Hello! Delighted to be updating again. Really enjoying getting back into the swing of things. As ever, lots of thanks to the Beta readers, gamer0890 and x102reddragon. Peerless in my baised opinon.

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Chapter 11 - Resigned to Relaxation

This portkey trip was better, his feet landed in sloppy mud, and familiar faces surrounded him. Harry was enveloped in a hug instantly, Mrs Weasley threw herself at him. He was drowned in her relieved cries, but he didn't mind. He needed her support.

Cheers erupted around him. Some music blared and hands patted him on the back.

He just clung to Mrs Weasley.

She seemed to understand, after a second she pulled him out of the centre of attention and into the shadows of the maze. No words were said as she inspected him, but she quickly realised he needed some help.

Harry was hauled over to Madam Pomfrey and endured another inspection. The healer wasn't delighted to be taken away from Cedric, but when she really looked at Harry she gasped. Before he knew it they were marching up to the school.

Harry and Cedric floated on stretchers, which while embarrassing was acceptable, his entire body still hurt. As he lay there his muscles started to shake. Mrs Weasley gave him a tragic smile and put a hand gently on his head, Harry guessed she knew what had happened. Some of it anyway.

As they made their way through the hallways Fleur appeared at his side, her face full of concern. He couldn't make out much of what she said though.

He was far too tired for that.

!

Footsteps clattered up the stairs, followed by some hushed talking. Fleur rushed to see who it was, if Dumbledore was back already then that was a good sign, right? But it wasn't Dumbledore, it was Diggory. Floating helplessly along the hallway with a crowd of worried people.

Fleur turned, dismissing them already, but a pack of redheads caught her eye. At least seven of them crowded around a second stretcher. Fleur clattered into a short woman in her rush to reach him.

And there he lay, bloodied and beaten. But alive.

His arms and legs twitched uncontrollably, his eyes were watering, and his smile was forced. He had been attacked, and severely, that much was clear.

"What happened Harry? Did Dumbledore get to you?"

He didn't seem to even know she spoke, he just stared at her. After a few seconds, he passed out. Mrs Weasley nudged her, not rudely.

"Got to get him to a bed, dear. He needs a healer."

Fleur didn't need telling twice, holding Harry up was the last thing she wanted.

Harry was placed on the bed, and Mrs Weasley lowered him while Madam Pomfrey called for some help through the floo. Fleur didn't know how to help, she just floated on feet that felt leaden, watching Harry's shallow breaths.

After watching him for a few seconds, she took the room in. The hospital wing was bright, and the candles and lanterns burned around the room. There was a faint smell of cleaning potions, but it wasn't overpowering. Cedric's group were loudly fussing over him, as any shift or stir made him groan.

She rolled her eyes. It hadn't even been that bad of a burn, Fleur could have done much worse, but she just wished she didn't have to hear that now.

A flood of teachers rushed in, and Professor McGonagall took charge of the room instantly, ordering the Weasley children away from around the bed. She didn't say anything to Fleur, which was lucky because Fleur wouldn't have listened. Snape stepped forward, looking as uncomfortable as he had when Dumbledore set off to find Harry.

Snape's hand shook as he inspected Harry. It wasn't long, he checked his eyes, and watched him for a minute.

"Cruciatus, and some other curses, but nothing that needs reversing," he whispered to McGonagall.

"What other curses, Severus." McGonagall's voice was firm, but not unkind.

"A few, cutting curses, bludgeoning hex on his hip, nothing the healer won't fix in seconds."

"Thank you, Severus."

And with that Snape slunk off to the corner of the room, looking gloomily at the wall and rubbing his forearm.

Fleur turned back to Harry. His glasses were askew, so she leaned in and fixed them, it wasn't much but it helped. There was a commotion, Fleur could hear some healers chatting, but she couldn't take her eyes off of him. It wasn't fair.

Dumbledore hadn't found him and saved him, nor had his phoenix, Harry had survived whatever happened by himself. And Fleur was no closer to being able to help him.

A hand brushed over Harry's chest, she looked up to see a young healer, his face creased with worry. A pair of older healers flanked him, watching his every move.

So Fleur took a step back, to not get in the way.

And waited.

She couldn't help but wonder what had done this, and whether she would have been in that bed had she beaten him. She knew it wouldn't be long until she was telling herself that she ought to have beaten him, to spare him from this. But those thoughts would be pointless, and a waste.

Fleur wished that one of the healers would do something, sitting and watching them mutter to each other wasn't ideal. Her foot bounced off the cold white floor, Hermione had given her a few irritated looked, but it wasn't Fleur's fault.

The older healers shared worried looks so often that Fleur thought her hair might fall out, their whispers grew as time passed, and Fleur had to do something. She rose and walked to the doors, it was heavy and needed a good heave, she didn't expect a huge black shape moving down the hall.

She had hoped for Dumbledore, for an answer, or something. Not a—dog. The same dog from that date with Harry.

Fleur closed the door though. A clever dog, but it was no place for a dog. Before long she heard whimpering at the door, and gentle scratches. Those pitiful sounds racketed through the room, growing louder with each second. Eventually, with a sigh, she let it in.

"One wrong move and you're spending the night outside, Harry's hurt and we don't need a dog getting in the way."

It nodded.

The dog nodded. Perhaps Harry had been teaching it. Owls seemed to understand a lot more than they ought, maybe this, odd-looking dog was similar.

As she led it to the others, she found Harry's friend laughing, the redhead boy. Usually, he was extremely careful around her, he had a case of wandering eye, but this time his eyes were flat on the dog.

Hermione gestured to the dog, and he sat down next to her, Fleur knew she was whispering to the dog. But why?

She didn't really care enough to figure it out, Harry was her main focus, and those healers hadn't fixed him yet. His breathing was still too shallow and no one was darting around casting spells on him like they were with Diggory.

His bed was swarming with activity.

"I say we let him rest."

The words hit her like a broom. Madam Pomfrey nodded, and Fleur stumbled forward. Mrs. Weasley stopped her with a gentle grip on her arm.

"Is he going to be okay?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

Fleur was happy to hear genuine concern in her tone, not just pretending like some mothers, this woman had a heart. Still, though, she wanted Harry awake and talking. Some part of her wanted to know what had happened, another wanted to hear him, and a tiny part just didn't want to face the world.

"He will be fine. Our only concern is the extended exposure to the cruciatus curse, the effects can linger in the body and mind for any length of time. This recovery phase is of the utmost importance."

The door banged open, and the British Minister blustered in. His lime green bowler hat twirled in his hands and his eyes flickered around urgently. Dumbledore entered behind, closing the door gently behind him.

Tall and imperious, Dumbledore regarded them, and the entire room looked to him for guidance at that moment. He offered polite greetings to a few people. But his main focus was on Harry. And in his face was deep concern.

"I must wake him," he told the healers.

"We don't believe that is wise," the eldest one replied.

Fleur couldn't help but judge the healer for their lack of conviction. If it had been her to say it, she'd have been shut down faster than a brothel in Gringotts.

"I'm afraid we need to hear what happened." Dumbledore regarded the healer, "but I can promise you he will be resting, for as long as you see fit."

They acceded to his wishes, one cast a spell to reawaken Harry, and the others fell back out of the way.

Fleur darted into the space and was joined by the dog and Hermione. She hadn't even known they were close, but she didn't worry about it.

Harry stirred. His movements were weak but soon his eyes opened. She smiled when his eyes met hers, it shouldn't have been, but it was a relief. As though she was worried he'd been taken away from her, which wouldn't happen as long as she breathed.

"Harry," Dumbledore whispered, soft as silk. "I must ask you some questions."

He turned his head, wincing once as he had to turn his chest a bit. It seemed to take him a second or two to focus, but once he did he nodded.

"Was it Voldemort?"

Gasps rang off the walls, Fleur couldn't have counted exactly how many did, but most of the room recoiled from that question.

"Yes, mostly. Wormtail and Voldemort."

The dog growled, vicious and dangerous. Fleur made to shoo it away, but Hermione stopped her, a shake of her head was all the explanation she offered. Fleur paused for a second.

Of everyone in the room, Hermione and Ron were two of the most composed, as if they had expected this. As if Harry saying Voldemort had attacked him wasn't strange. She took a second to reevaluate their friendship.

"He has regained a body, fully, not like the dreams?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yeah…"

Fleur felt a little weak herself, Voldemort hadn't done much damage to France or herself, but still, the reputation was bad enough to inspire fear. The Minister was muttering to himself.

"What happened to his followers?"

Harry paused. Fleur saw it on his face, he wanted to lie about this. Dumbledore caught on too, but he didn't let up.

"A little privacy please."

Everyone backed away. Fleur made to follow, no matter how much it tore at her, but Harry grabbed her hand. Dumbledore didn't miss it, he glanced at their hands and then smiled.

"He summoned them, somehow, and they apparated into the graveyard." Harry paused, swallowing, his voice was harsh and pained. "They watched and laughed as he… I tried to kill Voldemort, with my gobstones, and the others too."

Fleur nodded, she could see it. In the heat of the moment lashing out, she had done it. His gobstones again, something else that was more than it seemed.

Dumbledore nodded again.

"Most are… dead, but I found no sign of Voldemort, nor Wormtail. I'm glad you got out Harry, killing is never easy. Especially when you mean to. Can you remember names?"

"Yeah," he listed off over a dozen names. Each seemingly loyal to Voldemort, all who had waited for this moment and leapt to obey once more.

The others returned, The Minister was nursing a cup of wine, Mrs Weasley was holding her children and the Diggorys were preparing to leave.

Dumbledore brushed a long finger along Harry's wrist, where a jagged cut had healed. They shared a look, and Harry nodded.

She watched it all, from the silent conversation to the subtle equality. Harry wasn't over-awed by Albus Dumbledore, he treated him with respect and listened, but there wasn't any reverence. Every other adult in the room revered Dumbledore.

It was odd, as though Harry wasn't seeing the world right, but at that moment it seemed to fit.

Dumbledore escorted the Diggorys out of the hospital room. They chatted at the doorway for a while, and Fleur was pleased to see Cedric was on his own feet and smiling.

Two of the Weasley boys were joking around, causing their mother to scold them. Harry shared a laugh with Ron at that, his face was slightly flushed from the outburst. She smiled to see a hint of normalcy, though she really couldn't shake the feeling that Harry wasn't ordinary out of her head.

What kind of fourteen-year-old boy stumbles into an encounter with a dark lord, his followers, and the things in that maze, and survives?

The healers were gone too, no doubt sent off for a bit of privacy.

"Minister, we must act fast." Dumbledore said. He swept across the room, his eyes firmly on the Minister and his tone brisk. "Voldemort has returned, his followers dropped everything to join him tonight, and most won't be returning."

"Nonsense Dumbledore… It's impossible."

"I am afraid it's true, I found the graveyard. I will happily take you there. Voldemort used the darkest of arts to regain a body, and if it weren't for Harry, we wouldn't have a clue."

Fleur caught a hint of derision in that, as though Dumbledore was mocking the Minister. She couldn't guess why other than him seeming to be a blustering fool.

"It was Barty Crouch Jr, that's all this ever was…"

"You had him kissed before you could learn anythi—"

"I did what I had to!" The Minister bit back.

As though he had finally grown a spine, he faced Dumbledore and spoke once more.

"I will not be scared into breaking apart all I've worked for."

Harry stirred. His weak grip on Fleur had gotten stronger, but still weak enough to make her worry about him.

"Minister, he is back. He took my blood, and… he's back."

Fleur frowned. The Minister wasn't terrified, if she had to guess, he was nervous. His lips jutted out in a slight pout, his bowler bounced from hand to hand, and his eyes crept from face to face.

"Regardless of what you believe, there will be some prominent members of the ministry who won't be coming to work. I am telling you they went to Voldemort." Dumbledore said. The thinnest facade of patience hanging on by a frayed unicorn hair.

"STOP THIS NONSENSE!" Fudge took a deep calming breath. "I won't hear another word of this. Harry, you've suffered something awful tonight, but you won the Triwizard Tournament. Let's not spoil the occasion over an addled mind."

"My mind isn't addled, you're an idiot."

"Of course it is, the cruciatus curse can do unspeakable damage."

Before Harry could erupt, Dumbledore cleared his throat. Which was lucky, Harry had sat bolt upright and looked ready to get up and yell. Fleur glared at him and he relented, Mrs. Weasley gently shoving him back down certainly helped.

"Voldemort is too vulnerable for us to ignore, I will not allow him to rise to his fullest power again."

Dumbledore took an effort to calm himself, he had been looming over Fudge, and it affected the smaller man.

The Minister plopped his ugly little hat on, muttered about Dumbledore going mad, and then dropped a heavy coin bag at the foot of Harry's bed. He turned and stormed out.

Silence pounded at her ears. Dumbledore had resigned, Harry had called the Minister an idiot, and Fleur had no idea what was going on. She giggled.

Eventually, Harry's two best friends joined in. A nervous laugh, but one that it sounded like they needed. Because Fleur needed it.

"We need to act."

Everyone in the room stopped, rigid, and looked to Dumbledore.

"Molly, can I count on you?"

"Of course headmaster."

"Severus?"

"You know I'm no fool."

Dumbledore smiled, a kind, proud smile. "Nothing of the sort. As it is, we need more than just you few…" he trailed off, looking right at the dog.

Fleur stepped back, the dog had moved, and not like a dog. It grew, expanded and shifted until a shabby man was standing there. A shabby man that had the face of a famous mass murderer.

Mrs Weasley screamed.

"Oh calm down mum, Sirius isn't trying to kill Harry, he's on our side," Ron said. His smirk said he'd enjoyed that more than needed.

Professor Snape barely reacted, but Fleur could see it, his eyes were tight and hard as a knife on Black. His hands were balled at his sides.

Sirius Black leaned over Harry and held him in his arms, it wasn't much of a hug, he just seemed to hold Harry against himself. As though not to hurt him.

Fleur could remember meeting that too-clever dog and felt stupid for not realising, that was a foolish oversight. Hermione tapped her on the arm and gave her an apologetic smile.

Fleur took it in once more, Harry, after being attacked by Voldemort, was in confidence with Dumbledore. Voldemort's famous right-hand man was there too, the mother of his best friend, and all his friends. Yet somehow this wasn't absurd. Oh, and they were discussing how to stop Voldemort from a second rise of power.

Couldn't forget that.

"We need to settle old scores if we are to work together," Dumbledore prompted. His gesture was clear, but Snape seemed to not notice. The headmaster sighed.

"Very well… Sirius, I need you and Molly to contact the old gang. Molly you remember your brothers' old friends?"

She nodded.

"First thing in the morning then, with some luck, we might be able to avoid a catastrophe. I will also be stepping down as Headmaster, I cannot allow Voldemort a free path to power while he is so weakened. Minerva, you should be able to keep things in order at the school, but my advice will be seconds away."

Professor McGonagall nodded, though tears welled up in her eyes.

"This school won't be the same without you, Albus," she said.

Snape stepped forward, but was met with a stern look from Dumbledore.

No one else reacted, other than to stare.

Harry moaned on the bed, cradling his arm. Black and Mrs Weasley rushed to console him, and Fleur smiled.

After a while, Sirius Black, the famed mass murderer, turned to her with a sheepish look. Fleur backed away half a step before stopping herself.

"Sorry, about that day in the shack. Harry didn't mention he was bringing you, and still thought to take you to that hellhole," he said.

"Hey, you sent me a letter first thing that morning, what was I supposed to do?" Harry asked. Fleur could tell he was biting back a groan.

Fleur suddenly remembered how that meeting had gone. How she had scratched its ears, his ears—Sirius Black's ears.

"You should be, you hadn't washed in…" she sniffed the air, "months."

"From my memory, Mr Black only washed when chasing girls," Professor McGonagall chimed in, a smile playing on her lips.

The younger people laughed at that. Fleur's heart warmed to see Harry grinning at Sirius Black. She could've sworn she'd heard Snape chuckle from the far wall.

"Be reasonable. There was that one time he fell off his broom, Minerva," Professor Dumbledore added helpfully.

"Well, in my defence, I was more worried about Harry than finding a river that wasn't cold as ice," Sirius groaned. He glared at the two old teachers. "It really was a shame, poor Harry got all dressed up, only to have to drag you into a dingy shithole like that."

"I thought it was charming. The date, not that shack," Fleur corrected.

"Oh, the shack, it's horrible isn't it?" Hermione said.

"You should see it in the daylight," Harry said.

"Ah, Remus suffered a great deal in that house. He confided in me that it was worth it, but it still weighs on my heart." Dumbledore said.

"He'd have chewed your hand off to get the chance again, full moon or not," Sirius added.

Harry nodded, then winced. Mrs. Weasley quickly rushed in to comfort him. Dumbledore grimaced then bowed his head, and announced his departure, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape followed him out. Leaving just the Weasleys, Hermione, and Fleur.

Somehow it felt comfortable. Something she wasn't used to around families.

Harry's eyes met hers, and she could tell he was thanking her. What for, she couldn't guess. She returned the look happily enough, it was an odd feeling. That one of…acceptance, and being able to rely on him.

She took a step forward, past Mrs. Weasley and leaned down. His eyes were wide and excited. Her own heart raced a little.

Their lips met, not passionately, nor even eagerly. Just gentle and soft. Like an embrace.

The heat poured from Harry's red face, which fuelled her own blush. His eyes scanned the room, and got rather jumpy by then end.

Fleur heard a wolf whistle, but ignored it. Her forehead rested against his, and they shared warmth for a minute.

Mrs. Weasley made a choking sound that made the others laugh, but Fleur was beyond embarrassment.

She would have to say goodbye to him soon and go deal with her mother. His hand snaked around hers and held it close, Fleur clutched it, perhaps a little rougher than she should.

But not right now. For now, she would just enjoy this, and hope to a world that gave her some freedom.

AN: Just a short chapter here, but it's needed I reckon. I really appreciate the great reviews you've been giving, it's so heartwarming to know people are really enjoying the fic.