AN: Hey there guys! Thank you for the reviews and favs and follows! It's good to know that you're interested in my story. As you've probably realized, I like creating some suspense here and there by guarding the cards very close to my chest, and revealing information bit by bit. I hope that this chapter will shed light on some of your questions. As for the story, it is very AU and I will be changing even more with time. For the Tournament, I will be changing the Tasks as well as make more of them and add a few other things that you'll discover in the third chapter. Hopefully this one will be to your liking. Enjoy!
NB: By the way, I changed the summary.
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Chapter 2: Harry Potter
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With nearly inhuman speed, Harry ran through the vast forest that surrounded the park that was used to host the Quidditch World Cup. He was furious again. Two times in the same day now, that girl had caused him to relieve that memory. Whatever people said about it, he knew one thing, Fate was a bitch and he was her preferred pawn to play with.
His hand was still shaking; the near death of that Veela girl haunting him like that hated memory. When he saw her deviate the killing curse, his heart nearly tore itself from his chest, his body moving on its own, uncontrollable. How? Why? Were the questions that jumbled in his head as trees were only blurs of colors as he continued to run. Were Veela really that selfless, or was it his cursed luck again?
Suddenly, the rune on his chest activated and he finally snapped from his dazed state, just in time to twirl to the side and evade the tree on his way. Sliding to a stop, he cursed under his breath; it was no time to be lost in thoughts; dangerous people were still around. Raising his head to the skies, he nodded, silently thanking his friend. Calming down his ragged breathing and pushing any unwanted feeling to the back of his mind, he started to run again, this time his cat like eyes observing the surroundings in the nearly pitch darkness of the night.
After a few minutes of running, he stopped, finally no longer feeling the pressing sensation of the anti-apparition wards. A moment later, the high-pitched cry of a bird was heard and a grey feathered Peregrine Falcon descended from the skies, taking a hold of a branch on the tree beside Harry. Not a second later, the bird started to shift and a tall cloaked figure took its place, the hood hiding the face even from his acute green eyes.
"Good job." Harry said, outstretching his hand which the other shook with a strong grip.
"I'll always have your back, Crow." The person replied with a happy but serious voice, a voice that was distorted like Harry's.
Suddenly his instincts kicking in, Harry spun on himself; ready to pulverize any threat as a shadow stepped around a tree.
"Good job indeed, the two of you."
"Auror Black." Harry whispered, sheathing his wand with a flick of his wrist.
"Don't sweat, Harry. There's no one here."
"What is it, Sirius? Shouldn't you be with the Minister and the others Aurors?" Harry replied with a sigh, his doubled voice disappearing as he unlocked the mask around his face.
"I'm here to make sure that Ron and you are alright and to give you an alibi." The Lord Black replied with a smirk, approaching the two youngsters. "I presume that Molly won't be very happy when you return."
"Yeah, Mom won't be happy at all."
"Shut it, Ron. You wanted to take part in it as much as I did." The young Potter said, shaking his head.
"Come then, we better hurry before she decides to storm the park in your search." Sirius continued with a lopsided grin. With a nod, Harry activated the rune array on his thumb and index fingers and his dark clothes from his Crow persona vanished in a flash of magic light. Next to him another flash illuminated the forest, revealing his best friend, Ron.
Taking the locket under his shirt, Sirius made the two teens touch it before all of them disappeared with a last flash of light.
Reappearing in the large garden of the Weasley estate, the ginger haired young man gave the Auror a grin before walking away. He knew that another discussion was going to take place tonight…
Before Harry could follow his brother, a gentle hand stopped him, making him turn around and face his godfather.
"Harry…"
"I know what you're going to say, and no, I won't stop."
"Listen, I'm very proud of you Harry and I can assure you that James and Lily are beaming at you right now; heck, my Auror side is rejoicing at having someone like you around, but I'm your godfather, and that side of me can't accept seeing you throw yourself in such dangerous situations!"
"You don't have to worry about that; you've trained me, you've seen me fight. I can take care of myself, without even speaking about the Cloak." Harry replied with an exhausted sigh; all this was getting old.
"Doing all this won't bring Agathe to life!" his godfather exclaimed suddenly losing his cool.
"I see that! I see it every time I look in the mirror! You don't have to tell me that, Sirius!" Harry snapped back with a snarl.
"I…I'm sorry. That was uncalled for. But understand that it's not your duty!"
"No, it's not my duty. But I won't stay on the sidelines while people suffer when I have the power to bring an end to it." The young Potter replied, turning away.
With a resigned sigh, Sirius nodded his head. "Harry, just…just be careful, alright?"
"I can't promise you that."
"Then, promise me that you won't stop being Harry Potter." The Black continued, approaching the boy. "I like the calm and methodical Crow, but it's the brash and flirty Harry that I love."
The young man refused to reply, but before walking away, he turned his head to the side, showing the genuine smile that adorned his handsome face.
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After giving a last hug to Molly, Harry finally climbed the steps of the wagon, watching with a smirk as Ron and Ginny were receiving their own bone crushing hugs. With a wave to Arthur he entered and started to search for his friends that must have already taken their seats as per usual. A minute later, after finally spotting them, he opened the door and entered the compartment.
"Hey, Nev, Drake." The young Potter said after shaking their hands with a strong grip. "How've you been, Nev? I haven't seen you on the World Cup."
"I'm fine. And you know that Gran isn't fond of that barbaric sport." Neville Longbottom replied with a smile.
"Well, the game was really cool." Harry continued with a grin.
"Yeah, but the after game activities were even more interesting as I've heard." The Gryffindor said, handing the Potter the newspaper. There, in big letter was the headline: Death Eaters wreaking havoc during the World Cup, by Rita Skeeter. And in smaller letters was: Sighing of Crow, with a pretty accurate drawing of Crow beside it.
The Final Match of the Quidditch World Cup hosted by the British Department of Magical Games and Sports ended with a great game, the Ireland taking the cup back home. But, such a great gathering and festivity couldn't but attract the vultures known as Death Eaters. The Dark mages performed a surprise attack an hour after the endgame, and their ruthless attitude and sudden apparition caused a mass panic. Using the very Anti-apparition wards put in place to protect the citizen, the Death Eaters quickly overwhelmed the Aurors with their greater number. A great massacre not unlike the raid on Diagon Alley, a year prior to that, was sure to take place, but the timely intervention of Crow foiled their plans, incapacitating Death Eaters left and right in his usual overwhelming display of magic.
The mysterious Vigilante known as Crow was sighted by at least a dozen witnesses, claiming that he stopped the dark wizards before they had any time to react. The young Auror Tonks commented on this, being one of those witnesses. "Crow was like a ghost; one instant he was there, fighting Death Eaters by my side, the other, he was gone. He saved my life at least three times that night; and I want to add, that whatever people say about him, having someone like him on our side can't be a bad thing."
Everyone can have their own opinion on him, but one thing is sure, yesterday he saved many lives, and that, should count for something.
Rita Skeeter
Who is Crow? p.2
Why doesn't Crow show his face? Best readers theories. p.5
The Quidditch World Cup. p.7
A smile stretching on his face, Harry handed the Daily Prophet back to his friend before leaning back in his seat. "Well, it wasn't very funny and pretty dangerous, but it was quite fun." He said finally with a grin. "I was with Ron, and we saw him too. Well, saw is too strong of a word, more like observed his work at a distance."
"We're hearing more and more about him those days." Neville said with a pensive expression. "It's a good thing he's on our side, but I fear that his presence can only attest to one thing."
"And what is it, Longbottom?" Draco asked with his usual half sneer.
"A war is looming…"
"Well, aren't you all a gloomy bunch in my absence?" a voice suddenly intervened from the now opened door.
"Coming from a Hufflepuff, that was really a ridiculous statement, Weasley." The blond Malfoy said with another scoff.
"Why I'm feeling that you've just insulted me?"
"You can take it whichever you want."
"Hello!" another voice exclaimed cheerfully, a female one.
"Hello." Neville said with a wave.
"Hi, Alicia, how've you been?" Harry replied with a smile as the duo sat beside him.
"Oh, I've been in a Quidditch training camp with Angelina, it was great. Hello, Malfoy." She said with a smile, holding Ron's hand in hers.
"Spinnet." The blonde replied with a curt nod toward the beautiful brunette. Ron and Alicia were dating for two years now, and it seemed that they were quite serous in their endeavors.
"We've learned a great many things during those months, so the Cup will be ours this year!" she continued, pumping her free hand in the air.
"Ha! You can always dream about it, Alicia. Slytherin won't lose its winning streak of five years!" Harry replied with a smirk. "Isn't that right, Drake?"
"Stating the obvious is pointless, Potter." Draco replied, his sneer morphing into a matching smirk.
"Oh, does it mean that you'll be scoring against me too?" Ron asked with a fake dejected face.
"Sorry Ron, but it's a matter of honor!" Alicia replied with quite a serious tone. "We need to win the Cup at least once before we leave Hogwarts."
"But we never won it, either." Ron interjected with a frown.
"You're a Hufflepuff." She replied in a matter of fact voice.
"What does that supposed to mean!?" the ginger haired young man exclaimed before tackling his girlfriend on the couch, and producing a surprised squeal from her.
"Take it outside would you; seeing Potter's exploits all year long is already more than enough for my health." Malfoy said with a disgusted sneer pushing himself further in the couch as if afraid of being contaminated.
Suddenly, the door was opened again, interrupting the giggling duo, and in entered two young women. "Hello everyone!" Ginny Weasley said with a smile while Luna Lovegood waved absentmindedly beside her.
"Ginevra." Malfoy replied, and rising to his feet he approached her with a stoic gait, before taking hold of the outstretched hand, he bowed, giving it a gentle kiss.
"Draco." The ginger haired girl replied with a charming but very composed smile, letting her betrothed escort her to his previous seat. After she was installed, he took a seat across from her, a small upward twitch of his lips on the face.
"I hope that yesterday's events haven't caused you trouble." the blond continued, under the smiling faces of his friends.
"Fortunately, everything finished peacefully."
"I'm glad." Draco finished with a nod. Then his head suddenly snapped to the side and he exclaimed: "Would you stop ogling us like a bunch of mongrels?!"
After a collective laugh, the betrothed were left alone in their corner while the others continued with their discussions. Luna approached the young Potter and unceremoniously jumped on his knees, a beaming smile on her face. "Missed me, didn't you?" Harry asked while she snuggled to his chest under the shakes of heads from the others.
"Don't pretend to be able to live without me for even a minute, Harry." The blonde replied with a content grin, giving a wink to the blushing Neville next to them. Producing another laugh, the last scion of the Potter fortune smiled. He couldn't refute that statement.
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Munching the juicy meat perfectly prepared by the Hogwarts House elves, Harry looked around his table as his fellow students ate, catching up with their friends. Taking a sip of the apple juice he brought his fork down to cut another piece when he was met with an empty plate. A suspicious frown appearing on his face, he turned to his right, only to see a smirking Luna finish the last part.
"Hey! That was my meat!" the Potter said with a grumble as he leaned toward the blonde Ravenclaw.
"I think that you're mistaken Harry; yours was probably eaten by Nargles." The young woman replied in a matter of fact voice, earning a few chuckles from the surrounding Slytherins. Producing a resigned sigh, the Potter looked around and after spotting a target, a wicked grin formed on his face. Then with a wave of his hand, his empty plate switched with a half-eaten one, producing a cry of surprise from the said person.
"Not fair, Potter. That's my meat!"
"Not anymore Blaise. That is, if you don't have any objections?" Harry replied with a devilish smile. The dark skinned boy opened and closed his mouth a few times, but no answer came.
"Fine! I was done with it anyway." Zabini replied after a few seconds, his haughty look coming back to his face.
"…pussy…." Was heard over the table, but the source was unknown; nevertheless Blaise's eyes took on a darker shade as a cold aura formed around him.
"Whoever said that better hope that I never discover his identity…" Zabini whispered in a deadly voice, erasing the smirks from many of the Slytherins sitting around. His prowess and cunning was quite infamous at Hogwarts and trifling with him was quite dangerous; but forgetting that was a very easy task when observing the casual byplay between the Highborn.
"Better be careful, Blaise, I felt a Wrackspurt pass by just now." Luna commented, launching a smile toward the Slytherin. That seemed to calm the angered boy and with a nod, he continued to eat, while replying.
"I'll make sure to be careful, Lovegood."
Suddenly Dumbledore stood up and approached the stand in front of his table. Raising his hands in a warm gesture, he spoke up. "A great welcome to our new students; I hope that your life at Hogwarts will be to your liking. To our older students, welcome back. Now, I have an announcement. This year, our dear school will be host to an incredible event that has been reinstated after a few hundred years of inactivity: the Triwizard Tournament!" His declaration was met with complete silence at first, but the next instant a great cacophony of noises filled the Great Hall. With a wave, he calmed his audience and continued as if nothing.
"Yes, you've heard right, the competition between the most prestigious Wizarding Schools of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, Durmstrang Institute and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry will take place here. It will oppose the best witches and wizards from the three schools, chosen by an impartial judge. Glory and Fame awaits those that win it. That incredible competition will begin in a week, after the two other schools join us for the remaining of the year. So I will ask you to be on your best behavior after that. Of course, the Tournament is the major event that will happen, but just because of that, we cannot really forget our other pastimes; the Quidditch Cup will still take place, in alternation with the tasks. The details of the Tournament will be explained after the arrival of our foreign friends. That being said, good evening." The Headmaster finished with a warm smile, before returning to his seat. Again, the students started to talk again among themselves, filling the hall with noise.
"Interesting…" Harry whispered lost in thoughts, making a few of his peers turn toward him. It was no secret that Harry Potter was a daredevil and creating a show was his specialty, so it was no surprise that he was attracted by the event.
"Are you thinking of taking your chance in it, Potter?" a female voice cut him from his musings.
"Of course I will! But chance has nothing to do with it, but my awesomeness!" the young man replied with a grin, turning toward the blonde haired young woman. "But why so formal, Daphne? Am I Potter now? You weren't so formal when we were-…"
"Finish that sentence and I'll kill you, Potter!" Daphne Greengrass whispered between gritted teeth with a dark look on her beautiful face.
"Oh, give him some slack, Daph." Her friend said beside her, giving the blonde a nudge, and launching Harry a seductive smile. "If you're no longer interested, I'm-…"
"Don't you go there, Tracey." Greengrass replied warningly, producing a few chuckles from Blaise and Harry, as well as a few other Slytherins.
"Can you choose another table to play on; I'm trying to eat here." Draco suddenly intervened with a disgusted sneer on his face, producing another round of laughs around the table. At the other end of the table though, a few Slytherins weren't in such a merry state, for they were glaring daggers at the last Potter.
"Looks like Nott has some grudge against you, Potter." Blaise commented, nodding toward the said wizard.
"Ha! And who hasn't?" Harry replied with roll of eyes. "Probably mad that Sirius put some of his Death Eaters friends under the bars. Serves them right." Then, turning around, Harry gave a thumb up to the grinning Ron, sitting at the Hufflepuff table and with a nod, stood up.
"Alright, I think that it's time for me to take my beauty sleep." He said with an exaggerated bow. "Are you coming, Daphne?" he asked with a smirk, before heftily evading the silver goblet that she threw his way.
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Snapping her eyes open, Fleur sat on her bed, her breath ragged, and the vision of the green curse still on her mind. Since that fight after the Quidditch World Cup, she hadn't stopped having those annoying nightmares. She saw little Gabi die because she wasn't fast enough; Caroline fall from a curse because she wasn't powerful enough; or even her own death that came in that sickly green light. Shaking her head, she stood up and taking the wand on her shelf, left her room. After silently walking through the dark and silent corridors of Delacour Manor, she entered the training room, situated underground. Closing the door with a flick of her wand, she walked toward the center of the chamber and closed her eyes.
Snapping them open with fire in them, she brandished her hand in a quick motion, launching a chain of spells toward the dummy at the other end of the room. The magic resistant wood absorbed the energy and the human imitation stayed still, as if taunting her. A frown appearing on her face, she redoubled her efforts and a volley of curses and spells attacked her imaginary opponent. Not waiting for a second, she followed with another wave and transfigured the ground into deadly spikes that pierced the dummy with incredible force. Not having enough she raised her wand over her head and a hot fire whip escaped it, before she launched it toward the wooden replica. A snarl deforming her gorgeous face, she continued to launch fire spell upon fire spell, each getting stronger and hotter.
With glazed eyes she continued, not seeing that the magic resistant dummy was now only aches on the ground, as she slammed her spells onto the wall in front of her with tremendous force.
"…leur!"
"Fleur!" she heard suddenly and like waking from a trance, looked around. Caroline stood on the other end of the room, near the door with a worried face. Turning completely toward her best friend, she took a step forward and was surprised when Caroline took a step back. "Fleur! Look at yourself!" she exclaimed anxiously.
Surprised by the sudden outburst, the blonde Veela lifted her hands to her face and her eyes widened. Small protrusions resembling feathers were on her forearms; her nails were longer, looking more like claws than nails. With trembling eyes, she conjured a mirror and her eyes widened even more. Her hair, floating in the air, as if alive, the same feather like protrusions coming diagonally from her forehead like a crown, and her eyes were now icy slits.
"What…how?" she whispered in shock, at a loss of words. She wasn't a full Veela and transforming into a Harpy wasn't a part of her powers; but this, this must be the form that her magic granted her when in fury.
"Fleur, are you alright?" Caroline asked, putting a calming hand on her shoulder. "What's going on?"
"I…Don't worry, Caro. I was just…carried away."
"By what?"
"Anger…" Fleur replied with a sigh and under her eyes, the feathers and nails receded back into her body, as she recovered her normal appearance. This was a first time experience and she was quite scared to tell the truth; she had to talk with grand mère.
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Producing an exhausted sigh, Harry looked in the mirror of his personal room in the Slytherin dungeons. His chest was littered with small scars, some from his Quidditch practices, some from his encounters with the Death Eaters; but one, was a reminder of that day. A large dark scar running down his right pectoral and finished at his right hip; he still felt phantom pains from it time to time. Four runes covered his upper body; one on each side of his shoulder, one on his back and one on his chest, over his heart. Those runes were hand made by him, with a little help from Ron and Sirius. Their functionality was quite simple in itself, but their usefulness was incredible. His ginger haired best friend had actually suggested the idea; using his Peregrine Falcon animagus form, Ron would fly high in the skies and would send pulses of magic toward the runes on Harry's body, giving him directions and showing him where the danger was. This method had allowed him to deal with Death Eaters with more efficiency as Crow. Of course his immense magical power as well as his harsh training regimen with Sirius, Arthur and sometimes even Dumbledore, had allowed for him to become a very powerful wizard despite his young age. Alas, no one was invincible and he had paid the price that time… But now, Crow was invincible because he had discovered the true power of his Cloak. An Invisibility Cloak like no other, the Death's Cloak and one of the Deathly Hallows. Like the legends told, it hid its bearer from anything, even from Death; which meant that it would absorb any magic it touched, even the Killing curse. The only weakness was the Death's Stick, but fortunately, it was in good hands. With the Cloak, he was invisible, invulnerable and undetectable, that is if he never launched any spells; which pushed him to improvise and find a way to cast without being seen. His second wand that he used only while in his Crow persona was made for that task. Engraved with hundreds of runes, the magic cast by it produced no light particles whatsoever, making his attacks impossible to block. And thus, the Legend of the vigilante Crow was born.
With another sigh he flicked his wand and his clothes covered his naked body. Without making noise, he left the common room and marched through the silent and dark hall of the dungeons.
"What are you doing here at such a time, Potter?" a voice said suddenly, making him twirl on himself and point his wand to the source, a spell already on his lips.
"Oh, professor. You've startled me; better watch out in the future or you'll find yourself missing something." Harry replied with an easy grin, sheathing his wand.
"As insolent as ever I see." Snape replied with a half sneer.
"I prefer, confident."
"You still haven't replied, Potter."
"Oh, well, you see, there is this girl in-…"
"I don't need any more details." The teacher interrupted the young man with a disgusted expression. "Make sure you're not caught so early in the year, Potter. I don't fancy hearing that one of my snakes was caught because he wasn't sneaky enough."
"You are too kind." The youth replied with an exaggerated flourish, before vanishing into the darkness of the night.
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A few minutes later Harry closed the door of an unused room on the third floor and approached the window; then, jumping through it he smirked before his body shifted and a second later, a black crow with green eyes took his place, flying at a rapid pace toward the Shrieking Shack. After a while, he dived toward the shack and entered the house through another window, shifting in the air and finally sliding on the wooden floor of the shack in his human form. Taking the locket around his neck, he flicked his wand over it and disappeared in a flash of light. Reappearing in a forest thousands of miles south-east he looked around to make sure he was alone, before his form shifted again, turning this time into a black furred Lynx cat with piercing green eyes. Sniffing the air for a second, he leaped forward, instinctively following the familiar trail. After a few minutes of running, a stone wall appeared in his vision; without slowing his strides he jumped toward one of the trees closer to the barrage and using it as leverage jumped over the wall, silently landing on his paws. Without waiting for another second he leaped again, traveling the great distance of the giant grounds in mere seconds. Finally he stopped and transformed back into his human form, before slowly approaching a tombstone. The stone was very modest; with no unnecessary text, simple, like the person it represented would have liked.
Agathe Julie Marenceau
1977 – 1992
Dear daughter and great friend
Kneeling down, he put a white rose on the ground next to it, whispering a silent incantation and making the flower eternal, or at least as long as he was alive.
But saying that Agathe was a simple person would have been a complete lie. She was much more than that and her actions spoke volumes about her…
"Hello, Agathe. Happy Birthday." Harry whispered in French, feeling the lump forming in his throat. "I know it's not really the time to say this but, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that you can't be here right now; I'm sorry that I never had the time to really get to know you; I'm sorry that you had to die at such a young age because of me. I'm sorry…" he whispered, finally reigning on his emotions. "Everything is alright with me; school is like usual, but Hogwarts will be hosting the Triwizard Tournament this year and I count on taking part in it and winning with a great display. You've always liked when I made a fool of myself so I'll make sure you smile while watching over me."
After a long silence he stood up, a serious expression forming on his face. "I will continue to use my powers to protect the weak and put an end to this war. I won't disappoint you, I promise."
"She knows that, Harry." A male voice said suddenly, taking him by surprise, too engrossed in his mind.
"Mr. Marenceau. I…My sincere apologies for intruding your grounds in such a way. I have no right to be here, even more on such a day for her family." The Potter replied, bowing his head and not looking Agathe's father in the eyes.
"Don't be so harsh on yourself, Harry. You are family." The older wizard continued with a sad smile. "I'm sure, no; I know that Agathe is happy to see you here."
"I…thank you."
"I was sure that you would come. After all, Crow never disappoints." The French Lord said with a smile on his face, causing the young man's eyes to widen in shock and look up. "Don't worry; your secret is safe with me."
"Thank you again, Mr. Marenceau. I…I think that I should go now." The Potter whispered with another bow. After a nod from the man, Harry jumped in the air and took his crow form, before flying away.
"I hope that one day you'll meet someone to fill that hole in your heart, my boy." The French wizard said with a sad smile, putting the white rose in the pot at the tomb's feet, next to its lookalike.
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Hermione Granger, the famous or infamous, -depending on the perspective-, bookworm of the House of Gryffindor sighed and turned the page of her Transfiguration Essay. Truth be told, she always wondered why the Sorting Hat had placed her in the house of courage when she was only a shy girl with bushy brown hair made into a ponytail and a pair of glasses. With another sigh she pushed the falling strand of hair behind her ear as she continued to read; or at least pretend to. For, when he was around, she lost all control over her already timid personality. Finally mustering the small amount of courage she had, she stood up and walked toward a shelf, as if searching for a book; but in truth it was only a way to approach him. Pushing three books to the side, she leaned forward, using the created opening to watch him work. Yes it was creepy, and yes it was pathetic, but Hermione was not the sort of girl that frequented his circles; she was not popular, she had no friends apart a few acquaintances and she wasn't pretty. The only thing she excelled at were studies, but so did he. He had no use for a girl like her.
Producing another sad sigh she let her head fall toward the shelf and hit it with a muffled sound. What she wasn't expecting was for one of the books to fall on the other side, creating a great noise in the silent library. Her eyes wide from surprise, she stood there, paralyzed, hoping with all her might that no one would notice her. A startled green gaze looked up from his work and met her hazel eyes. Rising from his seat with cat-like agility that she always found fascinating, he approached the shelf, an easy grin forming on his face. Picking the fallen book up, he leaned on the shelf, turning his head to the side in a bird-like fashion.
"Hi there." He whispered with a gentle but knowing smile.
"H-…hi…" she mumbled back, too choked to form a coherent sentence. She could count the number of times that she had talked to him on one hand; and seeing him now before her, that charming smile that made her weak at the knees on his face, was too overwhelming.
"What are you working on, Granger?" he asked in a warm tone causing a helpless blush to cover her cheeks.
"Erm…T-transfiguration…" she replied weakly, averting her eyes.
"Oh is that so? I'm actually doing the same myself; my friends decided that it was still too early to work so I'm alone. Would you mind if I joined you?" he asked with a hopeful expression on his visage. Lost for words, Hermione just stared at him, her eyes wide from shock. "Don't feel obligated, if you're-…"
"Of course." She shocked out finally, nearly spending all her pent up courage on that reply. Still dazed from what was happening she silently observed him flick his wand a few times, making his stuff float toward her table as he joined her beside the shelf. After a moment of comfortable silence, she finally decided that it was in her best interests to go back to work. Calmly sitting down, she continued on her essay, or at least pretended to, while the young man worked on the other side of the table.
Finally getting used to his presence, she started to write again, sneaking glances toward him from time to time. Without knowing it, a small smile appeared on her face as she calmly worked on her essay.
"If you have some questions, ask away, not to sound too arrogant but Transfiguration is my forte." He said after a moment. "Oh but I seem to forget who I'm talking to; you're not a pushover either, Granger."
"I…thank you." She replied surprised again by his proposition. He was a top student in her year, and even counting the whole School, there weren't really that many people that could boast of rivaling him. It was hard to admit, even to herself, but she was one of them. Letting another moment pass, she finally mustered the courage to speak up. "I…erm…I have some difficulties with this passage…" she whispered, sliding the book to the young man.
"Ah, yes, a frequent occurrence with people that have never seen an Animagus." He replied with a smile. "Explaining it isn't that hard, but I can do better; I can show you."
"Show her what, Potter?" a female voice intruded suddenly. "You're not losing time, as I can see."
"Greengrass. What a pleasure to see you here." Harry replied with a charming smile. "What I want to show her? Well, aren't you a curious one?" he continued, causing another blush to form on Hermione's face.
"On second thought, I prefer to not know." The beautiful Slytherin replied with a snort.
"Oh, is that so? And I thought I heard a hint of jealousy in your voice."
"Don't be ridiculous, Potter." The blonde said with a roll of eyes.
"Still as formal as before, I see. Well, in that case, how about 03:00 pm tomorrow, Hermione? I'll be waiting near the Gryffindor tower." Potter said with a wicked grin, still looking his housemate in the eyes.
Frozen from the completely unexpected turn of events, the bushy haired witch blinked a few times, pushing her glasses back on her nose in her usual way to fight stress, before the only logical reply came up. "Of course,…Harry."
The grin on his face widening even more at seeing Daphne's face pale, Potter stood up; and flicking his wand, he tucked his belongings in his backpack. Then with an exaggerated bow toward the Gryffindor, he left the library without turning back. Feeling the heavy atmosphere around her, Hermione decided to take a tactical retreat and left not a minute later.
"I've warned you, Daph; wizards like him never stay single for long."
"Shut it, Tracey."
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Stepping into the fresh air, Fleur looked around, observing the beautiful scenery of the Hogwarts grounds. She had to admit that the vision before her was a good change to the upstanding structures of Beauxbatons Academy.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Caroline whispered beside her, gazing around in wonder.
"Yes." The blonde replied as they followed their Headmistress inside the old castle. Like she had anticipated, dazed wizards and surprised witches were left on her wake, despite her suppressed allure. Being a Veela wasn't a simple task, but after years of struggle, she had finally come to an understanding: it wasn't a curse, it wasn't a blessing, but it was just a part of her.
After a quick show of magic that the two foreign schools used as presentation, Fleur finally sat down at a table with her fellow students, joining one of the four houses of Hogwarts. Her haughty look and overwhelming appearance scaring more than a few, no one tried to start a conversation with her. But she really didn't mind. She had Caroline and a few others friends; and even if the main reason for all this assembling was international cooperation, she found no need to make friends among people too scared to even talk to her. Of course her cold mask of indifference didn't help, but that was beside the point.
Eating the surprisingly well prepared French dish, she calmly looked around, trying to spot something that could catch her interest; and catch it did. A pair of silvery grey eyes stared at her, the blonde girl to which they belonged looking at her with a mysterious smile at the other end of the table. She recognized her from the Quidditch World Cup; being the one that had caught her starring. Maintaining her gaze in an evident starring contest, Fleur was surprised when a black haired young man leaned toward the other witch and kissed her on the cheek before whispering something in her ear. The girl stood up and encircling the newcomer's arm with her own, followed him toward another table, where the Durmstrang students had taken place.
Slightly at a loss, Fleur resumed her eating, before a worried Caroline spoke up. "What is it? Is something wrong?"
"No, don't worry." She replied with smile that sent the few boys sitting around them into frenzy. Sighing in annoyance from the weak minded fools, she continued to eat, before another interruption stopped her.
"Erm, excuse me, but…are you…a Veela?" a dark haired girl asked awkwardly.
"It's common curtesy to introduce yourself before speaking to a stranger." Fleur replied coldly, raising a delicate eyebrow.
"Oh, yes, of course, I'm Cho Chang!" the Asian girl continued with an uneasy smile.
"Fleur Delacour. And yes." She replied in the same cold tone. "Is zere a problem?"
"No! I just,…I wasn't sure." Cho said with a wave of her hand as she smiled. "Luna Lovegood." She continued after a moment of silence. "The blonde girl that left the table." She elaborated. "You seemed interested. Do you know her?"
"We've crossed paths." Was Fleur's curt reply.
"I don't know in what circumstances you've met, but if she is no friend of yours you better stay away from her." Another Ravenclaw girl interjected, sneaking a glance toward the Slytherin table where she resided now.
"And why is zat?" Caroline asked intrigued by the sudden turn the discussion was taking.
"She is with him, besides being a Highborn." The girl replied; and before Caroline could ask another question, the Hogwarts Headmaster stood up and welcomed everyone, before introducing the Triwizard Tournament and its impartial judge: the Goblet of Fire. Explaining that every participant would have to think thoroughly before entering, because once chosen, a binding magical contract would take place. Adding a few words of advice and giving twenty-four hours of deliberation, he wished everyone a good night before sitting down. Not waiting for another dismissal, students rose from their seats and started to leave the Great Hall.
Rising as well, Fleur and Caroline followed them, wishing to lie down after the exhausting journey. But a crowd at the entrance blocked their way out. Frowning, the young Veela let a bit of her allure seep out and created a passage for them. Walking through the mass of people she turned to the side when the Asian girl from before spoke up with urgency in her voice: "Oh no, not again." Finally arriving at the scene she saw two young men stand facing each other, both of them sporting dangerous expressions.
"This year will be different, Potter." One of them said, a tall brown haired wizard wearing the Hufflepuff colors.
"And what makes you think that, Diggory?" the other replied, and she recognized his green gaze from the Quidditch World Cup, he was that wizard that had brushed her away. "Do you think that you will be chosen as Champion? Don't make me laugh!"
"You'll be regretting your words soon enough, Potter, when I win the both Cups." Cedric proclaimed with a smirk on his handsome face.
"Ha! As if! You'll always be second, Diggory, and I'm not even talking about Quidditch." Harry replied with a devilish smile, launching a wink toward Cho, which blushed and diverted her eyes from the two boys. A snarl deforming his face, Cedric advanced toward his nemesis, his hands itching for his wand. Potter stood there, not moving a muscle as the Hufflepuff approached him, his grin still on his face.
"You better watch your back this year…" the usually calm and kind Diggory whispered with venom.
"Oh, I feel excited all of a sudden." Harry continued his grin taking on a darker appearance and scaring a few students around them.
"I'm going to crush you; and no Veela would be here to save the day." Cedric whispered with distaste for only his opponent to hear; but Fleur's acute hearing caught on that.
A murderous expression deforming his face, Harry took a step forward, his emerald green eyes furiously glowing with magic as a very cold aura surrounded him. Unconsciously going for her wand, Fleur was startled as were the others when a voice broke into the tense atmosphere.
"Potter! Diggory! You're blocking the passage. If you have some unresolved problems, do it in a different place."
"I was just about to leave anyway." Harry said after a few very tense seconds that pushed everyone on edge. Launching a last furious glance to Cedric, he turned around and left the Hall, bumping into the confused Fleur on his way.
The year promised to be interesting, and that was putting it mildly.
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AN: I hope that you liked it! Yes, I've changed Hermione, and she will stay in this shy version of herself, as I'm not very fond of the bossy Hermione that is showed as the only intelligent one in the group in the canon. Harry was supposed to be intelligent too! So yeah, a timid!Hermione. And yes, the Malfoy are good, well, as good as you can get with a great dislike of muggleborns and muggles. As you can see, Fleur isn't a damsel in distress, and her being saved by Harry in the previous chapter had a purpose, that I'm sure you've caught on. Anyway, review and say what you think.
Zegeth