This starts off with Gabrielle's first visit to Durmstrang. It begins pretty similar, but takes a vastly different path. Again, there was too much revealing, so I cut it out.


"HARRY!"

Already standing, he turned around in the crowded Dining Hall to see a young beauty rocketing towards him.

"Oomph! When did you become a brick wall?" Gabrielle asked, rubbing her shoulder.

Harry gestured to Markus. "Blame him. The bloke's had me out running laps around the lake at five a.m. every bleedin' morning since I've been here."

"Whining again, Potter?"

Harry's new gesture caused quite a few laughs.

Gabrielle made a little fist and punched Harry in the chest. "Nope, laps won't do that to you, but pushups would."

She raised an eye at the three Veela standing to his left, though barely able to conceal her grin. "So, which one of you three have been letting Harry do pushups on you?"

Harry thought it would have been worth every last Galleon in his Gringots account back in France to see his veela-chicks shocked into silence by a thirteen year old.

"Oh come on," Gabrielle teased, "There's nothing wrong with helping Harry. You know he'd always be. . . behind you if you would just ask."

And that color of red would be worth the other vault in England.

"Alright, enough from the mouthy little French witch," Harry cut in.

"Why? Don't tell me I'm still the only veela you've seen naked. Your own sister, 'Arry. Shame on you!"

"Gabrielle, is it?" Markus asked.

"Yep."

"I think we're going to get along just fine," he said, before his laughter boomed throughout the Dining Hall. "Cheeky veela, indeed."

"Is that what my big brother says about his loving, adorable little sister?"

"I see what you mean," Azzurra staged whispered to Harry.

Gabrielle gave her a pout that had Azzurra making that cute giggling type noise in the back of her throat again. "He said you were absolute trouble of the best kind. Come, we have an hour or so before we're leaving, let's go talk about Harry Potter."

Harry watched Gabrielle and the three older veela walk out of the Dining Hall together, then turned to Markus. "This can't be good."

X O X

"Headmaster, you asked for me?" Harry asked, knocking on Professor Sirko's door. After everything he had heard about Durmstrang, he still found it strange that the headmaster's office opened right into a hallway without any passwords or secret passages.

"Come in. I trust you have already finished your morning training?"

"We did." He couldn't keep the smile off his face.

Professor Sirko quirked an eyebrow. "Something humorous happen today/"

"I managed to wake up first this morning and found Markus sleeping without wards or charms.

The professor chuckled. "How did he take it?"

"Pretty good, mainly in the chest and head."

Professor Sirko threw back his head and guffawed.

"I meant, has he got back at you."

"It was a right interesting jog around the lake, I'll say that much. Anyway, I'm sorry to be so forward, sir, but I'm supposed to be meeting with—"

"No worries. I just wanted to touch bases with you on your training. I've talked with everyone and it seems that overall, you're doing well. The pace we set for you was pretty brutal and the fact you're able to keep up as much as you have impresses me."

Harry waited, thinking that he was being set up for a particularly nasty bludger.

"There are two areas of continued concern, however."

And here it comes.

The first is your control. Azzurra reports that you're still struggling, except in specific circumstances like your Patronus. Have you given it any thought as to why?"

"Yeah, even tried working on it myself, but I don't know what's wrong."

Professor Sirko nodded. "I think it may have to do with the second area of concern." He leaned forward in his chair to gaze at Harry over the ancient dark stained desk. "I think you're so connected with your anger and hatred at what happened back at Hogwarts that you're pushing too much power through everything you cast. It's overloading the actual spell work.

"Markus is also reporting that you're still are having a hard time fighting until you get pissed off for some reason, then you're ripping through everyone's shields and are pretty much unstoppable.

He nodded. That was exactly what was happening, though he didn't want to get into a deep discussion about this morning.

"I'm not going to lecture you about controlling it. You've already heard that speech more than once, but I'm going to suggest you start writing down what's happened to you each day and how you've responded to it."

"You mean, like a journal?" Harry asked, a little surprised.

"Yeah, somewhat. I hoping we can find patterns that will give us a clue as to why you're able to control some things and not others. I want you to also journal about your control both in class, and your anger. Think you can do that?"

"I guess."

"Good. Go have fun today."

Two hours later, Harry was sitting at a table watching his three—well no, today it was his four Veela-chicks walking towards him. It was the fourth one however, that was currently wrenching his heart. In just the last six weeks, Gabrielle seemed to have aged another three years. He knew it was normal for Veela, and her growth spurts that ate up years in weeks would be finished within the next few months. Then, she'd stay looking like a twenty-two year goddess for the next forty or so years.

Harry could be honest with himself enough to admit that Gabrielle was just as beautiful as the other three Veela she was currently with, even Azzurra in all her Italian full-Veelaness. Truth be told, though Harry was probably biased, she was even prettier and that, Harry decided was the problem.

He'd already informed her earlier that any man would have to be approved by her big brother and the chances of that happening, were slim to none. At the heart of it however, lay the reason why he felt like his heart was being crushed all over again today. An hour ago, when she turned a corner while talking to Azzurra and smiling, it almost drove him to his knees.

"Are you sure it's her sister you're in love with?" Markus asked, sitting next to Harry in little outdoor coffee shop.

The bile rose into his throat at the thought of betraying Fleur with Gabrielle. "That's not a topic open for discussion, Markus."

"Maybe not discussion, but from where I'm sitting, it looks like you'd like to talk with your hands a bit more anyway."

Harry's wand was in his hand before Markus could even blink. "I like you a lot, but I also put up with a lot of your shite, Markus. Please, just leave it alone."

Markus raised his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, okay. I get it. I was just teasing."

Harry snorted and put his wand away, shaking his head.

"So, if that's not it, then—"

He turned back to Markus and glared, but Markus pushed on. "Settle down, Harry. I told you I got it. I was just wondering what's got under your skin – besides me."

Harry somehow sunk into his chair, falling in on himself. "She's starting to look more and more like her sister. It hurts to look at her."

"You really do love this witch, don't you?"

"Love? I don't know, I really don't know what that is. I do know that I would want to spend the rest of my life learning how to love . . . and be loved by her."

"Then what's holding you back?"

How do I answer that? How to explain that I don't want to confuse things anymore, make it harder to kill the damned Horcrux in my head? "She doesn't feel the same way."

Before Markus could say anything else, Gabrielle bounded up to the table. "Hey, big brother!" She pointed across the alley to a wizard that looked to be about Harry's age. "Is he good enough for me? He's kinda cute!"

The wizard in question blushed and stumbled headfirst into the door of the nearest shop. Harry chuckled. "You are a cruel witch."

"Why? Because I called him cute? He is! Do you think I should go make it up to him with a kiss?"

Harry pulled his wand out again. "Try it, I dare you."

"Suddenly, this big-brother thing isn't so fun." Gabrielle tried to pout, but it was so overacted that the table all laughed at her.

" 'Arry was right about you. You are trouble."

Gabrielle turned to the other French Veela. She and Médeé were having fun picking on Azzurra all morning. "But I'm too innocent to be trouble! Ask 'Arry, 'e's the only one that's seen my bare derriere." She paused for a second. "Though I never asked" – she turned and grinned at him – "what did you think, do I have a cute bum?"

Harry's eyes narrowed playfully at her. "Yes, Gabrielle, you are a cute ass."

"Hey! That's not what I asked!" she protested amongst the guffaws. "Keep it up and I'll get Paige to leave a couple more messages on you."

Harry sobered at the thought. "Yeah, well, I think it's time to go pick up my winter Quidditch robe, they should be done with it by now.

~ . ~ . ~

While everyone else crossed the street, Gabrielle found a small hand softly but very firmly holding her elbow, keeping her back. She turned and was captivated by Jaleena, who was looking straight into her eyes.

"Would you stay and talk with me a few minutes, please?"

Gabrielle nodded. She was the most reserved of Harry's three Veela friends here, and the deepest. This'll be an interesting conversation.

"You are in love with him."

Zut Alors, but she's perceptive. "No, at least not in that way. I love him, but we would never be right for each other."

Jaleena raised a single eyebrow at her.

"He needs someone playful like me, but he also needs someone more mature – someone strong enough to drive out the bad things in 'is life and possess him with her own love instead. That's not me, at least for Harry."

Jaleena smiled at the younger Veela. "You are dangerous, aren't you? You know exactly what you're doing with your whole 'innocent' act."

"Who, me?" She asked with a giggle.

Jaleena shook her head. "Why?"

"Because it helps him. We've only known him a few months and with both his parents and his best friends family all dead, he'd be too suspicious if we tried to act like he was just one of us. So I treat him like a big brother most of the time, but remind him that I know he's not just a brother by flirting every now and then.

"Well, that and it's fun to do, though it was more fun when he'd get embarrassed easier. Now that he's turning it back on me, it's not so fun anymore."

Jaleena laughed at her admission. "You probably have us to blame for that. We haven't left him alone since he's come here."

She paused for a moment before switching topics.

"What about your sister and Harry?"

Gabrielle's face turned white and she gripped her wand, both surprised at her own reaction and also proud of herself for the protective feeling she had for her sister and Harry. "Why?"

Jaleena pierced her with a soul-searching look before answering. "You're very protective of them both, aren't you?"

"Fleur's been my heroine my entire life and the one time she couldn't be, Harry became my hero. While I could hex them both in the beak for the way they're dealing with each other, only I get to do that – or my Maman since I probably can't hit either of them with a curse – unfortunately."

"I can teach you how to slip a couple jinxes in under a shield, if you'd like."

"Thanks!" Gabrielle said. "Of course, I'm also surprised that she's not up here tearing him up all day, and then wearing him out all night."

"You're so bad," Jaleena said as she grinned. "We figured out it was your sister about three weeks ago. Since then, we've made Harry take a class on Veela heritage."

Gabrielle matched Jaleena's grin. "How did you find out it was. . . . oh! which one of you was it?"

"Which one what?" Jaleena asked.

Before Gabrielle answered, Azzura and Médeé walked up to the table.

"You two have a good talk?" Médeé asked.

"It was just about to get better," Gabrielle answered.

The newcomers glanced at Jaleena, then back Gabrielle who was grinning wickedly.

"Which one of you had the joy of kissing 'Arry?"

"None," Azzurra answered, "Why?"

"How did you find out then?" she asked.

Jaleena creased her eyebrows. "How would kissing Harry tell us about a Vee—Are you kidding me?"

"Nope. You mean you didn't know?"

"We had no idea." Jaleena answered.

Gabrielle saw the evidence of that statement in the eyes of the other two Veela, who were staring at them in utter confusion.

"My sister marked 'Arry."

Utter confusion turned to understanding and then, to her surprise, anger.

"He's fifteen years old!" Azzurra said. "Even if she removes the mark, there's a chance no Veela would ever give him the time of day."

"I know," Gabrielle answered.

"But why would she mark him as her life-long mate so young?" Médeé asked.

"You'll 'ave to ask 'er. But I know something 'appened, and yes, I do believe that she's in love with 'im.

"I wonder of Harry knows." Jaleena mused.

"Knows what," Gabrielle asked. Zhat she's in love with 'im, or that 'e's marked?"

"Both, though you're absolutely sure she's in love with him?"

"I don't know whether 'Arry knows or not, but as for whether she loves 'im or not, check zhe mark." Gabrielle grinned mischievously again. After last time, it'd be hilarious to watch his reaction."

They made her explain what happened the first time. Five minutes later, Harry walked up to a giggling gaggle of Veela.

" 'Ello, 'Arry," Médeé said, went up on her toes, and kissed him smack on the lips.

Gabrielle had a large glass of water ready for her immediately as Médeé spun around and washed her mouth out, spitting the water out in a nearby tree.

"Well, I guess that answers that." Gabrielle said, and lost her battle not to laugh at the completely befuddled expression on Harry's face.

"Don't worry, 'Arry, she was just checking something out. I don't think she'll do it again."

Harry could only mumble, "Every damn Veela I meet."

X


This next paragraph was the concluding paragraph after Paige and Fleur had their dinner and Paige talked to Fleur about Harry.

The problem was that it was all commentary, so I cut it.


~ . ~ . ~

Later that night, Fleur lay in bed, willing sleep to come and relieve her of the hurt of this reality, hoping for the sweet relief of another dream where Harry comes back. Another dream, where his love is strong and growing and enveloping her, drowning every fear, every doubt she's ever had – about him, about them, and about her, those doubts she had hidden for so many years.

Gently, the sweet bliss of sleep overtook her and she fell asleep.


The rest of the stuff obviously had to be cut, since I cut the journaling part. And am I ever glad I did. That would have been dry, dull, and a hundred other adjectives.


X O X O

Great, why does my first entry in the journal have to be, "Médeé snogged me today, then turned around and used a full glass of water to rinse her mouth out afterward"? At least that'll give Professor Sirko something to analyze.

Harry chuckled despite his frustration.

I guess I might as well get to it. Twenty minutes later, he was finished writing in his new journal he bought that day as well. Harry didn't journal everyday as he would forget somedays, but the more important things were journaled throughout the