"I don't believe you," Fleur said as she bit into her croissant, a sigh of joy escaping her lips as the chocolate flavor spread through her mouth.
"It's true," Harry defended, wiping his mouth with a napkin before leaning back in his chair.
They'd seen each other a few times since that day at the Weasley's, mostly for lunch or dinner. Fleur enjoyed being with Harry, his handsome smile and easygoing nature always finding a way to relax her. There were no expectations between them, and that suited her just fine, the stresses of her remaining family being an uncomfortable spot in her life. Harry was like a breath of fresh air.
The stories he had were just a nice bonus.
"You're telling me that your dad, the head Auror for the British Ministry, in the course of executing his job, accidentally released a Jarvey into the building?"
He nodded.
"That about sums it up, yeah," he confirmed before laughing. "Little overgrown ferret found its way into the Minister's office. Stood right on the Minister's desk and stared at them."
"What happened?"
"Opened its mouth and said 'You hit every branch on the ugly tree when you fell.'"
She laughed, covering her mouth as she did.
"What did the Minister do?" she asked, still laughing.
"Stunned the thing and brought it to us personally. Dropped it on my dad's desk, gave him a hard look, and said 'Your twin brother insulted me. Deal with him.'"
Fleur laughed harder, uncaring that several of the other tables around them were shooting her dirty looks. She kept laughing until she snorted, ending her laughter instantly as her eyes widened.
Harry raised an eyebrow.
"Did you just…"
She glared at him.
"I did nothing, Mr. Potter."
"Uh huh," he said, blowing out a long breath. "Fleur Delacour snorts when she finds something particularly funny. Interesting."
"I will end you if that gets out," she threatened.
Harry held his hands up in mock surrender.
"My lips are sealed, madam." He sent her a sly smile. "It was cute though."
She couldn't stop the blush that crept onto her cheeks, though that caused him to laugh. She folded her arms across her chest but the smirk she wore betrayed her false anger. She sighed contentedly. It was nice to laugh about life, even if it was through Harry's stories. Through the lens of his life.
It felt normal. Something she desperately wanted to get back to some day.
"Do you want me to walk with you to the bank?" he asked.
She shook her head and frowned.
"No, I've got an errand to run before work." She smiled at him. "Thank you for breakfast, Harry."
He waved his hand dismissively.
"No need for thanks," he insisted, "this was the best breakfast I've had in a long time."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Something tells me you don't have breakfast often enough."
He shrugged as they stood.
"Or maybe I do and it's the company that made it so enjoyable?" he suggested.
She tapped her lips before nodding. "Yeah, that's probably it. I am very good company."
"So modest."
"I aim to be an example of humbleness," she shot back with a smile.
.
.
Fleur unlocked the door to the small flat and stepped in, not bothering to announce her presence. He didn't have work today, so she knew he would be sleeping, likely having stayed up well into the morning hours going over the information they'd found. They were meeting once a week, but his owl had arrived overnight saying he needed to see her.
She looked around the seating area and sighed. His clothes were strewn about the room. Shirts and pants, in varying states of dirtiness, were thrown across the back of the sofa, hung over chairs, or simply left on the floor. She sighed again and waved her wand, causing all the clothes to rise and begin cleaning themselves.
Turning to the right she moved to the kitchen and could see that dirty dishes filled the sink. At least four days worth, if the state of the dried spaghetti on one of the plates was any indication. Chinese takeout containers were sitting next to the sink, most empty, some half full. Another wave of her wand and the dishes set to cleaning while the takeout containers vanished.
She was just about to move to the desk in the corner when the picture frame caught her eye, stopping her in her tracks. She did a double take and pain stabbed her heart as she moved a shaky hand to pick it up. She'd never seen this one before. It appeared to be spring, still cool enough for jackets but not so miserable to stay indoors. He had his arm draped over Gabby's shoulder as they hugged and smiled for the camera, laughing before the image looped again.
"That was just after we'd gotten engaged. In spring," she heard Luc's voice say from the other side of the room. Looking up, tears threatening to fall, she could see her arrival had woken him, his face still hazy from rest.
"Where was this?" she asked as he walked over and took the frame from her.
He stared down at the picture, touching the glass with a gentle hand. Her heart broke just a little more as she saw a look of despair enter his face before he willed it away, replacing it with a smile.
"Near that cafe she loved, the one near Beauxbatons. She'd met with Madam Maxim about the transfiguration position. She'd just been told the job was hers as soon as she completed her mastery."
He set the picture back down on the counter and sighed. They both let a moment pass, each giving the other the break needed to compose themselves. They would grieve fully once it was over, Fleur told herself.
"Why are you cleaning my flat?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Because it smelled like feet and you had no clean dishes. Honestly, how can you live like this?"
He shrugged.
"I get by. So long as I'm presentable for work I don't think it matters."
She shook her head and grabbed his shoulders, turning him to face her. She looked him directly in the eyes.
"Don't let it consume you, Luc, please. She wouldn't have wanted that, and would be insulted if you did, so please don't let it. If not for yourself, then for me. I can't do this without you." She squeezed his shoulders. "Now, you had something urgent?"
He nodded and moved over to the desk. She noticed he wiped his cheek quickly as he turned, though she chose to say nothing. Fleur had been hit hard by Gabby's murder, equal parts guilt and sadness, but Luc had been hit just as hard. The two had been set to get married, both happier than she'd ever seen them.
How quickly his fiance had been ripped away still made her heart ache for him.
"I've been pouring over the documents you…liberated from the Malfoy estate," Luc said, putting several pages of parchment on top of the rest. "He had a coding system for everything, and the man was good at it. Honestly, had he not chosen 'sleazy politician' as a career, Lucious Malfoy would have made a fantastic bookkeeper. It wasn't easy to crack."
"How so?" Fleur asked, looking down at the pages. One held Luc's key and the others were the records she'd taken several weeks ago.
"Most people who bother to use some form of encryption for their records use something easy, like family names or important events in their lives," Luc explained. "The dealer we got the information on the UK connection from? She was using pet names and birthdays from her family history. It was trivial to crack once I knew that."
He pointed down at the pages.
"Malfoy's system is completely random. He damn near made up an entirely new language for this. It took time, and I had to spend some gold to get additional information on ancient languages, but I got it."
He flicked his wand at the board on the wall, various names and places appearing on it. She'd taken to calling it the play board. Anything or anyone on it was in play and a potential source of information. Or had been. Or, at the very least, a link in the chain to helping them find the person responsible.
Luc highlighted the name at the top.
"Château de Chenonceau is where we found the antique dealer connection to the UK. They were being supplied with pieces from someone here. Those records indicated the supplier was being funded by an influential politician. Malfoy was the logical first step."
He flicked his wand again and Malfoy's name was highlighted.
"The documents prove he's funding a lot of similar operations here, but only one does business in France."
Another flick of the wand and a new name appeared on the board connected to Malfoy.
"Borgin and Burke is the name, though it appears that the owners are quite good at keeping secrets. I was able to find very little on the proprietors. They're also very good at what they do. Despite its reputation, the place has managed to fend off all challenges from the Ministry to shut them down."
Fleur raised an eyebrow.
"Someone in the Ministry tipping them off?" she guessed.
Luc shrugged.
"No idea. It's either that or they're very careful about what they actually do on the premises. But yes, my best guess would be they've also got a contact in the Ministry that feeds them information when needed."
Fleur tapped her chin. "But if they got raided by surprise…?"
"That's why they probably don't keep anything truly illegal there," guessed Luc, "but I'd prefer more information before the Shadow makes an appearance."
Fleur nodded.
"Agreed. I think I can get that."
Luc frowned and turned his nose up.
"Going to try getting information out of your new boy toy?"
She rolled her eyes.
"He's not my boy toy, I've told you that before. We just like being in each other's company. There's this…odd sense of comfort in talking to him. He knows nothing of…" she gestured towards the desk, "this, so I don't get the looks of pity that I got back home. Hell, even Bill gave me those in Egypt until I told him I hated it."
"So, what? You're going to lie to him about who you are and get as much information out of him as possible? With a bit of shagging on the side?" Luc asked.
"I'm not interested in him just because he can help," she defended.
She didn't even know why she was explaining herself to him. She didn't owe Luc Bennet anything about her relationships. Part of moving here, for her, was to start over. A new job in a new place meant meeting new people as well. She couldn't help that the person she'd connected most with was also an Auror. And investigating the Shadow.
"But you are interested."
"And your point?" she asked hotly. "Last time I checked I didn't have to run my personal life by you."
Luc gave her a hard look.
"You're playing a dangerous game here, Fleur. I'll say it again, Harry Potter isn't an idiot. If we're not careful he'll catch the Shadow, then it's game over."
"I can keep these things separate, and this isn't a game." She turned to leave. "I'm late for work. I'll contact you once I have more."
She stormed out of the flat and down the stairs, all the way to the sidewalk outside before she stopped. She was attracted to Harry, no doubt, and she knew he was attracted to her. Harry was sweet and charming, and far better a person than she was. When she was with him she could almost forget about her mission. She knew she could keep her personal life and this separate. They would intersect at some points, but she could keep them separate.
She had to. Otherwise, all that was left was a desperate search for justice that would eat her alive. She didn't know what would be left if that were all she was.
.
.
Neville Longbottom sat down at the desk opposite him and sighed.
"So? How'd it go?" Harry prodded, looking up from the nightly reports. Neville shrugged.
"As well as I'd hoped. He's disappointed, but understands it's an opportunity I can't pass up."
Harry laughed.
"People are going to think I drove you away. I'm going to get a reputation." He smirked. "I quite like that."
Neville rolled his eyes.
"It's not like I'm leaving today. I told James I'd stick around until my mastery was done, which should be about another six to twelve months," Neville said. "But…"
"But on desk duty only," Harry finished. Neville gave him a sheepish nod.
Harry wasn't bothered by Neville's decision to leave the Aurors. He and Hannah had a family, two sweet kids who meant the world to both of them. Being an Auror meant a certain level of danger was expected, though it was never welcomed. Harry had asked his parents about it when he'd joined after Hogwarts, and there was an underlying amount of tension in his mother's answer.
"I just had to accept that your father would sometimes be put in bad circumstances and trust him to come back to you and I safely. I wasn't going to tell him to stop pursuing his dream, but I didn't have to enjoy it either."
Harry had a suspicion that Neville's role as his partner was never permanent. He'd known that since his brother-in-arms had gotten married. He was happy for him, pursuing a life in something he was truly passionate about was not something everyone got to do.
"Wotcher, Harry."
He turned to see Tonks striding towards him, short, bright pink hair bobbing back and forth.
"Nymphadora," he said with a curt nod. She punched him in the shoulder.
"Now I'm not sorry about what I've graced you with my presence to say," she shot back as an almost evil grin spread across her face. "You've been summoned by the Unspeakables."
He groaned.
"No, absolutely not," he said, folding his arms across his chest and shaking his head. Tonks laughed and patted his cheek.
"It's adorable that you think you've got a choice. And I'm not going to cover for you if you try to pretend that you didn't know."
"You wound me, Tonks," he said dramatically, covering his heart with his hands. "I thought we were united by our shared quest to make Sirius go gray early?"
Tonks shrugged.
"That was before you left me off the Malfoy thing. I would have looked so good in the bright green dress I have." She grabbed him by the robes and pulled him up, dragging him towards the lift. "Now let's go. Bye Nev!"
Neville waved at them with a chuckle as she continued to pull Harry towards the lift.
"These orders come directly from James, so you have to follow them. He said he'd tell Lily if you try to get out of this."
"But that means I have to talk to her," he countered.
Tonks rolled her eyes as she pushed him into the lift.
"Chin up, Potter," she said mockingly, "It's been a couple years, maybe you two will get along great?"
Before he knew it the lift opened at the Department of Mysteries and he was greeted by the exact person he didn't want to see today. Or any day.
"Good, you're on time. For once," she said, turning around and walking away. She stopped after several paces and half-turned back to him, a bored expression on her face. "Get your arse in gear, Potter, I haven't got all day."
He recovered quickly and matched her step, not trying to keep track of where they were or what hallways they were turning down. He was convinced the department was purposefully obtuse, if for no other reason than to confuse visitors and make it seem more ominous than it really was. He looked at his companion. She still looked the same, though her blonde hair now went just below her shoulders instead of to the middle of her back like she'd worn it in school.
"It's always a pleasure to work with you, Daphne," he said with a smile, though he received only a scowl in return.
"We're here," she said as they stopped in front of a door. She ran her hand down the frame on both sides and what had appeared to be a solid oak door faded from existence. It would have been impressive, and he was most certainly sure they did it to wow others, but he'd long since gotten over it. She looked up at him. "It's Unspeakable Greengrass to you."
Harry rolled his eyes as they stepped into the room.
"Still bitter about me dating your sister then, huh?"
His relationship with Daphne Greengrass had never been warm, or even friendly. In school they had been in the same year but never interacted much, though she was the only student who could give him a run for the top spot in defense. They'd been partnered for potions a couple of times and that had been pleasant enough, though neither had been much for small talk.
Dating her sister shortly after breaking up with Ginny, however, had changed that dynamic.
Even then, dating was such a strong word. He and Astoria had gotten together for drinks, had some fun, and then parted ways. It lasted no more than a month, both trying to get over recent breakups, both just looking for a distraction. Neither had any delusions that their relationship was anything more than what it was. They were friends now, hell, he still grabbed lunch with Astoria whenever they crossed paths. However, dating her had apparently been a grave mistake to Daphne, who now seemed to hate him.
It would be funny if she weren't so dangerous.
She backed a few paces away from him, pointed her wand at the floor beneath his feet, and muttered something. The air shifted around him and suddenly he could no longer feel magic.
"Is this what you felt at the Malfoy estate?" she asked.
He raised an eyebrow and nodded.
"Yeah, though the person who cast it said they created it," he revealed. "Were you able to replicate it?"
Daphne rolled her eyes and jabbed her wand at the floor, muttering something else under her breath. Just as quickly as it left his magic returned. He shuddered. He decided he hated the sensation that the ward created, like part of him was missing.
"No, you gullible idiot, whoever cast it learned it from somewhere. Or stole it," she said mockingly. "The ward originated somewhere in Egypt or Libya. What I've been able to find doesn't give specifics for the origin. I did, however, find the counter, though you have to be outside of the ward to use it. I'm supposed to teach it to you."
Harry nodded and drew his wand.
For the next half hour they practiced, first at casting the ward and then at dispelling it. He had to admit that it was simpler than he imagined, though Daphne had to explain that the ward drew its strength largely from the casters intent rather than raw power. The greater the intent, the greater the effect of the spell and, more importantly, the longer it would last. After he'd gotten casting and rapidly dispelling the ward down she held up a vial.
"Here, take this," he took the vial and raised an eyebrow. "It'll help with fatigue. This ward isn't meant to be cast rapidly, so don't try to incorporate it into a protracted fight."
She walked from the room and he followed, slipping the empty vial into his robes as he caught up.
"How much were you told about what you were researching?" he asked as they cut through the maze of corridors towards the lift.
She shrugged.
"Croaker told me to research a ward like that, so I researched a ward like that. I don't question when I'm given a direct order from my department head. Not all of us have their daddy as a boss."
He frowned, though not at the jab about his father. He'd long since stopped caring if people had an issue that he worked for James Potter, and he'd long since proven he earned his position. That he could outduel most of his peers had quashed the largest of the whispers. Instead, he frowned at something else she said.
"Don't you think that's a little dangerous? Not questioning orders?" he asked.
They made it to the lift and she turned to face him fully.
"I don't have the time, nor the patience, to explain to you the intricacies of the Unspeakables. I suspect much of it would go over your head anyway. Regardless, to answer your real question, no, I have no specifics on why I was tasked with this. It took me away from valuable research, so it must be important, though I'd have probably tried to pawn it off on someone else had I known you were involved."
"Is your face permanently affixed with a frown or do I just bring out the best in you?" he asked with a smirk as he entered the lift. She turned to leave.
"Goodbye, Potter."
"Say hello to your sister for me!" he called, and laughed when she shot him the middle finger.
.
.
He was assisting with research for another joint investigation when a shadow fell over him. He looked up and smiled.
"Hey Ginny. Back in town?"
Ginny nodded and plopped down into the chair next to his desk. Despite their history together, their friendship hadn't diminished after breaking up, though it seemed no one had believed their split was amicable at first. All of their friends and family pestered them, trying to get the real story, until finally the two of them put their feet down. It wasn't a shock she'd stopped by and he was always happy to see her.
"Good job in the match against the Bats, by the way," he complimented, putting down his quill and turning to face her. "That goal right before the snitch sounded crazy. Wish I'd been able to see it."
"Katie yelled at me for almost ten minutes once we were back in the locker room," she said with a smile. "Said it was reckless. When I pointed out that it made sure we won despite not catching the snitch she gave me double practice."
"Ouch." Harry winced. Katie had been a good captain for them after Wood had graduated, but she was never one to be shy about voicing her concerns. "She's turning into Oliver."
Ginny laughed.
"I told her that. She laughed, agreed with me, and told me I still had double practice."
"Not that I'm not happy to see you," he started, shifting gears, "but to what do I owe the pleasure of your company today?"
She sent him a sly smile and he raised an eyebrow. He knew that look, he'd seen it for years. It meant she was here to give him a hard time about something.
"Ron tells me you made a new friend," she said teasingly.
He rolled his eyes. Of course that's why she was here.
"Ron needs to be more specific." He knew playing dumb wouldn't work, but it was always worth a shot. "I met one of the new clerks in the Minister's office last week."
"Don't play dumb with me, Potter. It doesn't suit you." She narrowed her eyes. "You know exactly who I'm referring to."
"And that would be…?"
She scoffed. "Bill's partner, or rather, ex partner. Tall? Blonde? Incredibly attractive? Ringing any bells yet?"
Harry scratched his chin.
"Does Hermione know Ron described Fleur as incredibly attractive?"
"Ron says you two had your first date the very same day you first laid eyes on her," she continued, ignoring his comment. "I want details."
"First of all," he started, "it was the second time I'd seen her. She just hadn't seen me."
"You were stalking her?"
"Second of all," he again pushed past her comment without acknowledgement, "it wasn't a date. Your mum was being her overbearing self so I simply helped her out."
"Hermione says you've gone to lunch with her a couple times since," Ginny pointed out, leaning back and putting her feet up on his desk. He raised an eyebrow and she just shrugged as she pushed the chair onto its back legs, rocking back and forth.
"Hermione would be correct. Why is she tracking my lunches?" he wondered out loud.
"And how are things going?" Ginny prodded.
He sighed and pushed his glasses up to pinch the bridge of his nose.
"They're going well," he admitted, and it was the truth.
He and Fleur had hit it off quite well, and they had fun when they were together. Lunches, dinners, breakfast, or even just taking a walk in the Alley. It didn't matter what, he just enjoyed being around her. He could forget about work for a bit when he was with her. Leave behind cases, leads, and informants and just be himself. It wasn't all that often he got to do that.
Ginny was looking at him expectantly and he shrugged before sighing.
"I like her. She's funny, witty, and ridiculously smart. The way she talks about curse breaking is the way people tell me I talk about chasing down bad guys. It's nice."
He left out the part where being with Fleur let him push aside the stresses of work and just unwind. He didn't have to be an Auror around her because she wasn't tied up in anything relating to his work. He got to be just Harry, without the need to discuss secret investigations or provide updates to existing cases.
"Yes!" Ginny exclaimed, dropping the chair back onto all four legs as her face broke out into a wide smile. "I love absolutely everything about that. It's about time you found someone to connect with."
He was just about to say something when a voice sounded from behind him.
"Harry, you've got a visitor."
He turned around and saw Sirius leading Fleur towards his desk. He flashed him a cocky smile.
"This lovely young woman was looking for you," he said, eyes sparkling with mischief. "As it is my duty to help those in need, I graciously offered to lead her to you."
Harry narrowed his eyes.
"Say anything else and I'll tell my dad about what you got up to that day you didn't show up for work around Christmas."
The humor left his godfather's eyes, replaced with shock as the older man opened and closed his mouth several times. Harry smirked when he nodded and walked away without another word. He chuckled at Fleur's confused face.
"He was setting up a prank at my parent's place to go off on Christmas day when he should have been at work," he explained. "What can I do for you?"
She smiled.
She took a long look around the room, looking at the various empty desks and his own, appearing to check how busy they were. Finally, she looked back up at him.
"I was hoping we could go to lunch?"
"Yes," Ginny answered from behind him. Harry moved aside so that the two women got their first good look at each other. Fleur raised an eyebrow and looked at him. He shrugged.
"Fleur Delacour, meet Ginny Weasley."
Ginny was still smiling as she approached Fleur and began looking her up and down. She circled the taller woman almost like a predator circling its prey. She stopped in front of Fleur and her smile got wider.
"Girl, you are an absolute treat."
"Ginny!" he chastised. "Don't be rude."
She turned to him with a questioning look.
"What? I'm just saying she's gorgeous."
"This is your ex-girlfriend?" Fleur asked and he nodded.
"Emphasis on the ex part. As in, never going to get back together. As in, she should find somewhere else to be as I've now got lunch plans."
Ginny looked at Fleur.
"I can already tell I'm going to love you."
She grabbed Fleur by the shoulders and moved her to stand next to Harry. She stepped back and began framing the two of them with both her thumbs and index fingers, as if imagining a picture being taken. She was muttering something under her breath and nodding. Harry and Fleur looked at each other and shrugged.
"Yes," Ginny declared with a wave of her hand. "I am fully on board for this."
She leaned in towards Fleur and gave her a cocky smile.
"He's a great kisser," she whispered, "So don't worry. And he fu-"
"And that's enough for your visit today," Harry interrupted, grabbing Ginny by the arm and pulling her away from Fleur, nearly dragging her towards the lift as she laughed. He pushed her into the lift and waved his wand. She gave him two thumbs up.
"I'm rooting for you," she said quickly before the lift closed.
He sighed and rubbed his temple. He felt like that couldn't have gone any worse but then stopped and realized that, yes, it could have. As he turned around he half expected Fleur to be gone, chased away by his well meaning, but ultimately troublesome ex, yet she was still standing there. A little dazed, but still there nonetheless. He walked back over and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.
"Is she…always like that?" Fleur asked.
"I, well, haven't really done…this much since her and I broke up," he admitted, and he wondered if he'd revealed too much too soon. He'd hate to scare her away.
"Gone on lunch dates?"
"Or any dates," he confirmed.
She smiled and then shrugged before interlocking her arm with his.
"Well, I shall try to be entertaining. Shall we?"
He nodded. "Where to, captain?"
"I was thinking we could walk around Diagon Alley and find something there?" she suggested and he nodded.
"Sounds like a plan to me."
They made it out of the building in record time, only being stopped once by a junior Auror who wanted to ask Harry's opinion on a counter-curse. Fleur was unbothered by the interruption, though he caught her watching the interaction with a curious eye. They popped onto a side street and made their way through the Cauldron towards Diagon Alley.
"You handled that well," she said as they walked slowly down the Alley.
Most kept to the two main streets that ran down the center, both ending at the entrance of Gringotts, but there were several nice food places on some of the side streets that he thought she'd enjoy.
"I used to be like them," he said with a smile. "The least I can do is be less of a task master than Alastor Moody was. Though they don't have to feel his wrath in training these days."
His mind wandered back to his early days at the academy, fresh out of Hogwarts and ready to take on the world. His enthusiasm lasted about a day before the booming voice of Mad Eye Moody sank its way into his head. The old, bitter Auror was skilled, but he was a tough old bastard, unafraid to teach new recruits by repeated painful demonstration.
"Oh?" she said as they stopped at a shop window for her to look in. "Do they conduct training differently now?"
He nodded as he instinctually scanned the area for threats.
"The Ministry felt the old training methods were a bit…harsh. Neville and I were the last to go through the old program."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Do you think it helped you be a better Auror?"
He shrugged as they started walking again.
"I have no idea. I hated it at the time, but what Nev and I learned saved our lives on more than one occasion, so I can't say it went to waste."
They came upon the entrance to Knockturn and Fleur stopped, peering into the dark alley with a questioning look.
"We should keep moving," he said in a low voice, his body tensing.
Knockturn hadn't been a problem in years, but it was never a good idea to loiter in the area. That was especially true for someone like Fleur, who was unfamiliar with the history of the British wizarding world.
"Is this the so-called Knockturn Alley I've heard about?" asked Fleur, turning her head towards him.
"Yeah, and it's not completely safe so we should keep moving."
"If it's not safe why not make it so?"
He paused and stared at her, the question having caught him slightly off guard. He'd asked the same question years ago when he'd first been assigned to patrolling the Alley. He'd been given several different answers, some of them conflicting with each other. Ultimately, he'd settled on it being a necessary evil.
"Easier to keep an eye on the shady parts of society if they all gather in one place," he explained before looking down into the dark corridor ahead. "Though there are some legitimate businesses that operate there. The rent is significantly cheaper on account of the location and general lack of sunlight. Kind of puts a damper on the spirits."
Fleur pointed to one of the bigger shops that was visible in the Alley.
"What's that one? It seems bigger."
He cocked his head and looked.
"That's Borgin and Burke," he said, "though these days it's more Burke than Borgin."
"Did they split?" she asked.
He shook his head.
"Not that we're aware. Some think that they got into a fight and Burke killed him, but that's just rumors." He sighed. "Burke is a major player in the smuggling market here, but he runs a tight ship. Everything he does is above board on the surface."
She raised her eyebrows.
"He gets away with it?"
"Yeah, sadly we've never been able to pin anything to him officially. He's dirty, we know that, but he's careful."
"Have you not tried raiding his shop?" she asked, causing Harry to laugh lightly.
"We've tried to get approval two dozen times but we get shot down every time due to lack of evidence."
"Should I be concerned about this Mr. Burke?" she asked innocently. "Is he the most dangerous among you?"
Harry shook his head. "Nah, Burke won't give anyone working around here problems. The Lestrange family might cause a scene, but Burke keeps things quiet. It does him no good to start trouble."
She took one last long look at the shop before turning back to him with a smile.
"I'm sure you'll get him eventually. From what I've heard, you're pretty good at your job." She intertwined her arm with his. "Now, I believe we were on the way to lunch."
.
.
She covered her mouth as she laughed loudly.
"You didn't!" she exclaimed in disbelief.
"I did," Harry confirmed with a smile, taking another bite of his sandwich. They'd settled on a small shop not far from the main path of Diagon Alley.
"Dumbledore looked at me like he'd lost all faith in me and said, 'I'm terribly disappointed in you, my boy.' or something like that."
"And what did you say?" she asked.
Harry shrugged.
"I told him my mum had been saying the same thing since I was born, so he's in good company."
Fleur laughed again, though she tried to contain it as she noticed some of the other people around them giving her dirty looks.
"I lost so many house points that day that we never recovered," he continued, "and they banned me from playing Quidditch the rest of the year. I received two letters the next day. One from my parents expressing how disappointed they were, and how they'd be speaking to me about it once I returned home. The other was from Sirius telling me that he and my dad had never been more proud of me in their lives."
Fleur's stomach hurt from laughing and her face was beginning to get sore from smiling. Harry had a seemingly infinite number of stories from his time at Hogwarts, having been taught from an early age by his father and godfather the best ways to misbehave. In many ways, his stories made her feel young again, like she didn't have anything to worry about. It was one of the reasons she cherished their dates.
She pushed her plate away from her and took a sip of water, wiping her mouth on her napkin.
"So I've been wondering," Harry said, frowning slightly, "we've been on several dates now and I'd like to think we're a pretty good pair."
She raised an eyebrow in amusement.
"That's the lamest way I've ever had someone insinuate we're dating." He blushed, and she got the sense it wasn't something he did often. He had a confidence about him that she found refreshing. "It was adorable though."
He rolled his eyes.
"Well yeah, I knew that already."
"I take it back," she mocked, turning her nose up before her facade broke and she smiled. "You had a question?"
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"What made you want to start over here?"
Fleur froze, unable to move for a brief moment as her mind went blank, caught off guard by the question. She took a deep breath. She was going to have to tell him eventually, so there was no sense in trying to avoid it now. Just because he knew some of why she was here didn't mean he'd know everything.
At least that's what she told herself.
"I…I…" she started before stopping, trying to find the words. She struggled for several moments before she felt a hand go over hers. She looked up and saw an understanding smile on his face.
"You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to. There's no pressure."
She smiled and squeezed his hand.
"No, it's okay. You'd have found out eventually," she admitted. "My sister died. It was…is hard. Egypt had too many memories of her visits for me to stay."
He nodded, but didn't offer any words and she was grateful for that. Most people gave her fake sympathy and sad smiles, usually followed by some sort of attempt to normalize her hurt, compare it to their own. She hated it all, so it was refreshing to simply get a nod of understanding. Her eyes almost widened at the realization that she'd spoken about Gabby without her heart hurting.
Perhaps Harry would be better for her than she thought.
He paid for their meal and stood, offering her a hand to help her up.
"Well, now that I've completely ruined the mood, how about I make it up to you?" he asked sincerely.
She raised an eyebrow.
"You don't have questions?" she asked, unsure.
Harry shrugged as they began making their way towards the main street.
"I figure you'll tell me more about your sister when you want. Losing family is hard, and everyone deals with it differently. I'm sure I'll learn about her when you're ready to tell me."
Her heart nearly burst as it swelled and she grabbed his hand, stopping him. He turned towards her with a questioning look. She moved closer to him and pressed a kiss to his lips, trying to let him know how much his words meant to her. As she broke away she laughed at his dazed look.
"Thank you, Harry," she said softly before smiling. "Now, you said we were headed somewhere?"
He finally recovered and nodded his head.
"Ice cream!" he exclaimed.
Neither had a problem with their fingers remaining intertwined as they walked back towards the main street of the Alley. She saw Harry check the time quickly and smile at her.
"They just made a fresh batch," he said, causing her to raise an eyebrow.
"You know when Florean Fortescue's makes their ice cream?"
He shrugged as they turned at the next intersection, the parlour coming into view.
"I have…history with the place," he said with a small laugh. "You learn a lot about a business when you interact with the owners enough."
She raised an eyebrow as they reached the small shop and Harry opened the door for her.
"What sort of history?" she asked.
"For Merlin's sake!" a voice called from the other side of the shop. Fleur looked over and saw Florean Fortescue looking at this, his brow furrowed as he waved to his wife. "Everyone take cover. A walking disaster just entered."
Harry laughed and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Hello Mr. Florean," he said.
"Don't 'hello' me, Mr. Potter," Florean said, wagging a finger in their direction as he tried to look around them. "Is that no-good godfather with you?"
"No, sir. He's working."
"Probably destroying someone else's shop." He looked at Fleur and smiled. "Miss, I do hope I'm not the first one to tell you this, but the man in your company is trouble."
Fleur smirked up at Harry, sending him a wink for good measure.
"Oh, I know that, Mr. Florean. Tell me, what did this good-for-nothing do to your humble shop?" she asked in mock wonder.
Florean smiled.
"He and his godfather were supposed to help with some bad business we had a few years ago. Instead," he said, glaring at Harry, "our custom ice cream maker exploded."
Fleur widened her eyes and she placed her hand over her chest dramatically. Harry sent her an unamused look and she nearly laughed. Nothing against having a bit of fun with her boyfriend.
"How wretched!" she exclaimed.
"Finally, someone else who understands my plight!" Mr. Florean said with a smile. "Miss, what can I get for you? Any flavor you want, we have it."
"I'm ashamed to admit, Mr. Florean, that I'm rather dull with my ice cream choices. Could you help me out?"
The older man nodded before looking down at his utensils. She could see he was deep in thought as he looked between them, occasionally turning around to check his ingredients. Eventually he smiled at her.
"I've got just the thing!"
With that he set off, waving his wand and gathering various ingredients. She'd been here before, several times in fact, her sweet tooth being what it was, but this was the first time she'd seen Mr. Florean so animated. She looked up at Harry.
"Wow, he really doesn't like you."
He shrugged nonchalantly.
"Eh, it's mostly an act, though Sirius and I did blow up his ice cream maker," he said, running a hand through his hair. "It was an accident, and his wife was very concerned about our safety. She's as nice as he is grumpy."
"It is finished!" Mr. Florean exclaimed, holding out a large cone for Fleur to grab.
She took the offered cone and bit into it. Immediately the sweet delicate taste of fine ice cream hit her senses, sending a wave of satisfaction through her mouth.
"I knew you were a fan of chocolate from all the mint chocolate chip you've ordered previously," he explained, shocking Fleur. They'd never before interacted directly, yet he still knew what she'd always ordered. That was rather impressive. "I decided to mix the chocolate chips into vanilla and add in little bits of cookie dough and waffle cone. How is it?"
She swallowed the bite and a wide smile broke out across her face.
"Mr. Florean, this is the best ice cream cone I've ever had."
The man smiled shyly and waved his hand.
"Oh, Miss, you flatter me."
"Do I get to taste that?" Harry asked.
The older man looked up at him, grabbing a small cup from the table in front of him and handing it to Harry.
"Here," he said gruffly, "A single scoop of vanilla for you."
Fleur giggled as Harry rolled his eyes and paid for their treats, steering them towards the small table near the window. She took another bite and a small moan of pleasure escaped her lips.
"Should I leave you two alone?" Harry asked her.
"Mmm hmm," she said as she took another bite. "Ank ou arry."
Harry shook his head.
"Don't talk with your mouth full."
She stuck her tongue out at him before taking another bite, amusement dancing in her eyes as she realized Mr. Florean hadn't given Harry a spoon.
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AN: Thanks for reading!