Chapter 6

"'Arry? I'm going to bring you your food. Is zat alright?" Fleur asked gently.

His head was turned away, gaze fixed on the window through which bright sunlight was pouring in. He gave no sign that he'd heard her.

"'Arry." She said again, still keeping her distance.

A few seconds passed where he was still showing no reaction so she walked up to the bed.

The sound of her footsteps seemed to have alerted him because he turned around to look at her causing her to stop.

He held her gaze for a few moments before looking away again, sitting up straighter as he did. Taking it as a sign she approached the bedside table before placing the tray she was carrying upon it.

She felt his eyes on her the whole time, watching her every move with a blank expression. But other than that he didn't seem to have much of a problem with what she was doing.

"Try to eat yes?" She said. "I promise it will 'elp you feel better."

He tilted his head in what seemed like a passable nod before shifting his gaze back to the window.

It wasn't much, but it was progress in her book.

As quietly as she could, she left the room.

"How is he?" Poppy asked.

"I don't know." Fleur said honestly, dropping into the seat beside the desk. "'E let me approach 'im again so I was able to leave ze food on the table but…we'll just 'ave to see."

"It's something. At least he's beginning to let his guard down." Poppy said thoughtfully. "For now I guess we'll let you know keep tending to him…unless you have other ties with the Order-?"

"No!" Her voice was a little louder than she wanted it to be. "No…I don't mind, I mean I want to 'elp."

"Good." The matron said, relief evident in her voice. "You're the only one he seems to not have as much of a problem with apart from Albus and Black. Which brings me to my next question."

"Which is?" Fleur frowned at the matron who suddenly looked unsure.

"Please know I mean no offence. If that's how it comes out it's only because I'm ignorant…" Fleur nodded, waiting for her to continue. "Do you think he is more relaxed around you because of your…abilities?"

"No." She smiled bitterly. "'E is the ze last person I want to fall under my allure. I 'ave been making a conscious effort to keep it under control around him."

"Ah…" Poppy fell silent for a few moments. "But what if you put it to use?"

"Really?" She narrowed her eyes at the matron. "'Ow could you even suggest zat?" She asked, not bothering to keep the coldness out of her voice.

"What happened to him happened." The matron sighed. "Nothing you do will change the past, but doing nothing is even worse, especially at a time like this."

"I agree." She replied before getting to her feet. "But I do not want any part of zis. I will not force my will on anyone, especially on ze person I owe my life to."

The matron said nothing. Seeing as there was nothing more to be said Fleur moved towards the door.

Before leaving however, she stopped.

"I want to 'elp 'Arry as much as you do, but I refuse to be ze other woman who took away 'is will. Even if ze intentions are different."

"How long do we have with him?" Dumbledore asked quietly, eyeing the pitiful man bound in chains in front of him.

"Long enough." Kingsley answered. "Just…make sure he's alive by the end."

"What little faith you have in me." Even as Dumbledore said it, he was a little disturbed at the self-doubt in his voice.

In fact, for the first time of his life, he could honestly say the man's fate didn't bother him.

Most crimes he could turn a blind eye to, at least when it came to the bigger picture. But Harry, he was more than that, and this man lying on the floor is part of the reason why the boy will not have any innocence left in him.

"Sirius is just outside." Kingsley clarified before leaving the room, shutting the door behind him.

He flicked his wand at the door, locking it and adding a silence ward for good measure before turning it on the prisoner.

"Ennervate." The man stirred. Chains clanging against the stone floor.

He could see the man's eyes widen as he realized he was in captive.

"It's useless to struggle." He said, even as the man started banging the chains on the floor, trying frantically to break free. "You are not going anywhere."

"Dumbledore…" The man muttered.

"I see your memory hasn't dampened after all those years Mr. MacNair." He smiled coldly. "Your hobbies have grown in scale since the last time I saw you."

"What do you want." The man sighed, his voice apathetic.

"You fled that night. The night the Malfoy manor burned down."

"I did."

"You betrayed your master."

Again, the man nodded. "I did."

"Deserting the dark lord's ranks carries the death penalty." He continued. The man's eyes narrowed.

"What's your point old man."

"Why?" He asked simply. "I was under the impression that you had forfeited your life to service under the dark lord. Why flee and get yourself in this predicament?"

Contrary to what he was expecting, the man suddenly laughed.

"Oh this is funny." MacNair continued chuckling, although there barely was any humor in his voice. "You…none of you have any idea what happened that night did you? The night Bella died?"

"I assume there's something I missed." He said politely.

"Oh you've missed a lot. But don't worry, you're in the majority. Apart from my master only I know what really happened that night. Well…me and Bella, but she's six feet under by now isn't she?"

"And what would it take you to part with that piece of information?"

"Depends on if I can use it in exchange for my life."

"I'm sure a deal can be struck?" He offered without missing a beat, his calm façade betraying the anger beneath.

This man really had the gall to ask for his life. After all he'd done he really thought he'd be allowed to make a deal.

"You and I both know that's a load of shit Dumbledore." MacNair muttered. "Who knew that the great Albus Dumbledore would stoop so low?" A cold smirk appeared on his lips. "Or perhaps you're willing to sink to any depths for revenge? I mean I did take good care of the brat while-"

Whatever else MacNair was going to say was lost as his mouth opened in an anguished yell.

He was on his feet, his wand pointed right at the man's throat.

The anger he'd been feeling since they'd found Harry had been held back by a small thread. A small, extremely brittle thread.

And that thread snapped.

He didn't know how long he kept his wand trained on the man, all he knew was that at that moment, he'd let himself go. All the frustration, the pain, the sheer anger. It was all intoxicating indeed…watching as it all translated into MacNair's screams.

But he stopped after a while.

This man simply did not deserve to die yet. It wouldn't be fair if he took his life here and ended it so quickly. No, this man needed to go through so much more before his time came. But first he needed to answer to his crimes.

"No more games boy." He said coldly, ignoring MacNair's hacking coughs as he struggled to breathe. "Either I will take what I want from your mind by force or you will give it to me and spare yourself from something far worse than what you just went through."

MacNair simply laughed again, coughing up blood as he did. "T-the brat means so much doesn't he? This just keeps getting better and better."

"You can try to shift through my mind all you want, but you really only need to know one thing." Their eyes met.

"The next time you see the brat, kill him."

"She's pretty isn't she?" Harry started a bit, still not used to having Auriel just appearing before him without any warning.

He followed her gaze, focusing on the silver haired woman who had her back turned to him as she worked on tidying up the other beds in the vicinity.

"She was one of them, that night at the graveyard? One of the champions?" She asked, sitting on the bed beside him, her arm wrapping around his shoulder as her hand started carding through his hair.

"Yes." He murmured softly, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the sensation.

His voice must've alerted Fleur who turned around quickly, their eyes meeting for a few moments. She smiled slightly before turning away, carrying on with her work as Auriel's embrace tightened ever so slightly.

The two of them watched Fleur as she worked silently. Twice she came by his bed, once to bring him a new glass of water and another to change a sheet.

He still was uncomfortable letting her more than a few feet near him, but having Auriel right next to him did wonders to calm him.

Auriel for her part, simply watched Fleur the whole time. Of course, she wasn't visible to her. Unless she wished it she wouldn't be able to be seen by anyone except him.

Only when Fleur had left the room did she speak again.

"Do you feel up to letting her heal you?" She asked softly.

"No."

"Come now dearest…you don't want us to be stuck here too long now do you?" She chided.

"I-"

"I trust her Harry." She cut him off causing him to look at her. "She genuinely wants you to get better."

"Why?"

"She feels indebted to you." He shrugged, wrapping an arm around himself as he did. In response, she brushed some hair away from his eyes before leaning down to kiss his cheek. "I'll be here the whole time."

"You will?" He asked, a bit of hope in his voice making her smile.

"Of course."

Daphne Greengrass was not enjoying herself.

That may sound a bit petty given what was going on around her…but could anyone blame her? It was something to say 'make the best of a bad situation' but this was taking it too far.

Not only was she stuck in Hogwarts, now she was being thrust headfirst into the war. A war she never wanted any part in.

Potter…she glanced at the boy sitting up on his bed a few feet away. At least he was making some progress. Not a lot, but given what he'd gone through she really had no idea about what could be considered a normal level of 'progress'.

Inwardly she felt a bit of guilt as her gaze lingered on him. The Weasleys were obviously there because they were worried about him…and her being uptight about it wasn't right.

And then there was Fleur Delacour, the French Veela turned ex-Beauxbatons champion who seemed to have taken it upon herself to personally care for Potter.

Her motivations were not difficult to guess…after all, she herself felt a sort of personal responsibility towards getting Potter better. But then again, that was mainly because of the personal guilt, given how her past interactions with him have been. Especially during their 4th year.

She sighed softly, taking a seat a respectable distance away from him. It was her turn to keep watch over him.

She couldn't wait for the new term to start. At least it would bring some sense of normalcy back.

The summer after the 4th year her parents had finally given in and accepted the dark lord's offer to join him. It wasn't like they had much of a choice, but then again her father had always been a coward and her mother was more than content to simply follow his decisions, even if she would be humiliated in the process.

But she refused to follow through with it. Nor would she allow her sister to be put through it either.

And so she'd run away with Astoria. With nowhere left to turn to, unable to trust her friends due to the dark lord's apparent return, she'd come to the last place she could think of.

Hogwarts.

The headmaster had been kind enough to listen to her plight. He'd understood and allowed her and Astoria to see Hogwarts as their foster home, but her pride wouldn't allow her to be indebted to him. Which is why she'd decided to work and learn under the school nurse.

It'd be interesting and a good experience she'd thought. After all, the healing arts were never a skill to be scoffed at.

Never did she expect to be caught in the middle of this.

She glanced over at Potter who was staring blankly ahead of him. She didn't like him on principle before, but she never outright hated him like her peers did either.

No matter what he was he'd been a fellow student, a classmate. It didn't feel right to see him like this. She found herself wishing that when school started again, by some miracle he'd go back to being that normal, infuriating Gryffindor.

The sound of the door to the hospital wing being open jerked her out of her reverie. The sounds of loud voices had her moving quickly.

"You're being ridiculous! Let us through, I want to see him!" An irate female voice shouted.

"We can't allow that." She recognized Poppy's voice, and judging by the tone of her voice, she was more than a little annoyed. "Look, does Albus even know the lot of you are here?!"

"Why does he need to know?! We've been worried sick about Harry and to think that its only now we find out that he's here! I don't think I have to explain myself to anyone."

It was the Weasleys. It seemed the entire brood had finally gotten wind of Harry's whereabouts and judging by the way they were standing behind a rather plump woman who was having the screaming match with Poppy, it was the Weasley family matriarch.

"Look." Poppy hissed. "The boy is not up to having the lot of you overwhelming him."

"It's not up to you to decide! He'll be glad to have us around him!"

Daphne couldn't help herself as she snorted at that causing the woman to glare at her.

Honestly…the woman couldn't be serious?

"You're not his family?! Or Guardian for that matter!" Her own incredulity was being voiced by Poppy. "There is no room for argument, you can see him when we say so."

"Madam Promfey, just tell us he's doing alright." Another voice cut in. Daphne recognized Granger who'd stepped up to the front.

She had to give the girl credit though…the way she'd moved in front of the Weasley woman, brushing her aside had to be something unprecedented judging by the way the woman swelled like a bullfrog as her children looked more than a little apprehensive.

"He is alive." Poppy answered. "And we're working on making him better. I know you want to see him." She added, her voice becoming gentler as she eyed the girl. "But you just have to wait."

"'E will be fine 'Ermione." Delacour's voice entered the fray making the entire group shift towards her. The blonde had finally arrived on scene it seemed as she fought her way through the crowd of redheads, coming to stand next to Granger. "If zere's anyzing I'll let you know."

That seemed to put Granger at ease judging by the nod she gave her as Delacour smiled at her before walking past Poppy who stood aside to let her through.

"Hang on, why are you letting her through of all people? And speaking of which who is she?!" The finger was pointed straight at Daphne. "I don't think either of them are friends of his?!" The Weasley matriarch seemed to have found her voice again.

"It's not his friends we need right now." Poppy retorted.

With that she flicked her wand at the door, slamming it shut.

"I knew this was going to happen…the woman is a bloody menace when it comes to him." Poppy muttered idly as she walked off in the direction of her office leaving the two girls standing awkwardly next to each other.

"She is a menace eizzer way." Delacour muttered under her breath before addressing her. "'Ow is 'e? Anyzing 'appen at all since I was gone?"

"Nothing to speak of." She replied with a vague wave of her hand in his direction. "Still won't eat, doesn't seem to sleep much either."

The blonde sighed, brushing a few strands of her hair behind her ear as she did. "I'll take over. You can go tend to your sister."

Something about the way Delacour spoke didn't sit too well with her.

"You sure?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. "I mean…its barely been an hour for my shift."

"I'm sure. Your…shift? Can be better served elsewhere." There was a definite edge to her voice. That coupled with the rather condescending smile irritated her to no end.

"Sure." Daphne bit back. "Have fun."

Delacour walked off without a second glance, disappearing behind the screen which hid Potter from view.

Seeing as there was nothing else that needed tending to, especially because she'd been relieved unceremoniously of her duties by Delacour, Daphne decided to retire for the night.

AN: Moving at a snail's pace but some progress is better than no progress right?

I feel I have to apologize for one thing though, I did a stupid thing by starting this story while I was already working on the WitcherxHP crossover and admittedly I really prefer working on that more than this.

Don't get me wrong, I like writing both of these equally but the Witcher world just offers so much more to play around with.

But either way you can rest assured that I'll always keep writing more of these chapters, I'm too much of a Harry/Fleur shipper to stop. Heck, I've got a dozen ideas for one-shots in my mind so that's a plus.

Hopefully I'll translate those ideas and future chapters to paper sooner than later.

Thanks for reading!