Someone was knocking at the door. Harry and Ron, the only two people downstairs, put back their glasses on the kitchen table and jumped up in one smooth movement, moving towards the door with their wands at ready.
The knocking repeated; this time it became more impatient and loud. Exchanging an understanding glance with his best friend, Harry opened the door, while Ron was pointing his wand at the door, ready to strike. However, when he saw the figure entering the dusky hallway, he lowered his wand and, as if mesmerized, stared at her, dropping his jaw on the floor.
Fleur Delacour, wearing an ethereal smile on her beautiful face, silently closed the door behind herself, and expectantly looked at the boys. Her sleek body was draped into an expensive travel cloak, woven from an incredibly thin, silvery white thread; it seemed as if it had no weight at all. The material of the cloak reminded Harry of his own Invisibility cloak. He, however, didn't have much time for making analogies. On the contrary, he turned to the newcomer with a stern face, pointing his wand at her chest.
"What did you call me when I turned out to be the fourth competitor in the Triwizard tournament?" he demanded.
Fleur only smiled. "I called you 'zis little boy' but 'zis little boy' 'az grown up and by now became a 'andsome young man."
"What is the core of your wand?" Harry pressed on, but his features seemed to relax.
"An 'air from my grandmuzzer'z 'ead," the Veela replied readily. Only then had Harry pocketed his wand and made a hesitating step towards her. Much to his surprise, the gorgeous girl jumped on his neck, hugged him tight and started kissing him for all she was worth. Harry awkwardly hugged her back, trying to ignore the fact that the most gorgeous body he'd ever seen was pressed incredibly tight to him, which body, at the same time, belonged to the wife of one of his friends. He could feel her magnificent curves against him; his own body vividly reacted to her presence and he started feeling somewhat uncomfortable in his jeans as his hormones started to stir.
"Whoa! Fleur, I'm very happy to see you, I really am, but do you think you can take it a bit easier, PLEASE? I'm trying to breathe!" he said apologetically, flushing red. Not without an effort, he finally managed to untangle himself from the young woman's embrace and held her away at arm's length. "Care to tell me what you are doing here? It was a very irresponsible thing to come here, you know!"
"'Arry, I don't care. I simply needed to see that you..." she turned her heard towards Ron and after a barely noticeable pause continued, "all are alive and well." By this time, Hermione and Leticia appeared at the noise as well, curiously eyeing the newcomer. Fleur let go of Harry's hands, and stepped up to Ron, briefly hugging him. Then, she repeated the hug with Hermione, but stopped dead in her track at the sight of Leticia. The Veela and the vampire suspiciously watched each other, saying nothing. Finally Hermione understood and introduced the two to each other.
"Fleur, this is Leticia Brown, our new friend and ally. Leticia, this is Fleur Delacour-Weasley, Bill's wife I'd already told you about."
The two murmured a few words of courtesy, not taking their eyes off each other. Then, an awkward silence started to form, and the five youngsters stood there for a while, not knowing what to do next. Fleur, however, had soon enough, and stepped up to Harry again.
"Do you know of a place where we can talk uninterrupted? I 'ave some tres important news for you."
Harry exchanged an incomprehensive look with the others, but silently nodded in answer, expectantly looking into the Veela's crystal clear blue eyes.
"Good," nodded Fleur, seemingly satisfied, offering her hand to Harry. "Lead on, 'Arry."
When the two disappeared on the stairs, Ron let out a sharp breath, making an unambiguous gesture with his index finger at his temple. "Mental that girl, she is," he sighed. "She didn't even kiss me."
Hermione shot a murderous glare at Ron, painfully poking him in the ribs.
"Ow, woman! What was that good for?" inquired Ron, rubbing his side with a wry expression on his face.
"I always thought you would prefer being kissed by me," answered Hermione in a dry voice, "but in my opinion Gabrielle would be a better choice, so it seems."
"Hell no!" shouted Ron, expectantly pouching his lips. Hermione did her best to remain neutral for a moment; finally she gave in and pecked his boyfriend on his lips. She pulled away, however, when Ron tried to deepen the kiss. Not missing the somewhat hurt glance in his eyes, she hurried to answer, whispering in his ear so that only he could hear, "The day is not over yet." Returning her voice to normal, she added, "I can smell food. Why don't we check on Dobby in the kitchen?"
Not even expecting an answer from Ron, she took Leticia's hand and with a cackle left the startled boy standing alone. Letting out an exasperated sigh, he followed the two girls. "Mental, I say. All girls are bloody mental."
Fleur and Harry, in the meantime, climbed the stairs to the second floor. Reaching for the doorknob, Harry threw a lopsided glance at the young woman. The expression on her beautiful face, however, he didn't like one bit. She wore a strange, anticipating, almost predatory smile and was unconsciously chewing at her lower lip. With a shrug, he hushed away his thoughts and smiled back at her, then opened the door to the antechamber and stepped aside, letting her enter first.
Fleur, however, didn't stop; with steady steps she made her way towards the boys' bedroom and there was nothing left for Harry but follow her. He was surprised to see Fleur pull her wand and point it at the door, locking it. Another movement of her wand he recognized in an instant; the girl cast an soundproof ward on the room. Seeing his questioning look, Fleur laughed; her voice sounded like pearls dropped in a crystal decanter.
"I didn't want zem to 'ear us, 'Arry. I 'ave a big secret to share wiz you," she explained simply. With one hand, she unfastened her travel cloak and let it slide off her shoulders. She was dressed lightly under the cloak; she wore only a simple T-shirt and blue jeans and, Harry saw, her clothes followed each and every curve of her perfect body, leaving absolutely no room for his imagination. His mouth became dry and he had to swallow a few times. The Veela made a hesitant step towards him, which caused him to back one step in order to preserve the distance between them. She wanted to have none of it, however; she closed on him, forcing him backwards, until he was effectively pinned between the her and one of the beds. Then she made one last step and Harry was forced to sit back on the bed.
Grinning ferociously, the Veela now made a strange gesture with her wand and her clothes were gone as if dissolved in thin air. Gulping in awe, Harry realized her underwear was also gone, if she had won any of it previously, that is. Repeating the same wand movement, with the wand pointing at Harry this time, the girl nodded satisfied when Harry's clothes vaporized as well.
"I 'ave been waiting for zis too long, 'Arry. Make love to me, please," she whispered into his ears, as she closed the remaining inches between them and pressed the boy's head against her chest.
"Fleur, what happened to you? You're Bill's wife! I can't and won't make love to you!" Harry tried to reason her, while gently trying to push her away.
"'Arry, ze Veela are sexual creatures. We need sex just like we need air, food and water. Now enough of ze talking!" she replied, maneuvering Harry that way so that he would lie flat on his back on the bed, then, satisfied with the results, positioned herself above him, pressed her body against him and leaning forward, captured his lips in a ferocious, hungry kiss, causing his blood reach boiling temperature and his heart skip a few beats. He couldn't help but hug the gorgeous girl to himself, at first hesitantly, later more and more eagerly answering her kiss as his hands roamed freely on the girl's back, caressed her hair, cupped and gently squeezed her firm bum.
After a few minutes of thorough snogging, he felt the girl's body shudder and opened his eyes, only to realize in awe the the girl was changing. Where a few seconds ago her silvery blond hair was falling freely, covering them both, there were now fiery red locks. Her body became also shorter, somewhat fuller. Breaking the liplock for a moment, Ginny Weasley grinned at her boyfriend, flashing a 32-tooth smile at the dumbfounded boy.
Harry thought he was hallucinating. "Holy crap, Ginny! Is that really you?" he whispered hoarsely, trying to fight the clouds overshadowing his mind. Profusely nodding, the girl suddenly went serious.
"Harry, I know I shouldn't be here. I don't know what made me come here and I don't even want to know what you must be thinking about me right now. To be absolutely honest, I'm scared as hell and I'd bet my wand you are as well. It's just... I haven't had the chance to give you the birthday present I had in mind for you, so please just shut the fuck up and make love to me. Please, Harry?" The last words she pronounced in a trembling voice, and she seemed on the verge of tears.
Very gently, Harry reached for her and kissed away all her fears. Soon, all her – and his - wishes had been complied to.
Later, as if in a pink haze, they just lay there, under the cover, spooning against each other. Harry carefully laid his hand on her stomach, hugging her tight to himself. Suddenly, he emitted a high-pitch yell, slapping his forehead.
"The spell! Ginny, I'm so sorry! I totally forgot!"
Snuggling closer to him, Ginny closed her eyes and smiled dreamily. "I took the potion, Harry. Don't worry, you noble git. I couldn't have expected from you to know the spell we had been taught, anyway."
Harry seemingly relaxed and went back to tenderly caressing her body with his fingertips. His nose drew in her scent, her favourite lilac perfume now mingled with salty droplets of her sweat. He planted tender kisses on her neck, ears, collarbone, while their bodies were still pleasantly shivering in the aftermath of what they had just done. It felt just so right, so perfect to hold her in his arms, and for the umpteenth time in his short life, he cursed the bitch Faith which took away all his chances to lead a normal life of an average teenager boy.
He felt Ginny move in his arms and she turned around to face him. They kissed gently again, savouring every second as if it was an eternity. Words were superfluous, even without them they understood how much they were in love.
"This was the most amazing experience in my entire life, Ginny," admitted Harry, when their lips separated.
"Believe me, Harry, the feeling is mutual, and I'm sorry we hadn't shared it earlier," the girl answered, gleaming at her boyfriend.
Harry arranged his featured in a wry grimace. He had a very good reason for that, he thought. However, he decided it wouldn't be wise to voice his opinion at this wonderful moment. Emitting a snore, he continued. "I need to admit that you completely had me here."
"Oh yes, I have," Ginny licked her lips, "and I'm sorry I haven't done it earlier."
"Ginny, I wasn't talking about that right now," Harry scolded her playfully. "For a few minutes, until your Polyjuice wore off, I really did think you were Fleur and it scared me to death to see you - her - advance on me like that. You even mimicked her accent."
"Believe me, lover boy, the sight of you was priceless," laughed Ginny, kissing his nose. "You did have some trouble breathing, that's for sure."
"Just tell me who came up with this insane and dangerous idea? You could have been caught, you know."
"I already told you through the mirror that I'd been practically living with Bill and Fleur ever since the wedding crashers left the Burrow, right?"
"No 'Phlegm', no 'French tart' this time, love?" Harry smirked ironically, but the redhead continued, not taking notice of him.
"I've really gotten to like Fleur, you know. We did a lot of talking, and... well, Veelas have a natural aptitude to certain … things..." She flushed prettily, then, mustering all her bravery, she went on. "I told her how much I loved you and how scared I was of losing you and and … well... we sort of at the same time came up with this idea. Now you know that my feelings hadn't changed a bit for you and you'll have an incentive not to have your ass busted and come back to me, my dear."
Harry tried to interject, but Ginny put her index finger against his lips, signalling him to shut up. "Fleur had some Polyjuice Potion left from operation Decoy Harry. We knew you'd be asking questions to find out if Fleur was really Fleur, so she extracted all her memories of you in order that I could memorize them. I was wearing her clothes, carrying her wand, so with a bit of luck you all shouldn't have been able to notice anything out-of-ordinary."
Harry realized in awe how much it must have taken her to prepare for this dangerous adventure and he was filled with a healthy amount of pride. "That's my girl! I really couldn't notice anything weird until you turned back to yourself. That moment, however, was the weirdest moment in my entire life and I'm not sure I want to repeat it. Ever. Only what followed afterwards."
"Harry, I'm not asking what the three of you..." Ginny suddenly broke the sentence and carefully examined Harry's face. "Or should I say the four of you are up to? Who's this Leticia anyway? Is she really a vampire?" The boy told her in a few words all about their new friend.
Ginny chew over this information for a while; the most of it she'd already heard, of course, from her Dad and Harry as well, but one couldn't say she was too happy about it, Harry could see it on the expression on her face. "She swore a wizarding oath, Ginny, and she has a very good personal reason to wish for Voldemort's death."
"I know that, Harry, but I still don't like the idea of having a vampire around you all." She made a wry grimace, which turned into a huge grin when Harry kissed the corner of her mouth. "Don't you try to distract me, Harry Potter!" she warned him playfully. "I have promised Fleur that I'll not stay away long, otherwise she'd personally come and fetch me. Let's take a shower and if you're a good boy, you may wash my back."
A few minutes and a quick shower/snogging session later, both still naked, they sat back on Harry's bed. Ginny dried her hair with her wand, then raised her eyes, sadly looking into Harry's.
"I really need to be off before Fleur raises the Order, even if I hate the mere thought of having to leave you again. I just want to tell you, Harry, how much I really love you. I wish I could come with you and do whatever stuff you need to do, but I know you're being noble again and want me out of harm's way." Grabbing his hand, she hold it against her fast-beating heart. "Before you say anything, no, I won't ask you again. I respect your choice. Just promise me that you are going to take good care of yourselves and you, Mister, return to me in one piece, after you've done whatever you've set out for."
"Ginny, I love you more than I can tell you and it was the most beautiful birthday present I could have ever dreamed of. I – we – will do our best to finish up what we've started." Feeling the dreaded moment of their ways parting again, Harry wanted to fight it, but he knew every moment Ginny was not in the circle of her family, she was in danger. So, he just kissed her, lovingly, longingly, pouring all his emotions into the kiss.
"How are you going back home? How did you even come here, if I may ask?" he asked, slightly out of breath, when they, hesitantly, ended the kiss.
"Well," started Ginny, "Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour-Weasley had taken the Delacours to the International Floo Station at Kensington via Portkey. From there, Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour-Weasley will take the same Portkey back to the Burrow in about... thirty-two minutes," she finished, consulting the old grandfather's clock in the corner. Reaching out with her right hand, a small vial soared through the air, landing on her palm.
Harry nodded understandingly, admiring her perfectly performed wandless magic. "Polyjuice?" he asked, already knowing the answer. Most probably, he just wanted to hear her sweet voice once again.
"Ehem..." answered Ginny somewhat absently as she was weighing the vial with the opaque silvery fluid in her hand. "See, I decided to give you another small gift, Harry, just because you were a good boy."
Harry didn't understand. Her "presents" seemed always unexpected, sometimes even slightly weird, dangerous. However, Ginny took pity on him, emitting a ringing laughter.
"I was contemplating whether or not I should take the Polyjuice naked or dressed. Since I hope we will see each other in the buff again, the sooner, the better, I think you would enjoy to see some more skin of Fleur, the very last time in your life. Cheers, Harry!" She toasted with the vial and raised it to her lips, emptying its content until the last droplet before the boy could react.
The effect was almost instantaneous; in a few seconds Ginny was gone, only to be replaced by the young Veela. Harry growled in frustration and tried to suppress the reaction of his teenage body to the appetizing sight.
"Like what you see, Harry?" Fleur-Ginny smiled, teasingly dancing around the boy, earning a playful slap on her bum.
"You're trying to kill me, woman," groaned Harry, closing his eyes.
"If Voldemort could do that, I doubt I will ever succeed. I'll tell Fleur what effect she had on you, Harry," teased Fleur-Ginny kissing his nose, and danced away when Harry tried to grab her wrist.
The boy groaned again, this time louder. "Cut me a break, Ginny! I am already far too embarrassed. I feel I am never going to be able to look at her the same way or to hold a conversation with her after today."
Swishing her wand, Fleur-Ginny dressed herself and Harry as well and ran her wand through her hair, arranging her blond locks. "Don't be afraid, lover boy. You and Fleur are both grown-ups; you're not the first one to have seen her in what she'd been born."
"Come on, I'll go with you until the railway station. I hate the idea of you walking around on your own," Harry decided, summoning his wand and his cloak. In the door, they kissed again, Harry desperately trying to ignore the sight of who he was kissing, concentrating only on his love to Ginny. They held hands while they descended the stairs and found the others sitting in the living room behind some books.
"Guys, Fleur's leaving; I'm going with her to Kensington. I'll be back as soon as I can. I have the cloak with me, so don't worry," he announced. Fleur let go of his hand and said her goodbye to the three others, briefly hugging and kissing them, then walking back to Harry and interlocking her fingers with his again.
On seeing this, Hermione frowned, but said nothing. Her brain, however, was working over-hours, seeing as her lips were pressed tight in concentration. Finally, her features smoothened. "Fleur, faites mes amitiés à les Weasleys!" she said, casting an angelic smile at the Veela. Fleur flushed slightly and mumbled something inaudible, then said her final goodbyes to the three.
Still holding her hand, Harry draped his cloak around them and the entrance door opened, then closed again. A minute of nervous silence that followed was broken by the two girls' voices.
"She..."
"She..."
They both laughed, Ron's glance alternating between the two. Finally Hermione offered, "You first, Leticia."
"She's no Veela," the girl stated simply, drawing in the air sharply with her nose.
"How'd you know?" asked a dumbfounded Ron.
"I could smell it on her, Ron," the vampire answered briefly. "Veela smell sweet. She had none of it."
Hermione's brain was switching gears. "She wasn't Fleur," she added knowingly. "She can't speak any French at all." Seeing that Ron was just about to ask the same question, she rushed to answer. "She was surprised to have heard French spoken to her. The real Fleur," she stressed the adjective, "knows I can speak a few words. This one, whoever she might have been, was surprised."
"Then who was this?" swallowed Ron, shaking his head. He clearly didn't understand anything of this situation.
Chewing on her lower lip, Hermione looked at him, wearing a nervous expression on her face. "Let's hope Harry has the answer for this question."
After a pleasurable walk, the two arrived at the main entrance of Kensington Railway Station. Hiding behind a column, Harry removed the cloak and drew the girl into one last hug spiced with a longing farewell kiss.
"I will make up some story for the others, sweetheart. Be very careful and I want you to have that mirror on you 24 hours a day. I'll ask Remus to charm one more for Mum and Dad," he whispered into her ear, holding her tight against himself not wanting this second to end.
"I will if you will, lover boy," she smiled at him through her tears. He hesitantly let go of her, checking the surroundings. She looked at him one last time, then she caught sight of Bill and with steady steps set out towards him. Harry watched her dance out of his life, yet again, then slowly, as if in a haze, reached for his wand.
"I'm sorry, Ginny. It's for your own safety," he whispered as he pointed the wand towards his girl. "Obliviate!"
The Memory curse stung Ginny between her shoulder blades and she shrugged annoyingly, as if trying to shoo away a mosquito. Satisfied with the results, Harry pocketed his wand again and, watching Bill hug the girl, he slid under the protection of his Invisibility cloak to start his journey back to the safety of 12, Grimmauld Place.
Lunch came and went but the three teenagers had no appetite. In the foreclosure of something bad to be bound to happen, they only picked at their food, and Ron was no exception this time.
Nervously pacing up and down the dark hallway, deep in her thoughts, Hermione suddenly heard the door open and close silently. Making sure it was Harry, entering the building still in his cloak, she cast "Homenum revelio" around herself and was just all too happy to see her guess was right.
Folding his cloak, Harry walked in her direction, but stopped dead in his track. Hermione's eyes shot flames at him; she was wearing a rather McGonagall-ish, stern look and her lips were pressed into a thin line: the sign of extreme concentration. Her hands on her sides, she pronounced only a short question.
".This?"
Harry tried to retain his composure, but in vain and suddenly a huge, wolfish grin appeared on his tired face. He said nothing, only calmly answered the girl's glare. Hermione shook her head, sending her hair flying around in the air, then, suddenly, her features pulled into a grin similar to Harry's, she rushed to the boy and flung on his neck, hugging him tight. "Ginny Weasley, you stupid idiot," she thought, "you did it!"