"Oh. My. Gosh," Lavender said to her friend. Parvati nodded excitedly as she looked to the giant carriage. It had landed just a moment ago and now the Headmistress of Beauxbaton was talking to McGonagall. The carriage looked like it was made of ivory trimmed with gold and the reins of the giant horses matched. It was a very elegant display from the French school.

"Look at those outfits, Vati! They're so adorable! And they're silk! Can you imagine wearing those everyday? How lucky! And that color-"

Parvati zoned Lavender out as she watched the exchange between Harry and a girl from Beauxbaton. As the girl suddenly jumped him her scarf fell, letting loose her long silvery hair. Paired with her bright eyes and flawless face, the Gryffindor was immediately reminded of the dancers at the Quidditch World Cup a few years ago.

'Thats the mystery girl? She's a Veela!' Parvati's eyes widened as the boys around her started the drool. Curious, she turned around and spotted Blaise near the other Slytherins. Though he wasn't drooling, he was intensely staring at the girl. He must have felt her gaze through the trance however because he turned and locked eyes with her. The affects disappeared as he stuck up his nose and glared before staring straight ahead and putting on a cold mask.

'Slytherins will be Slytherins,' she thought as she turned away. Blaise wasn't her favorite person and she was definitely not his favorite but it was fun to be around him. It was like getting to mess with Malfoy, but easier because Blaise didn't have more of a bite.

'I can't let him know that of course,' she thought as she watched the Beauxbaton students walk off. 'That would seem a bit too Slytherin for a ditzy Gryffindor.'

"-maybe if we put yellow streamers in the common room. If that doesn't convince him nothing will. Right Parvati?"

Hiding her confusion, Parvati smiled brightly and nodded. 'How do you go from Beauxbaton uniforms to decorating the Gryffindor common room in yellow that quickly?'

"Do you think that girl was a Veela?"

Parvati raised her eyebrows, surprised her friend had noticed during her talk. "I think so. Did you see all the guys drooling over her?"

"Yeah," Lavender sighed. "She's so lucky. I guess it would be annoying sometimes though. Did you see Ronald? I thought he was going to drown himself."

Both girls giggled at the gangly red-head who was still red in the face. Parvati hooked her arm with her friend's as their laughter died and both waited for Drumstrang to show. She smiled as her friend started to bob on her heels anxiously and shook her arm slightly to stop her. She was almost as close to Lavender as she was to her twin and she was happy to have two sisters. Even when she started befriending Slytherins, Lavender stuck by her, only asking curious questions that she was known for somehow always sneaking answers out of.

Parvati frowned as the implications of this hit her. 'A Gryffindor girl with a thirst for knowledge that is also sneaky and extremely loyal. That's weird.' She mentally shrugged as the crowd once again broke into whispers from the lake. No point in pondering over the Sorting Hat's choice six years ago.

"Its a boat Parvati!"

A large black mast was know visible over the lake and the rest of the ship was slowly rising with it. Once the whole ship surfaced it began to glide toward the shore and Parvati involuntary shuddered. The black mass neared the shore and the sound of an anchor hitting the water could be heard. A large plank was lowered onto the land and the occupants filed out.

"Oh no! There all as big as those two Slytherin thugs! No hotties!"

Parvati squinted at the Bulgarians as they drew near. "Its just their uniforms Lav."

Lavender put her hand to her heart and sighed, "Thank God!"

Eventually the Drumstrang students stopped and the one who led them stepped forward. The man was short compared to the figures behind him and Parvati guessed he was only an inch or two taller than her. His hair, which was swept into a neat pony tail, was a bright red and seemed more vibrant than any of the Weasley's. His eyes were a bright brown and were easily visible even in the night. He was dressed in blood red fur and had silver trim on his cloak.

"Professor Dumbledore?"

The aged Hogwarts headmaster stepped forward and shook hands with the newcomer.

"Professor Bellents! Wonderful to finally meet you!"

Bellents smiled revealing crooked, yet white, teeth. "The pleasures all mine. I'm terribly sorry I haven't been able to come sooner-"

"Oh! No apologies my dear man! Everything is fine and dandy now!"

Dumbledore stopped as he looked over the students before looking back at Professor Bellents.

"Well, now that everyone is here lets head in and join the Beauxbaton students in the Great Hall!"

Both men turned and started to walk to Hogwarts and the remaining students and professors followed. With their dorm mate already in the Great Hall Lavender pulled Parvati with her at a faster pace to get there. Parvati followed willingly, but faltered in her steps as they got near the Drumstrang students.

"Hey Lavender, isn't that Victor Krum?"

(French)

Harry chuckled as Fleur pulled him down onto a Ravenclaw bench in the Great Hall. She hadn't let go of his arm since they had entered Hogwarts and the young women had a surprisingly strong grip, even to a vampire. Hermione settled down across from him with her head down, patiently waiting for everyone else. Harry frowned for a moment at her quietness before catching himself and putting on a blank face.

'Crap! I suddenly get comfortable in a place and I'm constantly putting down my guard! I need to stop! No smiling around just anybody. No frowning when something is wrong. Keep it blank! I can't go showing emotions whenever I want-'

At that moment Fleur turned and gave a brilliant smile at him and he automatically grinned back. Her smile brightened even more and she squeezed his hand before turning back to the girl who was trying to get her attention.

'Dammit. How can you not smile at that girl?'

"Harry?"

Harry turned once again to Fleur who was finally being left alone.

"Yes Fleur?"

"I was just wondering...where did you go?"

Harry looked around the table to see if anyone was listening. Most of the French students were talking amongst themselves about the castle and across from him Hermione was talking quietly to a girl about how the Beauxbaton school was. Still a bit worried about talking about his training in the open, Harry told her they would talk about it later before asking about Gabrielle.

"I got to see her right before I left for school. She's so adorable."

Fleur reached inside Harry's jacket and pulled out a locket. After gently opening it she leaned forward so Harry could see it. Inside was a picture of Fleur and her sister next to a fire place in Fleur's home. Gabrielle was even smaller than Fleur had been when she was seven but other than that they seemed identical. The young girl was dancing around the room, flitting in and out of the camera. Once she noticed someone was taking a picture, however, she hid behind a laughing Fleur's skirt.

"She's seems a bit shy," Fleur pointed out as she leaned back. "But once you get to know her she's extremely feisty. I'm pretty she sure she acts like an shy, innocent little girl to get what she wants from people who don't know her."

Fleur smiled teasingly as she dropped the locket back down her robes. "Obviously my sister."

Harry laughed as the doors opened and the rest of the students came in. The professors who had still been outside passed in front of Harry and Professor Raven winked at the pair as they did.

"Vanessa's a professor here?"

Harry coughed and nodded quickly as he glanced at Hermione who had looked curiously at them. 'Good thing she didn't call her Ms. Eagle.'

Last of those entering were the headmasters and headmistress of the schools. The Beauxbaton students around Harry and Hermione jumped to their feet as Madame Maxine entered and several Hogwarts students laughed. Harry sent a glare at the ones he saw that shut them up, but the French students didn't seem to care about them and didn't sit until their headmistress did.

"Good evening ladies, gentlemen, and guest." Dumbledore's eyes swept over the Ravenclaw and Slytherin table where the foreign schools were. "I hope your stay at Hogwarts will be enjoyable and comfortable."

Fleur gave a small laugh while covering her mouth to try to muffle it at the statement.Harry shushed her while hiding his own smirk. Next to the descriptions of the classy Beauxbaton grounds and buildings he had heard, Hogwarts was probably like a large, crude shack to them.

"Please enjoy your food and refreshments and the tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast."

Dumbledore sat down and the students immediately started talking excitedly. After translating to the French speaking students what Dumbledore said Harry and Hermione reluctantly went back to their house tables, Hermione sitting next to Parvati and Harry to Blaise.

As soon as he sat Tracey somehow appeared at his side. Blaise stopped his conversation with a Drumstrang student and closed in on Harry's other side giving him an annoyed glare.

(English)

"You know that your girl is a part-Veela right?"

Harry furrowed his brow and looked at the boy next to him.

"Really Blaise? I hadn't noticed. How ever did you come to that conclusion?" Harry said as he stared pointedly at a group of boys who's eyes were wide as saucers and glued to Fleur.

Blaise put on a look of mock-hurt and shrugged before snorting and turning back to his food. "Just saying." Harry's gaze lingered on the boy for a second. It seemed like Blaise wanted to say something else, but was refraining from doing so.

Tracey continued to eye Harry on his other side, bringing his attention back to her. "Any one else would gloat that they had been near a Veela. Yet you don't mention that you were friends with a part-one. Whats the deal?"

Harry ignored the girl as he piled more food onto his plate. The new French delicacies reminded Harry of his time in the Delacour mansion where Ms. Delacour visibly paled at the idea of any thing other.

'That isn't the only thing she disapproves of,' Harry thought as he frowned.

Fleur's Veela family, with the exception of her sister and grandmother, hated the Vampire community. Centuries ago, vampires, who had been sexually charged creatures until they evolved more and their blood became tainted with other creatures more often, captured young Veela for their 'needs', often killing them when they were no longer needed. In return Veela took random vampires and put them in strong cages. They then either put the cage in the sun's rays to let them burn or drove them insane by standing just out of the caged vampire's reach and turning on their charm full blast for long periods of time. The fighting went on, neither side winning by the time they finally stopped. Many were killed, leaving both races much smaller than they had initially been and a rivalry was set in stone.

Harry turned his gaze to the French girl, 'They have good reason to hate us. I'm surprised openly fighting actually stopped between our races. But why doesn't her grandmother hold the grudge?'

"Harry! I'm talking to you."

Looking up he saw Tracey was still there, obviously mad at being ignored. Harry just smirked and went back to eating. Tracey took the hint that time and left him alone.

The young vampire poked at his food glumly, thoughts of the quiet war swirling around in his head. The Saedicio clan was one of the last clans that had stopped capturing Veelas right before the Brutince clan. They had the highest count of natural born vampires making them have the most ancient vampire tendencies. They were also one of the most powerful and darkest clan. They were still extremely harsh, preying on humans whenever they felt the need.

'They passed the level of Voldermort back then.' Harry winced as he realized they had actually mellowed out. 'Despite their behavior the Anguigena clan has allied with them for thousands of years, before and through the Veela war. What does that make us in the war?'

"Who would have thought the headmaster of Drumstrang was a bit of a Hufflepuff?"

Harry looked up to the head table at Blaise's question. Headmaster Bellents was talking merrily to Professor Snape, who was gritting his teeth and stabbing at his food.

"That is strange," Harry answered. "I guess their ministry appointed someone like that because of the whole Karkaroff deal. Getting an obvious light wizard to replace the deatheater."

"He is actually very skilled in the dark arts."

Harry and Blaise looked up to find Victor Krum seated in front of them. Blaise looked surprised at having one of the world's best Quidditch players talking to him, but stopped himself from gawking. Tracey, however, quickly slid back next to Harry, running into him and making him ram shoulders with Blaise. Harry glared at her then nodded respectively to Krum.

"So is that just an act or is he always like that?"

Krum frowned for a moment, as if searching for a proper answer. "I don't believe it is an act, unless he is trying to fool everyone. However, ven he fights, he is a completely different person. He is perfectly suited to lead our school. Very charming towards vorried parents and officials, but powerful enough to hold his own in Drumstrang."

Harry and Blaise nodded and Tracey followed their lead though Harry was pretty sure she hadn't registered a word the Quidditch star said.

The three boys talked for the rest of the feast stopping when Dumbledore introduced the Goblet of Fire. Harry then went to the Ravenclaw table to help translate and Krum went back to his own schoolmates, leaving a starstruck Tracey with Blaise. Harry didn't get much of a chance to talk to Fleur again, but she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek as the students were sent out of the Great Hall, which resulted in many whispers and glares.

Blaise snickered once the two boys were in the dungeons and Harry smacked him in the back of the head. He had been getting increasingly irritated during dinner at the boys gawking at Fleur in the Great Hall and now that Fleur was absent his mood wasn't improving much. He knew that it would happen once she would get to Hogwarts, but that hadn't stopped him from still feeling protective of her.

"If your done daydreaming about the Veela you can help me with Professor Raven's essay, Harry."

Harry once again hit Blaise before sitting across from him in the common room.

'I'll need to visit her soon,' Harry thought as he turned to the chapter on unforgivable curses. 'She seemed pretty distracted in dinner too.'

"Vanessa!"

Harry walked into his clan master's room without knocking and collapsed onto the small green sofa it held. He stared at the Slytherin decorated room for another moment before calling out again.

"O, Professor!"

"Will you shut up!"

"Good morning to you too, Vanessa," Harry said as he saw his disgruntled teacher walking through the door to her room. Her hair was still messy and it seemed like Harry had woke her up a little earlier than she had planned to get up on a Saturday. Vanessa mumbled under her breath as she walked to the desk in the corner and sorted through the letters that had appeared on top of it.

"Why aren't you out playing with your little friend from Beauxbaton?"

Harry frowned at her choice of words but answered anyway, "They still have to continue classes on the carriage. There are dozens of enlargement charms in there. Its actually as big as a large boarding house."

The woman didn't answer and Harry turned to see her reading a letter with a frown on her face.

"What did the twins do?"

Vanessa gave a small laugh and shook her head, "Actually nothing. There's been a few attacks on a couple of muggles and there are rumors going around that its Vampires doing it."

"Couldn't it be? The Saedicio clan always feeds from muggles. Maybe two different clans started to accidentally hunt in the same area causing an increase in noticeable deaths."

Vanessa shook her head, "No, it can't be us. A muggle saw the attacker at night drinking the victims blood from the floor. Thats where the Vampire rumor started. However, whatever is attacking is eating as much of its victims as it can, not just drinking the blood."

Harry frowned and walked over to the desk next to Vanessa. "Well thats disturbing," he said as he rifled through the rest of her mail.

"Very. I just hope none of the higher ranking Ministry of Magic officials find out too much about it. Some of them will jump at any chance they have to legalize vampire hunters again. I'll send a few of us out to keep watch over the area where the attacks regularly are. It might just be some sicko muggle. You know how strange some humans can be. At least demons and monsters have purposes."

Vanessa went over to the couch where Harry was once again sitting, reading one of her letters.

"Who said you could read my mail?"

"Who said I couldn't?"

"The law. Give me that."

Harry handed over the letter smiling and watched as Vanessa's eyes widened as she read. Once she was done she handed the letter back to him and sat down.

"Its about time, huh?"

Harry laughed and nodded before turning back to the gold lettering on the invitation.

You are invited to the engagment party of Kylen Eagle and Anastasia Athens...