea if the glint in her eye is any sign.

Thankfully, Professor McGonagall walks back out of the hall before Katie can response. "Champions, please line up with your dates in order of points."

I stop Katie from moving. I have to do this. It takes a few moments, but it works.

"Mr Potter, you are up first," McGonagall reminds.

"Sorry. I forget how awesome I am sometimes." I give her a grin when she has a hard time hiding her smile. "I think my age is catching up."

Katie takes my arm and we enter with our heads held high. The hall is filled with decorations that are edging the line between classy and overdone. Everyone turns to us and claps softly, and the room feels suffocating with everyone's gaze on us. We make our way to the table that is sitting where the staff table usually is. The three school heads, Bagman and Percy of all people are sitting with empty seats around them. Percy waves me to the seat next to him but I ignore it in favour of the seat next to Albus.

Gentleman, I am, so I help Katie to her chair before sitting down myself. The house tables are gone. Instead, hundreds of small round tables adorn Great Hall with Christmas trees and various other ornaments around them.

"Good evening, Harry, Miss Bell," the headmaster greets us.

"Good evening, Albus. How are you this fine evening?" I say in a pretentious tone.

He smiles at my tone but doesn't respond as everyone else takes their seats. Once everyone is seated, he looks down to his plate and speaks to his plate in a clear voice, "Pork chops!" The pork chops appear in an instant. Fancy.

I order something light, not wanting something silly like sustenance to impede my celebration of drunken monkeys everywhere.

"Tell me, Harry, how goes your Occlumency training?" Albus asks in a low tone.

"It's going well, I think. I visited Snape two weeks ago. He almost complimented me."

"Yes, he mentioned you were progressing along nicely. I don't know whether he was truly impressed or his desire to not see your face anymore than necessary was overwhelming his senses." Those damn twinkling eyes again. I want to learn how to do that.

"Well, the feeling is mutual I'm afraid. Though I have to admit, we are getting along better but that may be because we see little of each other."

"Yes. Severus is far too happy about that for my liking."

I turn my attention to my date when there is a lull in the conversation. It wouldn't do to ignore my date in favour of talking to an old man. "How is your food?"

"It's good. I didn't know you referred to the headmaster with his first name." She whispers the second part as if she may lose points if someone hears her.

"I normally do that only when we are in private but he made me dress like a monkey so I will do as I please."

"Isn't it weird? I mean he's the headmaster and like, the most powerful man alive."

"Nah, he's just grandpa Albus. I've known him since I was a baby."

"That's just weird."

"You are weird."

"Na-ah." I smile at her. It really is easy to talk to her. "Thank you for agreeing to this."

She looks at me through her eyelashes to look sexy and frankly; it is working. "It's my pleasure."

"Don't say pleasure while you are dressed like that, please. It sends the wrong message."

"Wrong message to who?"

"To the command central downstairs," I answer with a pointed stare.

"I thought we were going to be just friends."

The hope in her eyes kills me and I take a sip of my wine to calm my self-recrimination and arousal down. Wait, wine? Albus really went all out tonight, I see.

I put down the glass and fiddle with my cufflinks. "Katie, I..."

"I know. I'm just messing with you." She looks a little downcast. I don't think she was joking.

I must do something nice for her. I hate that I am the reason she's upset.

I focus on my food for now and let her to her thoughts. After eating for a while, I glance around the table. Cedric is chuckling at something Cho said. Krum and Hermione are having a heated discussion about... Wait, Hermione?! What the hell? How did I not recognise her? She looks beautiful in a pink dress. She put on a little makeup that adds to her earthly beauty. She also tamed her mane. Oh. That's why I didn't recognise her.

Hermione turns looks at me as if she felt my silent shock and raises an eyebrow. We are far from each other so I can't talk to her but I point to her face and give her a thumbs up. She smiles back in response.

I continue my inspection of the other occupants of the table, skilfully ignoring Fleur and Davies. Aimee is with a brunette girl, laughing at something she says. Britt and his date seem to be the only ones not enjoying the special evening as Britt eats silently and the large boy with her looks around impassionately.

The potential comedy gold mine is the Bagman, Karkaroff and Percy trio; Bagman speaks excitedly while Percy and Karkaroff share frustrated glances. At one point, Percy whispers something to the Ukrainian man who throws a dirty smirk at the fat one.

I put whatever stupidity going on there out of my mind and turn to the brunette next to me. "Do you know what Hermione did to tame her hair?" I ask Katie. "Maybe it can help with mine."

"I thought you liked your hair."

"I do. I'm asking in case I want to try something new and uncool."

"You are the only one that thinks your hair is cool."

"Hey now! That's an obvious lie. Everyone worships my hair."

"They don't."

I put my hand in my heart. "They don't? But... But..." I wipe away a fake tear.

"I was just joking. Don't cry."

"That's a horrible joke." My tone turns indignant. "You can't just say things like that about my hair."

"I'm sorry."

"Be glad we are in polite company or I would spank you, you naughty girl. That's your second offense."

She giggles cutely. I'm just glad she's in a better mood.

Dumbledore rises to his feet and invites everyone to do so. He waves his hand and all the tables except two dozen by the doors disappeared. Cool trick. Everyone is probably thinking some amazing feat of wandless magic. The reality is far simpler once again; house-elves.

A platform appears with instruments and a group called Weird Sisters take the stage amongst the excited applause of the crowd.

When Dumbledore asks the champions and their dates to take to the floor for the opening dance, I turn to Katie. "Would you do me the honour of dancing with me, oh fair maiden?"

"Okay."

I lead her to the dance floor slowly. "Really? Okay? I ask you to dance with me in a most sophisticated tone and all you can do is 'okay'? Young people these days have no decorum."

She puts a hand on my shoulder as I take the other in my hand. "Young? You are younger than me, little boy."

My empty hand finds her hip and I give a little squeeze to add to my words. "Hah! I'll have you know I'm wise beyond my years."

She squeezes my shoulder a little painfully. "Shut up and dance."

"Yes, ma'am!"

We dance to the waltz, and to be honest, it is more than a little awkward. I'm still no fan of dancing. The only time I enjoyed dancing was... No. I won't go there.

We dance for three songs before taking a break to get drinks and rest. I, being the gentleman I am, take on the difficult job of getting the drinks. Just as I take two cups of... an unidentifiable red concoction, world's most lovely voice interrupts me. "Enjoying yourself, Harry?"

I turn around. "I am. How about you? Where is Davies?"

"He's talking to his friends, I believe."

I look her up and down and take in her beauty before I can stop myself. "You look beautiful."

She gives me a small smile and takes a sip of the wine she's holding. "Thank you. You don't look bad yourself."

"I better be. I paid ridiculous amounts of money for this monkey get up."

"Not a fan, I take it?" she asks with a grin.

"What gave it away? The monkey comment or the obvious discomfort I am in?" I ask in a mocking tone.

"It was the monkey comment."

We stare at each other saying nothing for a moment. "Why are you here, Fleur? Shouldn't you be dancing with your date?"

She sniffs, looking decidedly uncomfortable. "I could ask you the same thing."

"I was getting Katie and me something to drink."

She points to the cups in my hands. "You have your drinks."

"Yes, I should get going. Enjoy your night, Fleur." I stride past her.

"I will."

Okay, was it me or was that conversation weird and charged? Well, she made her bed.

I walk back to where Katie is talking to Angelina and Alicia. "I hope I'm not interrupting a riveting session of gossiping, ladies."

"You are but I'll forgive you this one time if you promise not to do it again," Alicia answers.

The tension between Alicia and Angelina and me have abated since the confrontation in the common room. I wouldn't say we are friends but we are friendly.

"I can't make such a promise. As a guy, it's my duty to stop you crazy ladies from plotting us poor gentlemen's untimely death."

"Shit! He's onto us. We have to kill him before he tells everyone," Katie says, looking around her as if to check for witnesses.

I give my date her drink. "Where are your dates?"

Angelina points to the open doors of the great hall. "They went to get the booze."

I nod and sit down next to Katie. "God, I hate dancing."

"Yes, thanks to you, I share the sentiment. You kept missing the ground and stepping on my feet," Katie complains. "I don't understand how you managed that. I have the smallest feet."

"I'm sorry. I should have warned you beforehand that I am no dancer."

"I might consider forgiving you if you give me a foot rub."

I shudder at the idea. "Yikes! Don't even say it. I don't like feet."

"Really? Why?"

"I don't know but I always have. Washing my feet is the only part I hate about bathing."

She takes a sip of her drink. "Merlin, you are weird."

"Am not. Feet are gross and ugly. If I could, I would cut off my feet and throw it in the trash where they belong."

Katie's response is cut off by Ron throwing himself onto a chair. His hair is in a disarray as if he kept messing with it out of frustration and his bowtie is nowhere to be found. "Can you believe her?! She's consorting with the enemy!"

Alicia and Angelina take one look at Ron and disappear. I consider cracking a 'you can't apparate or disaparate inside Hogwarts' but shrug off the urge.

"Let me guess, you asked Hermione out too late and when you did, you did it like you are doing her a favour. Now, she's dancing with Viktor and you are jealous," I drawl.

He shakes his head in denial and glares at me. "I'm not jealous. Krum is your competition. She shouldn't be with him."

I sit up straight and stare at Ron. "Ron, you are an idiot. Hermione can date whoever she wants as long as she stays away from Malfoy. If you want to be the one Hermione dances, ask her before considering every other girl in the school like she's some last resort."

Ron reddens and gapes like a fish, trying to find a suitable come back.

"Look, mate, I love you like a brother but you can be more stupid than a particularly stupid mountain troll sometimes. Go out there, ask her for a dance, tell her she's beautiful and that you should've asked her. Grow balls, man."

He sits there for a full minute, looking like he can't decide whether to ask me to hold his hand while he does as I say or to punch me before giving me a nod and walking to Hermione determinately.

"That was a good pep talk," Katie says.

"Thanks."

We sit silently for a few minutes. I glance around the dance floor and find Fleur immediately. She's dancing with Davies awkwardly. Davies must be a worse dancer than me to make Fleur seem bad at it. I can't help sigh in remembrance.

"You love her, don't you?"

"Who?" I turn to the brunette.

She looks at me like I'm being exceptionally Ron. "Delacour."

I lean back and look up. "I think I do."

We sit silently for a few minutes while I sulk. Dammit, I promised myself I wouldn't. This was a bad idea. I shouldn't have asked Katie.

I sigh and massage my forehead, using my hand to avoid looking at the girl next to me. "Katie, if you want to dance or hang out with your friends, I wouldn't mind. I don't think I'll dance anymore tonight and I wouldn't want you to stay out of some sense of obligation."

"Are you sure?"

Relieved at her easy acceptance and her eagerness, I look up at her and nod. "Yeah, go have fun. I'm sorry for being a bad date."

"It's okay. You can't be awesome at everything." She smiles and gets up to leave. "Good night, James."

"Have fun." I look after her for a few seconds before glancing around and seeing Hermione dance with Viktor. I search the hall for Ron but can't find him. Guess he must've left.

That poor idiot. He'll learn, though. I'm just glad he left without ruining Hermione's night.

I'm brought out of my pondering by a tired Aimee who throws herself to the chair next to me. "Are you having fun, Harry?"

Samantha joins us in a more ladylike manner.

"Oh, yes. This is just so great."

My sarcasm is not lost on her. "Why stay if you aren't enjoying yourself?"

My response is lost when the bright flash of Colin's camera burns my irises. "Colin, remember what we agreed on?"

"Sorry, Harry."

"Take another one. That one won't see the light of day," I order him not so kindly.

Both girls scoot closer and we smile at the camera. Colin takes half a dozen pictures before moving on to somewhere else.

"Would you ladies like a drink?"

Samantha is the one to respond. "Our dates are getting us something."

"I meant alcoholic."

"Oh, okay then."

"Dobby." I wait for the customary pop but nothing happens. Weird. "Dobby if you can hear me, can you bring me a bottle of whiskey and a bottle of wine from my cooler? Some glasses too?" The whiskey and the glass appear with a nearly silent pop. "Thank you."

I pour myself and the girls the drinks and sip my whiskey. My eyes on 'her' once again. We make eye contact but I refuse to look away. She turns back to her awkward dancing with Davies, leans in and kisses him.

Not cool. I look down at my half empty glass, finish it and pour another one.

"Okay there, Harry?" sweet Aimee asks.

"Yeah, why?"

She points to the glass I filled a moment ago. "You look like you can't get drunk fast enough."

I give her what I'm sure is an awkward smile. "Oh, this? You can't dance like a drunken monkey without getting drunk first."

She smiles at my weak joke. "You must teach me that dance. You looked like you were having a ton of fun at the club."

"First, you drink enough to make you brave enough to be stupid." I take a large sip as an example. "Then you do whatever you have to do to make your friends embarrassed so they'll run away, leaving you to make a fool out of yourself without even realising." I look down at my glass and get lost in thoughts.

I am not sure whether that night was a blessing or a curse. It was one of the best nights of my life, yet, if I hadn't stayed, if I hadn't asked, I wouldn't be this mess of unrequited desires.

Aimee brings me out of my musings. "She likes you too, you know."

"Oh, yeah. It's so obvious with the way she was kissing Davies." I look around as I take another large sip.

It is a nice night, to be honest, thanks to high tempo music, heightened teenage hormones and copious amounts of smuggled alcohol, everyone is having fun. The night looks to be filled with excitement and drunken regrets for my schoolmates and the visiting students.

"I'm going to get some air. You ladies enjoy your evening." I take the whiskey bottle and my glass and make my way out of the castle. It's a peaceful night with the snow-covered grounds and gentle wind, a beautiful contrast to how I'm feeling right about now.

I find an empty bench near the black lake and sit down. Normally, when I am upset, I draw or play piano because my thoughts bother me so much. Tonight, I don't feel like doing either yet my brain is begging for silence.

I drink and watch the lake for a long time, thinking. When I have enough of that, I start rapidly transfiguring stones I find on the ground to wood, cast a Stay-Dry charm on it and transfigure it to a miniature version of Hogwarts. Then I burn it to ground and start over. I do this over and over, for two straight hours.

It's therapeutic, and it's better than having my mind run off. Every time I burn down a Hogwarts, I build it bigger and in greater detail. The one I'm working on now is three foot tall and ten foot wide. I don't burn down this one. Instead, I focus on building the grounds. The forest is the first to be added. The Quidditch pitch follows. Then the lake. As I add the twelfth and last Thestral, I hear 'her'.

"What are you doing, Harry?"

I don't look up. There are still details that need finishing. I need to finish them. "I am making a miniature version of Hogwarts."

"Why?"

"Because reasons."

I start on Hagrid's hut and follow that with five Hippogriffs. Then comes the greenhouses.

"Why aren't you inside, dancing with your date?" she asks me.

"Because I hate dancing. Why aren't you?"

"Because I'm tired of his drooling."

I laugh at that but I still don't look up from my work.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. Just a funny thought."

"Then share it with me so I can laugh with you." I'm not sure but she sounds a little upset.

"Well, considering it was you who was kissing him, I find it hypocritical of you to be the one complaining."

"That... was a mistake."

I laugh at her wording. "Merlin! Do you call it a mistake every time you kiss someone?"

Centaurs and Acromantulas. Unicorns. The whomping willow.

She doesn't answer. "If you were going to leave her, why did you ask her?"

"She deserves to have fun. I wasn't willing to ruin her night for my sake while she was doing me a favour."

"What favour?"

I finally look up. She looks so beautiful with her cheeks red from the cold and snow falling around her. Angelic. That's the only way to describe how she looks.

"Well, I didn't want to invite just anyone. It was either someone I liked or someone I'm friends with. Hermione already had a date. Other than her, Katie is the only girl I can say I'm friends with so I asked her."

She sits down next to me. "May I?" She points to the whiskey bottle.

"Dobby, would you bring another glass, please?"

When the glass appears, I pour her and myself a glass each and we sip in silence. I turn back to my Hogwarts when I am halfway through the glass. There is a lot yet to be done. The giant squid, the merpeople.

Merpeople? Can it be? The task will focus on water which means it will probably involve the black lake somehow. I still remember that beautiful, naked mermaid's shrieking laughter when I made an arse of myself. Hah. It must be it.

"What are you thinking?"

I look up with a start. "What?"

She points to the small Hogwarts. "You suddenly stopped."

"Oh, yeah. I figured out what the shrieking in the clue is. It's how mermaids sound when they are out of the water."

"I know."

My eyes find the lake once again and we fall silent. It's not an uncomfortable silence, but it is charged with things that need to be said.

"Aimee likes you very much," she tells me.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't mean romantically if that's what you are asking."

I chuckle silently. "Good."

"Why is that good?"

"Because while I'd like to consider us friends, I can't offer her anything more than that."

"Why not?"

I cross my arms and look her in the eye. "Same reason I can't return Katie's feelings."

We look at each other silently. The moment feels very much like how it felt in my room right before she kissed me and that spurs me to action. "I should go." I get up.

She stops me with a hand on my arm. I glimpse back at her when she stands up. I don't know how it happened, but she's awfully close again and her hands are in mine.

I know where this is going and I don't want the pain. I meant what I said to Katie when she came to my room. The longer this goes on, the more she kisses me and leaves, the harder I will fall and I hope I'm smart enough to say no to that.

"Please don't," I whisper and if she hears the slight desperation in my voice, she doesn't react.

"Why not?" she whispers back, staring into my eyes with her bright blue ones, keeping me in place, unable to escape her clutches.

God, I sound far too melodramatic but there is truth to it.

"Because you will run off again in the morning and I can't keep doing that. I can't keep watching you leave."

She says nothing in response, just continues to look me in the eyes with those damn beautiful eyes of her and I chuckle nervously. "You have no idea what you are doing, do you?"

"What am I doing?"

I don't answer. Not because I'm ashamed or anything. Because I am not sure what the answer is. "What do you want from me, Fleur?"

"A kiss."

"Why me? If all you want is a kiss, I'm sure Davies would be happy to oblige." I fight off the urge to vomit at the idea.

Her shoulders stiffen and her nose flare. She let's go of my hands. Why is she mad? "You are right. Maybe I should go to him."

I don't like the loss of her skin but I don't show. I give her a sad, thin smile. "You haven't answered my question. Why me?"

She hesitates a few seconds. "Because I matter to you."

It makes sense. I don't know Davies well enough to comment on what he sees in Fleur but from the way he looked, I doubt his attention and desires were anything 'real'.

I ruffle my hair, sit back down on the bench and pour myself another glass, knowing I'm making a mistake yet unable to not make it.

Damn you, hormones!

"Would you like one?"

She lifts an eyebrow and looks down at me saying nothing for a minute while I drink. When the minute is over, she sits as well and pours herself a glass.

I turn my whole body to her halfway and put an arm behind her back, on the bench. "Will you?"

She turns a little as well and tilts her head to a side. "Will I what?"

"Will you run off again in the morning and act like nothing happened?"

"I... I don't know."

I laugh silently. "I am making a big mistake but dammit, you look so damn kissable right now." I move a little closer to her.

Her lips tilt upward slightly to form a smug smile and this time, I doubt it's a mask or a jest. "I always look 'damn' kissable."

I chuckle. That smug smile looks so cute on her. With her lips red and cheeks pink from cold, eyes sparkling with mischief, she looks like a kid that won a lifetime supply of ice cream. "That's just not true."

Her eyes narrow and her smile gets a dangerous quality to it. "Oh, really? Give me one example of when I didn't look kissable?"

"I can't think of anything right now but I'm sure there are times."

Smugness returns. "Just admit it. I always look kissable."

I keep myself from smiling with a great effort. "Never."

She moves a little closer. "Admit it."

"No."

A little closer. "If you admit the truth, I will reward you."

I lose the battle and smile. "Bribery? I like your style. What is the reward?"

"A kiss."

"We will kiss no matter what."

She moves a few inches back. "Just for that, I won't let you kiss me."

"That is cruel, threatening me like that." She shrugs and smiles a little more. "I don't like threats."

She looks at me invitingly. "What are you going to do about it?"

I lean to her and whisper, "tickle you."

She leans all the way back on the bench, almost laying on her back, her face a mockery of exaggerated fear. "You wouldn't dare!"

I move towards her, on top of her. "Are you sure?"

"I..." She hesitates. "Yes, I'm sure," she declares when I lift an eyebrow smugly.

"You are right. I couldn't do that to you." I lean in and give her a chaste kiss. "Or could I?" I tickle her sides just above her hip.

She giggles in response immediately. "Stop... Please... I give. You win."

It takes a few seconds for her to calm down and I enjoy the way her chest moves as she heaves. She looks so cute and sexy at the same time. All the movement caused her dress to shift and show a little of her black, lacy bra. Her cheeks are flushed a little more, adding to her sexiness even with the glare she's directing at me.

"You are beautiful." Her glare is gone in an instant, in its place a soft expression and a smile.

"Take me to your room."

"Not yet."

She frowns in confusion. "Why not?"

"I'm sure you can figure out the reason. It's poking at you right now."

Her eyes shine with understanding and she giggles. "And you claim I don't look kissable and sexy all the time."

"I must have a weakness for lacy lingerie."

It takes her a moment to catch on to what that means. She pushes me off and adjusts her dress. Once she's satisfied with the state of her dress, she turns back. "It's good to know."

"Why?"

She smiles knowingly. "It might come in handy."

"For what? You can't mean the tournament unless you plan on putting on a show for the masses."

She leans into me seductively. "I'm sure I'll figure something out."

"Somehow, I know you will."

She gives me a passionate kiss and moves on top of me. "If you keep doing that, we'll never make it to the room," I breathe out once we break off, her hips pressing against me, giving me shivers.

She kisses my jaw, then my neck. "I guess," another kiss, "we don't," another kiss, "need to hurry."

I lift her off me and stand up from the bench while she wraps her legs around me. "I guess I can disillusion us."

She smiles at me with triumphant. "What's the rush?"

"I can't wait to hear you play."

The laughter she rewards me with while I cast the charm and carry her towards my room at a quick pace is music to my soul.

-HP-

December 26, 1994

I wake up blissful and warm, the afternoon sun is filling the room with an orange hue, matching my outlook. My brain fights through the light hangover to catch up with reality. I can't help love reality sometimes. There is a goddess sprawled over my chest sleeping, her face displaying none of the worries and walls she carries with her, a small smile on her lips.

She will want to leave, again, but I don't intend to let her. I will fight. If she leaves anyway, if this morning resembles the other two mornings we shared, I will assume there can be no future for us. If that happens, I will give her a final kiss and bury the memories.

A kiss that says forget-me-not. And a burial that will help me forget.

I wrap my arm around her shoulders and breathe in her aroma. A light tone of sweat mixed with flowers. She always smells of flowers. I'm not sure which combination of flowers but she does. I don't understand how that is even possible and nothing I read about Veela alludes to an ability to explain it. Even the best of perfumes should have lost its smell after last night after all the dancing and all the sex.

And yeah, I'd like one of those perfumes for myself because I sure stink due to the number of times I burned down small Hogwarts'.

She murmurs in her sleep which means she will wake up soon. She did that the last time she spent the night in my bed. I can't believe I get to say that. 'The last time she spent the night in my bed'.

"Dobby," I whisper and a muffled pop announces the little guy's arrival, proving just how attentive he really is.

"What can I do for you, ma- Harry James?"

"Can you bring us breakfast? Chocolate croissants and fruits. A pot of tea too." I consider what else we might need and add, "and clean clothes for Fleur?"

"Yes, Harry James." With a snap of his bony fingers, breakfast and a change of clothes for Fleur appear.

"Thank you, little buddy."

Pop.

I feel a movement on my chest and look down to see sleepy eyes and a sloppy smile of my goddess. I say goddess not only because she's gorgeous but because she's the only thing I worshiped before going to bed.

Yeah, I absolutely don't want her to leave.

She yawns. "Good morning."

Corners of my mouth tug upward without I even realise. "It is a good morning, isn't it?" I tighten my arms around her a little. "I had Dobby bring us breakfast. Do you want to shower first or eat?"

She kisses me. It is a first. The other two mornings, she shied from even throwing a glance at me. "How about we sweat a little before showering?"

I blink once, twice, thrice in surprise. "But I don't want to play Quidditch."

She lets out a charming laugh and kisses me. It's not passionate or heated. It is sleepy and contented; a perfect kiss in a special way.

"You will play for me after, right?" I ask when our lips separate.

"If I say no, will you not sleep with me?"

I screw up my face as if I'm considering it. "Well..."

She taps on my chest twice with her palm. "It doesn't matter. You don't have a say in this."

"True."

An hour later finds us eating breakfast in bathrobes. Well, I eat, she devours. It's like watching a gorgeous, female version of Ron. "You can calm down, you know. There is more than enough food."

She grins and cleans the chocolate I was planning to clean with a kiss from the corner of her mouth. "I wasn't able to eat last night because of the way Davies kept staring at me the whole time."

"Still, it wouldn't hurt to have table manners," I say snootily and laugh when she glares. "I'm just joking. You look cute."

She gives me a 'damn right' nod and returns to her eating. She studies the room as she eats while I consider the differences in her behaviour between this morning and the other two mornings. She's happier and more open. I don't know what brought on this change but I am not the one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

She swallows the piece of orange she was eating and asks, "are those my clothes?"

"Yep. I asked Dobby to bring them for you. I assumed you wouldn't want to walk around in yesterday's dress."

"That's thoughtful of you."

I smile brightly. "What can I say? I am a gentleman."

She nods absentmindedly before focusing on my face. "You thought I would leave right away, didn't you?"

"It was a safe bet. I can safely say I am delightfully surprised."

She hums and returns to her food at a more sedate pace. "I was planning to."

"What changed?"

She considers something for a moment before answering, "I thought about what you asked last night. Why you? Why do I keep coming back to you? I meant what I said yesterday. When you kiss me, I matter. I am not just beautiful or sexy. I am Fleur Delacour, not a Veela without an identity. I like that. I like that a lot."

"I'm glad you do. I like Fleur Delacour a lot."

She gives me a warm smile before her forehead wrinkles in thought. "You said you can't keep watching me leave, and I realised it wasn't fair of me to expect you to. I'm not saying we should go on dates or anything. We are not a couple. But we are also not friends. Am I making any sense to you right now?"

I shake my head. "Nope. But I like the way it sounds so I won't analyse it. Much." I take a large sip of tea. "Can I assume that means you will be more frequent around here?"

"I won't be visiting your bed every night if that's what you are asking."

"I don't mean just sex. Sex is brilliant but I enjoy spending time with you, even just talking." I tilt my head to the side and smile. "Besides, it's you who always starts the kissing. I asked you to dance, and you kissed me. I asked your help on enchanting a ring and you kissed me. I was building a miniature Hogwarts last night when you came and kissed me."

She turns up her nose at me. "Fine. I won't kiss you until you kiss me then."

My smile turns cheeky. "I won't keep you waiting for too long, don't worry."

She gives me an indulging smile before turning serious. "Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"What is your relationship with Katie? The full extent."

I take a minute to gather my thoughts and figure out how to explain. "Like I said, we are friends. She has feelings for me I don't reciprocate. We slept together twice. It won't happen again though."

"Because of me?"

"Yes, and no. It won't happen again because she can't get over me as long as we sleep together. It will only add to her pain."

Her eyebrows knit in confusion and consideration. "That has nothing to do with me."

"You are the main reason, I believe, I can't return her feelings. If I hadn't met you this summer, I might have fallen in love with her. After my birthday, I couldn't stop thinking about you. Even when I slept with her, a part of me compared her to you, I don't know why."

One corner of her mouth curls up in a smug smile. "Because I'm awesome?"

"Hey! That's my line."

"And yet, when I say it, it is true."

We get to know each other a little more during the next two hours by asking personal questions in-between joking and flirting. I find out her father is a head auror for the French version of DMLE. She listens to two of my adventures. I learn that her most serious relationship lasted a little over a month and ended because of a misunderstanding. She learns my 'Parrot charm' and sends a message to Aimee.

I learn one thing that makes me like her even more. Puck likes her. He spends half an hour on her lap which is twenty-eight minutes longer than any other person but me. It seems like she has Puck's approval and I'm not sure why but that's important. Don't get me wrong, Puck likes every one of my friends but the most he allows them to do is petting him for a short while.

I give in and kiss her at the end of those two hours and we move back to bed so I can worship her more. Before you blame me, who could last longer with 'her' sitting in front of you in nothing but a bathrobe that keeps revealing sinful flesh.

We don't leave the room the whole day and she spends a second night in a row in my bed. Just before I sleep, a thought hits me: it was the perfect day and from now on, every day will feel bleak compared to it.

I'm okay with that.

-HP-

December 27, 1994

I wake up alone in bed and for a reason I am not awake enough to identify; I don't like that one bit. I groggily sit up in bed and shake my head to clear the metaphorical cobwebs.

I hear a giggling and turn to see Fleur sitting by the table in nothing but one of my shirts and her knickers, looking as sexy as ever. She's eating breakfast. More accurately, she's holding a fork to eat but can't because of her giggling.

"What are you laughing at?"

"You look cute when you wake up."

I shake my head at that. "Not cute. Handsome is the word to describe me."

"Why? What's wrong with cute?"

I get up, walk over and land a kiss on her neck. She nuzzles back to my chest. "Cute is what you call a puppy or a baby. Not someone sexy like me," I breathe out.

She lifts her nose. "I'll call you whatever I want."

"Fine. As long as you keep calling my name like you did last night, you can call me whatever you want."

The breakfast is once again a variety of French pastries. My stomach rumbles with hunger so I sit down next to Fleur while she laughs. "Hungry?" she teases.

I smile at that. "I wasn't able to eat much last night because of the way you kept staring at me."

She throws a piece of her food at me. "I wasn't."

"Sure thing, Princess." I take a bite of waffle. "What time is it?"

"A little past eleven."

I throw another piece to my mouth and jump from the chair. "Shit. I have to go." I rush over to my wardrobe for clean clothes.

"Why?"

I stop at that. Why not? "This was a mistake," I say with a sad glance.

"What?" She takes a moment to catch up. "Oh, you bastard. Throwing my words back at me, I see?"

I laugh at that. "I couldn't resist."

"You will pay for that."

"I know. I do need to go though. I have to meet with my godfather at eleven to take a portkey to a tournament in Ibiza."

"What tournament?"

"A duelling tournament sponsored by European Duelling Association."

"I heard about that. Isn't that for professionals?"

"It is. Sirius thought it would be a good test for me." I put on a long-sleeved black shirt and glance back at her. "Why don't you and Aimee come as well?"

"I can't."

I walk back to the table to eat more. "Why not? It'll be a good workout for the duelling tournament in April."

She throws me a puzzled glance. "Aren't you supposed to be registered with ICW to join?"

"It's nothing a little gold can't fix. I'm not registered either."

"I don't want to embarrass myself against experienced duellers."

I smile at her. "That's the best part. Because they are experienced duellers, even if you lose in the qualifiers, you won't have anything to be embarrassed about. Besides, I am sure you'll make it to the second rounds at the least."

She looks at me unsurely. "How do you know?"

"Fleur, you are a Triwizard champion and a powerful witch." She still looks unsure. It isn't a look that suits well with her. "I already plan to train a little with Remus and Sirius before the tournament. You can join us. They will be happy to give you some pointers."

"How long do I have to decide? I should talk to Aimee."

"Portkey leaves in five. I want to go shopping beforehand but I can do that some other time so there is no hurry."

She throws a piece of orange in her mouth and stretches which does wonders to my blood flow. "If there is no hurry…" she trails off in a seductive tone and gives me a provocative pose.

I saunter to her and wrap my hands around her from behind. "With your looks, you can convince me to skip this tournament without an effort." I brush my lips over her neck and suck, leaving behind a red skin that stands out on her.

"That will leave a mark," she says yet her tone offers no complaint.

"My apologies," I whisper. "How can I make it up to you?"

She turns on her chair and wraps her hands around my neck. "I'll figure something out later."

An hour later, we leave the castle and go our separate ways after she gives me a chaste kiss on my cheek. That's sweet. She will talk to Aimee and send me a 'parrot' while I meet with Sirius and Remus in The Three Broomsticks for lunch though I doubt I'll eat anything

I stroll to the Hogsmeade with a stupid grin that doesn't show the effort I'm putting into figuring out a way to avoid the teasing I most definitely will receive from the greying duo. What will they tease me about? Well, for starters, the red mark on my neck that sticks out like a sore thumb. As soon as they see it, they will know why I'm late. Then, there is a possibility of Fleur joining us.

I sure hope she comes though. No matter how much teasing I will have to endure, Fleur's presence will be more than make up for it.

I am not sure where we are in our relationship, or what we are exactly. Like she said, we are not friends. We are not dating. We are… I don't know but I will not question it. With Fleur's tendency to draw back, I don't think it would earn me anything but another 'this was a mistake' moment.

I enter the Three Broomsticks to find Sirius and Remus eating lunch. "You realise, a responsible guardian would worry about the reason behind his charge's lateness."

Sirius turns in his seat and grins. "Who says I wasn't worried?" I raise an eyebrow in question. "I did, in fact, come to your room to check up on you half an hour ago. Do you know what I found?"

"Oh, fuck."

"That's the word for it." His grin grows even more.

"Tell me you saw nothing," I beg.

"Don't worry, the sounds reaching to the stairs were enough to clue me into your wellbeing so I saw no need to enter the room."

I flop myself to a chair and put my head in my hands. "And I was having such a great day."

Remus laughs at that. "I bet."

I open my mouth to curse them but a feminine voice interrupts me, "Harry, how lovely to see you here."

"Double fuck." I turn around to find Rita behind me with a shit-eating grin on her face. "Hello, Rita."

She sits down with no invitation. "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions about some rumours I heard?"

Sirius opens his mouth, but I beat him to it. "Not at all."

"My sources claim you were cosy with the Veela after the Yule Ball. What is your relationship with her?"

Okay, that's a big problem. Even with our agreement, Rita may revert to her original form for a juicy enough story and this certainly falls into that category. What to do? What to do?

I put on a kind smile but my voice is anything but when I speak, "writing about Fleur in any context other than the tournament would be a mistake you won't get to regret, dear Rita. Do we understand each other?"

Her smile vanishes without a trace. "Was that a threat?"

Sirius and Remus stiffen but my smile doesn't change at all. "I'm glad we understand each other."

"You aren't big enough to scare me, boy," she hisses yet her eyes betray her words.

My smile turns feral. "Are you sure you want to take that route, Rita? It'd be a shame to lose a helpful asset like you."

She doesn't move for a minute, considering her options.

"I am going to Spain this evening for the annual IDA Winter Tournament. Watching my performance may make it easier for you to decide."

She gives me a shaky node and stands up.

"I will pretend this conversation didn't happen as long as you heed my warning, Rita. Oh, please try to remember I am not stupid. I would know it's you even if the article has someone else's name under."

She rushes out of the pub without a glance back after that.

"Holy shit. You were damn scary." Sirius shakes his head and gulps down his beer.

"That's what you get for dealing with people like Skeeter," Remus declares.

I shake my head in disagreement. "If I didn't make a deal with Skeeter, she wouldn't deign to even ask me about what happened. She'd just write the most slanderous article she could come up with. More importantly, she is a useful propaganda tool."

"So, Fleur?" Sirius changes the subject. "How did that happen?"

Madam Rosmerta comes to take my order before I can answer and I order a glass of orange juice. "She came up to me after the Yule Ball and we talked for a while. She convinced me it would be a good idea to kiss her so I did," I recount when she leaves. I smile wistfully. "This is the first time I'm leaving my room since."

Sirius laughs at my expression. "That sounds like a productive two days."

"Well, that's a given," I answer with a snort. "By the way, she might join us for the tournament."

"I'll get to meet my goddaughter-in-law!"

Oh, god. What have I done?

-HP-

December 31, 1994

Have I mentioned how awesome I am? If I haven't, here it is: I am awesome.

Today is the third and final day of the tournament. Starting with the quarter finals, eight duels will take place.

First day was the qualifiers. Each person fought in five duels and ranked according to their winnings and performances. Out of one hundred and ninety-eight participants, ninety-six made it to the first round. I won all five of my qualifiers. Fleur won three.

Second day was the first and second round duels. First rounds were group matches where I had to duel two other opponents in my group. Out of three duellers, only one made it to the second round elimination matches. I won both of my matches in the first round. As did Fleur. Second round was harder to win, but I succeeded while Fleur lost to a woman from Germany. The German's a twice duelling champion, so it was not a big surprise. My win was.

Here is what happened: my opponent, another duelling champion, thought it would be a good idea to make a show of beating the boy-who-lived. He attacked with some of the most flashy spells and transfiguration tricks. I responded in kind and soon; the duel evolved to a whole new level. He transfigured a small Dragon when I conjured a thirty foot snake. When I decimated his dragon with a lightning bolt, he sent a whirlwind of the resulting ashes my way.

I responded by creating a wall of water and freezing it. He responded with an explosion curse as is the tradition. I sent one of my spells his way, 'the flasher'. He destroyed four of the five birds my spell conjured but the one he couldn't, ended the match. The moment he was disoriented, all I had to do was send an accurate disarming charm. I didn't. I, instead, sent three birds that dissolved to a sticky goo that made it impossible for him to move.

When he failed to get out of the goo for half a minute, the duel officially ended. Oh, man, was he mad. He stormed out of the platform spewing profanities while I skipped away with a grin.

I found out Professor Flitwick is also in the tournament when he eliminated his opponent under two minutes. I didn't know it was possible to move that fast, let alone beat an experienced dueller that quickly.

That's why I am standing in front of the blackboard waiting for the announcement of my next opponent. Out of the seven contenders, five of them have won the tournament in the past and the other two are future champions. That means no matter who my opponent is, it will be a tough fight. Still, I hope I get to test my skills against Flitwick before I am eliminated. It would be fun no matter the result, though if I win, I'd also get to brag.

I get my wish when the names are announced. F. Flitwick Vs. H. Potter, the blackboard says. I turn to the small professor and give him a shit-eating grin. "I guess we'll get to find out who is Hogwarts' best dueller, sir."

"You are forgetting Albus, Mr Potter. He's a better fighter than me."

I shake my head. "He doesn't count. He learned from Godric Gryffindor himself."

The small man laughs softly at my joke. "I will see you on the platform..." He checks the blackboard before continuing, "B in an hour, Mr Potter."

"See you out there, Professor. I can't wait."

The excitable man gives me a grin. "For your information, Harry, I have no intention of losing to a student of mine."

I smile at the kind man. "I saw your last match, sir. My goal is to not lose before the ten minutes mark."

I walk back to where Sirius, Remus and Fleur are eating a late breakfast and waiting for me.

"Who did you get?" asks Sirius as soon as I sit down.

"Flitwick."

"Do you think you can beat him?"

"Oh, hell no. He will kick my ass."

Sirius shakes his head and puts down his sandwich. "You can't think like that. If you do, you have already lost."

I give Sirius a pointed stare. "Need I remind you how quick he is on his feet? He moves like the fucking Yoda."

"Put on a strong defence, you must," Remus speaks in a high-pitched voice and we laugh.

Well, Fleur doesn't. "What is a Yoda?"

We stop laughing immediately and look at her as if she is an alien. "Oh, boy," I groan.

Some history lesson is in order here. One weekend in their last year of Hogwarts, Sirius and my dad snuck out of school and wound up watching the first movie of the trilogy. They snuck out a week later with the other two Marauders to see it again.

Ever since then, it became a tradition for he and Remus to get together to watch the trilogy in one sitting.

So, yes, I can feel a rant coming.

Sirius stared at her with a crazed gleam in his eyes. "What is Yoda? He is only the greatest character in the trilogy in history of cinema."

For the fifteen minutes, Sirius recounts the Star Wars trilogy with great detail, not realising Fleur lost interest three minutes in.

"I need to get air before my duel. Fleur, would you like to join me?"

Fleur nods enthusiastically and takes my offered hand. "Thank you."

"I'm sorry about that," I offer sympathetically as we walk around the compound under the sun, enjoying the warmth of a more tropical weather while we can.

"He is passionate about those movies."

Now, that's an understatement. "Yeah, I'm surprised he didn't drag you off to watch them right away."

We walk in silence in the compound's courtyard for ten minutes.

"Are you nervous about the duel?"

"No, just excited. I care little about winning or losing in this tournament but it will be nice to test my skills against Flitwick."

"Even if you lose, you did great," she says encouragingly.

I smile at her. "You were great too. Didn't I tell you you would at least make it to the second round?"

She nods and says nothing.

I drop her hand and put an arm around her shoulders, drawing her closer, allowing me to enjoy her smell. "Thank you for coming. Last three days wouldn't be this much fun without you."

She snickers. "Don't get too used to having me in your bed."

"I don't mean that." She lifts an eyebrow unbelievingly at that. "Well, not just that. I enjoyed having you around, spending time with you." My cheeks warm up a little.

"It's good to know."

"If only Aimee could come too. It would be so much more fun."

She tightens her hand around my midsection. "No need to be an asshole."

"Just making sure you don't get a big head, dear."

"I don't have a big head. I am a down-to-earth even though I am one of the most beautiful, most talented and smartest woman in the world," she declares with her nose up in the air.

We both laugh as soon as she finishes. Fleur may be a stuck-up witch in public and more than a little elitist but she's not a conceit girl. She has insecurities and flaws just like any other teenager and she knows it. I like that about her. I like that even though she is just as flawed and broken as everyone else; she has enough faith in herself to act so arrogant.

Kinda like me.

We continue our stroll for another half an hour, enjoying the simplicity of the moment. "We should go back inside. Your duel is about to begin."

I make it to the duel with only a minute to spare. The duel before mine was great according to Remus. It lasted for ten minutes and there was a lot of blood.

Why do people love violence and gore when they are spectators?

I walk up to the stage and bow to my professor as he does the same. The referee yells, "begin," and we are off.

I immediately cast a strong shield while the small man chains together two sets of four spells in quick succession. I wait for the spells to hit my shield harmlessly before sending a stream of water his way.

Dodging is not an option against someone as quick as Flitwick. I have to rely on the power I can put in a shield and try to limit his mobility. That's why the moment Flitwick attempts to freeze the body of water heading his way, I send a large ball of fire to prevent it from happening.

His surprise at my strategy doesn't last long as he conjures a small tornado around himself to stop the water from getting to him. It doesn't matter because he wasn't my target, anyway. As soon as the water hits the ground, I freeze it, leaving only a ten feet radius circle dry for him to move.

I may not be as fast as he is but even he can't get rid of the ice without risking a direct hit from me.

He gives me a proud smile that turns feral in a manner of seconds. That can't be good.

I learn the reason behind the feral smile when he conjures a bird of white, hot fire that flies towards me while melting the ice in front of the professor. I have three seconds to consider whether my shield would hold and come up with a strategy.

If I can't dodge because he is too damn fast and holding up a shield constantly would prevent me from attacking with enough power, I have to not be where he is attacking.

I conjure a wall of ice-cold water that lets out a thick steam as soon as the fiery animal makes contact. I take advantage of the steam and disillusion myself and move to aside to create an illusion of myself where I was a moment ago. That illusion will mimic my movements to make sure Flitwick doesn't suspect anything.

Just before a gust of wind clears the steam, I send three rapid-fired explosion curses to the middle of the platform and conjure everything I can think of. Half a minute later, three snakes, five rats and two wolves slither and run towards the diminutive man.

With two accurate cutting curses, he splits my wolves in half and I respond by turning the four pieces to large plastic balls and sending them his way.

He forgoes the rats for the moment and focuses on the snakes and blasts them away. Instead of destroying the balls or shielding, he dodges all four balls with an awe-inspiring quickness and jumps on two of the rats, squashing them.

Now, that's a strategy.

While I summon the balls back, he kicks another rat and sends a blasting hex at my doppelgänger. I fire a colourless pressure charm as I jump down as if to avoid his hex. Even though the charm is colourless, it is not invisible, so he dodges the one my doppelgänger 'cast' and walks right into mine.

As the intense increase in the atmospheric pressure forces the diminutive man down to his knees, I send a chain of spells known as 'the handshake' and charm the balls to continuously attack the man. 'The handshake' is one of the first chains every dueller learns. A full body-bind curse, a disarming charm, a stunning spell, followed by another disarming charm. He conjures a shield before countering the pressure charm, hoping his shield can stand against the eight spells that are coming his way. Well, four spells and four bright lights my illusion created.

His shield holds, and he jumps up, allowing one of the plastic balls to hit his back as I start chanting another chain. I never finish the incantation as everything goes dark.

I wake up groggily and mumble the end of my incantation before realising what happened while the Professor smiles down at me. "Oh, man! I was doing so well."

"That was a great performance, young man. You should be proud."

"Thank you, sir. How did you realise where I was?" I ask as I get up.

He pats me on my arm, mainly because he can't reach my shoulder, as he gives me a self-satisfied smile. "Only spells that affected my shield came from where you were standing so I shot blindly."

We walk down the stage to where the gang are waiting for me. "Damn. I knew I should have cast a mist first to cover for them."

"You lasted for fifteen minutes, Harry. You should be proud."

"Oh, I am proud. But it's so unfair I lost because of blind luck. Literally," I moan.

Sirius gives me a toothy smile and hugs me. "Stop complaining. That was one hell of a duel. You came up with good strategies and applied them to near perfection."

As soon as Sirius lets go of me, Remus does the same, followed by a more appreciated hug from my blonde goddess.

"Hello, Mr Potter," I hear the voice of my favourite reporter who I would hate to have to kill. Everyone around me stiffens, including Fleur who can't let go off me any faster. Not surprising.

I turn around and give the reporter a nod. "Hello, Rita. I'm glad you took my advice and came to see me in action."

"Yes, I am glad too." That is good. "That was one scary performance."

"Thank you."

"Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"Depends on whether we have a better understanding of what the rules of our arrangement are."

She smiles without mirth. "I don't intend on tickling the docile dragon. Your performance throughout the tournament makes me think you had prior training. Am I right?"

"You are. After the incident with Death Eaters this summer, I realised no matter how peaceful the current climate in Britain seems, I should prepare for every possibility, so I asked Sirius and Remus to train me. After Lucius Malfoy threatened me and my name came out of the goblet, increasing my training regimen seemed like a good idea."

She nods while taking notes. I guess she must've forgotten her special little quill at home. "They must be good teachers if you can perform like you did with only a few months of training."

"They are. Sirius was the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher I had in my time in Hogwarts. It was a shame he couldn't continue teaching because of a bunch of morons' claims of nepotism. Remus is an experienced dueller with a deep understanding of how to overcome dark magic. I have two of the best possible teachers. Only Albus and Professor Flitwick could top their teaching." I turn to Flitwick and wink. "I plan on convincing Professor Flitwick soon."

Rita turns to the half-goblin. "I didn't get the chance to interview Harry's teachers yet. Would you mind sharing your opinion of him and whether you will take him up on his offer?"

Flitwick considers for a moment. "Not at all. Mr Potter... Harry is one of the most talented wizards I had the pleasure of teaching, possibly the best so his performance today wasn't all that surprising. It is a joy to watch as he grows and finds his limits. It would be my honour to teach him a few tricks to use in a duel."

Rita continues to write furiously even after Flitwick speaks. "Thank you." She looks at me once again. "What did you think of your fellow champion, Miss Delacour's performance?"

"She performed admirably. Especially when you consider she doesn't have the training I have. She will be hard to beat when we get to the duelling part of the tournament but I have faith in my abilities."

"Thank you for the interview, Harry," Rita says and leaves as soon as she finishes writing.

Fleur takes a calming breath. "That was odd."

I take her slightly sweaty hand. "What was?"

"She didn't even ask me a question or comment on why I was here with you. From what I heard, she loves writing derogatory articles."

"I wouldn't worry about that," Sirius sniggers but shuts up when I glare at him.

"She won't risk raising my ire," I explain when Fleur looks at me questioningly. "I'm hungry. Let's go grab a bite."

"But I wanted to watch the rest of the matches," Sirius moans.

"Fine. Stay here and watch. I'll go eat all by my poor young, naïve self."

Fleur squeezes my hand. "I'll come with you."

"You know what? Stay and watch all the remaining matches. I'll meet you in the hotel."

Remus looks like he wants to laugh but holds himself. "Go. I'll handle the dog."

"Hey!"