"Harry?" The girl called.
The boy continued to sleep soundly.
"Harry?" The girl repeated.
The boy frowned slightly but remained in slumber.
"Harry, it's Daphne," The girl lied.
The boy smiled softly to himself in his decidedly still-not-awake state.
"Sorry, Harry," The girl sighed as she launched her boot at his head.
The boy jerked awake and sent a Stunning Charm vaguely in the girl's direction but luckily it harmlessly hit the wall beside the doorway. Sitting up, he blinked in confusion as he looked at the black boot that he knew for a fact had not been there when he fell asleep.
"I do learn my lesson sometimes," Astoria's cheery voice called from the doorway where she stood in her nightie. "Sorry for waking you up...again...but I want to open my presents now," She explained with a smile.
The information presented permeated his tired mind and he smiled at the girl. "Happy Birthday, Tori."
"Thanks!" She beamed and then beckoned with her hands. "Now, up you get."
Harry began to roll off his bed with a groan. He attempted to swing his legs around to stand up but, in his exhausted state, the limbs would not answer his brain's command and he fell awkwardly onto the floor beside his bed.
Astoria laughed and walked into the room, helping him get to his feet and leaning over to pluck her boot from his pillow. Harry yawned deeply and stretched, blinking repeatedly to try to get the sleep from his eyes.
"Come on, hurry up and put on a t-shirt," Astoria commanded and Harry obeyed, walking slowly over to the wardrobe and picking out the first t-shirt his bleary eyes saw.
When he had put it on Astoria smiled brightly. "Great! Let's go, it's present opening time."
As he followed the girl out of the room and onto the landing, pausing so Astoria could throw her boot back into her room, he glanced at the other open doors. "How did I not hear you wake everyone else up?"
"Because they're already up," Astoria told him over her shoulder as they started to descend the stairs. "I went to wake them but they were already downstairs, it was only you who wasn't prepared."
"I was prepared!" He defended himself quickly. "Why do you think I went to bed at ten o'clock, I wanted a good night's sleep before you inevitably woke me up." Astoria stayed notably silent as they reached the bottom of the stairs and he narrowed his eyes at her back. "What time is it, Tori?"
"Quarter to five." She replied nonchalantly as they reached the bottom of the stairs.
Harry silently mourned for his sleep schedule as the two of them walked into the living room where the rest of the family was gathered, a large pile of wrapped presents stacked neatly in front of the settee. Daniel was nursing a cup of coffee in his armchair and staring into it as if it would remind him why he had wanted children, Marie was glaring at the side of his head because he'd been the one that wanted children and Daphne was giving them both a filthy look for deciding to carry on having children after her.
"Morning, Harry," Daniel greeted when he saw them, the dark circles on his eyes making him look rather like a large, blonde raccoon.
"Is it? I'd still class this as night." Harry replied as he held up a hand in greeting, rolling his eyes when Astoria turned and stuck her tongue out at him.
When he took his seat in the middle of the settee beside Daphne she turned to him with lifeless eyes. "Get used to this, Harry, it happens every year,"
"Hey!" Astoria said from Harry's other side. "I've been nice, this is later than last year!"
Marie opened her mouth to argue but was silenced by Daniel who turned to her rapidly. "You don't get to say a word! She gets this from you." He accused with a glare. Marie looked for a moment like she was going to deny it before she deflated back into her chair, nodding guiltily.
"Can I open my presents now?" Astoria asked eagerly, her eyes locked onto the pile of presents like a hawk that had spotted a tasty, unsuspecting squirrel.
"Yes, dig in," Daniel said as he sat back in his chair.
Astoria plucked the nearest present from the pile and savaged it, unveiling the present held within two seconds later. When she saw what it was she looked between them all.
"Who got me an English-to-French dictionary?" She asked as she held the book up in her hand.
Harry held up his hand. "I saw it the other day and figured it would help you with Gabrielle,"
Astoria laughed as she placed the book aside and leaned in to hug him quickly. "Thanks, Harry!"
Harry patted her on the shoulder in surprise, but when she broke off from the hug to pick up her next present he turned to Daphne questioningly. The blonde girl smiled at him and leaned in to whisper. "She's a lot more affectionate on her birthday, just enjoy it while you can."
Harry tilted his head in acknowledgment and turned back to Astoria who had already opened her next present. Over the next hour, Astoria decimated the pile of presents, happily thanking everyone after each gift, especially Harry who had also bought her a year's supply of Chocolate Frogs because he knew how much she enjoyed chocolate. Once the last of the presents had been neatly set aside Astoria sat back with a contented smile, her eyes roaming over her haul.
Marie got to her feet, collecting her and Daniel's empty cups as she did. "Well, time for breakfast, I think." She announced as she smiled at Astoria. "Bacon sandwiches?" She asked her youngest daughter knowingly.
Astoria nodded quickly as she jumped to her feet, causing Marie to chuckle as she led the way into the kitchen. In short order they were each sat at the kitchen table, happily tucking into their breakfast. They chatted between themselves as they ate slowly, and by the time they had all finished it was almost half past seven. After Marie had collected the empty plates and placed them in the sink to be washed later and returned to her seat, Daniel suddenly sat forward with an expression of surprise on his face.
"Oh!" He gasped, gaining the attention of the rest quickly. "I almost forgot! You have another present." He said to Astoria who perked up immediately. Daniel got to his feet and left the room, rapidly returning with a small, wrapped gift.
He handed it to Astoria who tore the wrapping off to reveal an empty tin can. Astoria cocked her head confusedly at the gift before looking back up at her smiling parents uncomprehendingly, an action mirrored by Harry and Daphne.
"Do you like it?" Marie asked, trying to keep her smile as small as possible.
Astoria looked back down at the tin can. "It's...great, Mum, thank you for my...present." She replied, confusion lacing her voice.
"That's good to hear, we thought it would be your favourite when we got it," Daniel told her honestly as he sat back in his chair. Harry was frowning as he wondered what was going on but when he turned to Daphne he saw that the girl was looking at the strange gift with a calculating look on her face. He looked back to Astoria's gift and slowly began to expand his magic with the intent to study it. Daphne purred in contentment when she felt it but quickly turned to glare at him as it was distracting her thought process.
"You know me so well," Astoria answered her father with a bemused smile as she looked back at the tin can after a quick glance at Harry when she felt his magic wash over her.
"You might like it better at nine o'clock, though," Marie said lightly, eyes closely watching Astoria's reaction. At the same time, Harry and Daphne both gasped, the girl having worked out what the present was and Harry having sensed it.
Astoria frowned at her mum before she looked back at the tin can, her eyes narrowing further as she thought about what she had said. A few seconds later she suddenly looked up at her parents. "It's a Portkey?"
Daniel and Marie both nodded, causing Astoria to grin in happiness and no small amount of relief. "Where will it take us?"
"It starts with an O..." Marie delivered her clue in a sing-song voice, grinning widely. All three children's faces scrunched up as they quickly thought about places they knew that started with that letter. It took Astoria three seconds to think before her mouth dropped open in shock.
The other two were still working it out when the birthday girl suddenly jumped out of her seat and raced around the table into the waiting arms of her father, loudly shouting for all the world to know the correct answer.
"I'M GETTING MY WAND!"
When Astoria had finished hugging everyone in the room elatedly she raced upstairs to get changed.
The second she was gone Daphne quickly dropped her smile and turned to her parents with a look of betrayal on her face. "Why? Why would you do this?" She questioned them aggressively, looking between their faces. "Where has your common sense gone? Do you not know Astoria? Delay, that's what you should have done! You should have delayed until just before she had to get on the train!" She told them with a huff, sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms.
Daniel shook his head at his indignant eldest child. "That wouldn't be fair, princess. I got my wand on my eleventh birthday, your Mum got her wand on her eleventh birthday and you got your wand on your eleventh birthday," He paused and turned to Harry questioningly.
"Err, I got mine a few days before," Harry answered as he quickly thought back to the previous summer.
"Please never tell Astoria that, Harry," Daniel pleaded before turning back to Daphne. "So your sister will get her wand on her eleventh birthday."
Daphne looked very much like she wanted to argue but instead, she just sighed and shook her head wearily. "On your own heads be it." She warned before she suddenly sat up. "Hold on, why did you make that deal with her then?"
"So she wouldn't suspect anything, why else? It worked, didn't it?" Marie answered with a satisfied smile. "You saw how happy she was."
Despite herself, Daphne slowly began to smile. "Yeah, she was."
The rest of the family went to get changed themselves, passing a joyful Astoria on the stairs. "How long now, Dad?" She asked her father as he stepped past her.
"An hour," Daniel replied, causing the girl to squeal in delight.
Once they were all changed they joined Astoria in the living room where she was desperately trying to distract herself with one of her new books. She was failing miserably, however, as every few seconds she found herself looking at the seemingly innocuous tin can sitting on the coffee table.
"How long, Dad?" She asked again when the rest had taken their seats, receiving an eye roll from her father as he again checked his watch.
"Half an hour," He reported.
"And we can't go early?" Astoria whined.
"No, the Portkey is arranged for when Ollivander's opens at eight o'clock," Daniel told her.
"But it's past eight o'clock now!"
"Not in England it isn't," Marie informed her pouting daughter.
As the others began to occupy themselves, either reading like Marie and Daphne or discussing the duels scheduled for that afternoon like Daniel and Harry, Astoria began to bounce her leg up and down in an attempt to release her excited energy, the sole of her boot tapping on the floor as she did so.
tap tap tap tap tap
That lasted for a few minutes before Daphne suddenly whirled toward her sister. "Will you stop that?!" She demanded. "Your leg bouncing up and down is shaking the entire settee and I can't concentrate on my book with all that tapping."
Astoria jumped in surprise. "Oh, sorry, Daph." She sat back and tried to occupy her mind with something to pass the time. However, a few minutes later...
tap tap tap tap tap
Daphne slammed her book closed. "How long, Dad?"
"Fifteen minutes."
tap tap tap tap tap
Astoria had been standing and holding the tin can firmly in her hand for five minutes to ensure she was ready for their departure time when Daniel announced to the rest that they had one more minute. They each got up to join Astoria and, after a brief struggle to fit five different hands on the Portkey, Daniel lifted his wrist to check his watch.
"10 seconds..." He began to count down as Marie placed her hand firmly on the vibrating Astoria's shoulder. "5 seconds..." He took one last look around them all. "Ollivanders!" He called out the activation phrase and, for the umpteenth time in the last nine days the family found themselves experiencing the familiar feeling of Portkey travel.
Around three seconds later their feet landed on solid ground once more and they opened their eyes to find themselves outside of the wandmakers, which they quickly stepped inside of.
Hearing the bell on the door, Ollivander stepped out from the back of the building, his keen gaze jumping from face to face with recognition before he settled on the only one he had not met before, who was looking up at him excitedly.
"Another Greengrass, I see," The old man spoke softly, stepping closer to the girl.
"Astoria," The girl introduced herself before she placed her arms out at shoulder level. "So what do you need for my wand? I'm left-handed, I'm four feet and five inches tall and I think my left arm is slightly longer than the other, what else do you need?" She asked quickly, eager to get the necessities over with.
Ollivander blinked at the girl before he lifted his gaze to Daniel and stepped past her toward the man. "Ah, Daniel Greengrass. Rowan and unicorn hair, eleven inches. Do you still have it?"
Daniel nodded. "It has served me well,"
"Eleven, that's an interesting number," Astoria spoke. "That's how old I am, it's my birthday today which means I can get a wand now." She prompted the old man.
"Happy Birthday," Ollivander replied absently without looking at her. He stepped away from Daniel to Marie. "And the lovely Marie McKinnon, though of course, you are a Greengrass yourself now. Cherry and dragon heartstring, nine and a half inches. I hope you heeded my advice?"
Marie nodded shortly. "You could say that."
"I wonder what my wand will be made of?" Astoria asked loudly. Ollivander ignored her and turned to Daphne.
"Ah, Miss Greengrass, holly and unicorn hair, ten inches, somewhat flexible. Have you been getting along?"
Daphne blinked. "Erm, yes, I think so." She looked over the man's shoulder at her younger sister, who by now had dropped her hands to her sides and was making her way determinedly toward the wall at the side, looking up at the hundreds of boxed wands.
Finally, Ollivander turned to Harry. "Mr. Potter, holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches. A rather special wand, I think you will agree?"
Harry nodded as he glanced over the man's shoulder at Astoria, who was on her tiptoes and reaching for one of the boxes. "Err, yeah."
Ollivander stepped closer and peered closely at him. "Hmm," He stepped even closer and Harry had to force himself not to step back when the man's gaze intensified. "How curious."
Feeling a rather intense case of déjà vu, Harry forced himself to ask the obvious question as politely as he could. "Curious, sir?"
Ollivander nodded seriously. "Yes, Mr. Potter. It seems you have gained the attention of another wand since we last met. How curious." The man intoned ominously, but before Harry could question it further a loud bang rang out through the cramped shop and Ollivander finally turned back to the young girl he was supposed to be matching a wand to.
Astoria had decided to go it alone and was holding a dark wand in her left hand, smoke billowing from the end of it. Her face was covered in soot as she turned from the now-on-fire counter and turned to the wandmaker, whose eyebrows were raised high.
"Not this one, then." Astoria declared innocently as she handed the wand to Ollivander.
The whole process went rather quickly after that and ten minutes later Astoria was the proud owner of a nine-inch ebony and dragon heartstring wand. As soon as Daniel had paid for the wand and a holster Ollivander had ushered them out of the shop quickly, shutting the door firmly behind them.
Once they had arrived back in the living room of the villa and Daniel had vanished the now-useless tin can, they each sat down in their seats and turned to the youngest of the family who was staring at the wand in her hand adoringly.
Astoria was grinning to herself as she finally looked away and to her parents. "Can you teach me a spell?"
Rather than answer her themselves, the couple turned to Daphne with raised eyebrows. Daphne felt an immediate urge to say no, as she had had to wait until she went to Hogwarts, but after a moment she realised the futility of it. They all knew of the potential danger that was on the horizon, and Astoria would have to be taught how to defend herself by their parents this summer alongside herself and Harry. So, in the end, she just nodded her consent.
Daniel and Marie both smiled at their eldest daughter before turning to her youngest. "Stand up," Marie told her daughter gently.
Astoria shot up like a rocket, her wand held tightly in her hand as she looked expectantly at her mother. Marie walked over to her and stepped around until she was behind her daughter, gently placing her hand on the underside of Astoria's left arm to support it.
She began to instruct her daughter in a soft voice, leaning close to her ear. "Close your eyes, baby,"
Daniel nodded to his wife over Astoria's shoulder when she had done so. "Now, don't think of anything. Just keep your mind clear, like we do when we meditate." Marie told her.
Astoria breathed in a few times and did as she had been told. When Daniel signalled to Marie again she resumed her instruction. "Now, focus on how dark it is. You can't see anything right now, can you?" As Astoria shook her head, Marie looked meaningfully at Daniel, who took out his own wand and shut the blinds of the room, darkening it further.
Marie continued speaking softly. "If you want to see anything, you'll need light. Concentrate hard on your desire for light, a guide in the darkness."
Astoria nodded and began to focus her mind. She knew what spell her mother was intending to teach her and she forced herself not to think about everything she had read about it, and instead just focus on her desire for light.
Marie nodded after a few moments. "When you are ready and when you are certain that your desire for light is strong enough, the incantation is Lumos." Astoria breathed in and out a few times before nodding slightly to herself.
"Lumos," She incanted in a clear voice, gasping at the warm feeling of her magic responding to her wishes.
Marie grinned and began to hug her daughter from behind. "Open your eyes."
Astoria did so and settled happily into her mother's embrace as she stared at the end of her wand and the bright ball of light held there that was now illuminating the room.
"Happy Birthday, baby."
The official in dark blue robes was once again in the centre of the duelling field as the 16 remaining competitors lined up at the side.
The goblet atop the oblong stand had just spat out the first strip of paper into the official's hand and he quickly announced the first duellist in the opening match of the second round.
"Leonard Oakes, England!"
By this stage of the competition, the crowd had begun to develop some favourites, besides Bernard Landry, after watching each of the 16 qualified duellists four times each. Oakes was clearly one of them by the much louder reception he got from the rest of the stadium.
However, he still heard the Greengrass box's raucous cheers and gave them a short wave as he stepped away from the line to stand alone and await the announcement of his opponent. He did not have long to wonder who it was as "Aisling Byrne, Ireland!" was announced in short order.
The witch in green and orange robes stepped out of the line, receiving her own louder reception from the crowd but only claps from the Greengrass box. As she was walking over to Oakes she looked up and gave them an understanding shrug, having worked out by now that her supporters in the fancy seats were English themselves and therefore would be on her opponent's side this time.
The draw continued and "Alex McClair, Scotland!", who did receive his usual cheers from their box and thus gave Byrne a cheeky smile as he passed her, found he would be facing "Luka Saric, Croatia!" in the second duel.
The home favourite, "BERNARD LANDRY, FRANCE!", was to be pitted against "Eivor Sigurdsson, Iceland!" in the sixth duel, whilst the draw ended with "Gunnar Johnsen, Norway!" facing "Katherine Collins, Wales!" in the final duel of the round. Collins was once again cheered by the Greengrass box and Byrne pretended to wipe a tear from her eye, earning a laugh from Oakes beside her. Soon the official and the 16 competitors had left the field and the noise in the crowd began to rise as they discussed the upcoming duels.
"Poor Byrne," Daniel said to his family, shaking his head. "That'll be a good duel, they're both 4-1 in the tournament."
"Oakes is better though," Marie added.
"He'd better be, he can't disappoint me on my birthday," Astoria said, causing the rest of them to laugh.
Ten minutes later when the protective charms had been erected the deafening voice of the announcer rang around the stadium and Oakes was introduced again. He looked calm as he walked out in his white robes, quickly making his way over to the official in the centre of the field.
"No wave this time, he means business," Daniel noted approvingly.
Byrne came out next and quickly made her way to the centre, exchanging another handshake and bow with Oakes before they both turned and stepped away from each other.
The five of them leaned forward eagerly in their seats as the whistle sounded to begin the duel.
Byrne immediately went on the attack, aiming quick spells at Oakes' legs to force the man to move and spend energy. Oakes countered with a large burst of fire, causing the Irishwoman to dive and roll out of the way.
Byrne scrambled to her feet and sent a Bludgeoning Curse toward Oakes, forcing the man to raise a shield. Byrne capitalised on Oakes' inability to return fire whilst his wand was occupied with his shield to quickly conjure two large wolves, sending them both toward the Englishman as she then resumed her attacks.
"This duel is already better than any of the others," Harry quickly said to Marie, who nodded without taking her eyes from the spectacle.
"They don't have to worry about conserving energy for later, the winner won't duel again until tomorrow," She reminded him.
Oakes quickly decapitated the first wolf that charged him as he was forced to dodge the incoming spellfire from Byrne. The second wolf lunged at him when it got close enough but he banished it back toward Byrne who had to vanish her own creation with a quick wave of her wand to avoid it colliding with her. Oakes sent another burst of fire toward her, much larger this time, so Byrne had to stand her ground and combat the flames directly.
Holding her wand in both hands she pointed it directly toward the incoming fire before suddenly spreading her arms just as they threatened to reach her, splitting the stream of flames into two that sailed harmlessly past her. Oakes had not been idle however and had sent three arrows one after the other toward his opponent which had been hidden behind the flames.
Byrne dived to the side to avoid the first arrow but the second embedded itself in her upper thigh, causing her to fall to the ground with a shout of pain, though luckily her fall prevented the third arrow from also striking true. The crowd collectively took a sharp intake of breath at the injury as Oakes sent spell after spell at the downed Byrne, who valiantly raised the strongest shield she could and tried to endure the barrage as she reached down with her hand to manually try and remove the arrow.
Unfortunately for Byrne, she soon discovered that the arrow was lodged deeply into her flesh when she tried to pull it from her leg. She cried out again, her shield faltered in her agony and Oakes' Stunning Charm struck her in the chest.
The Irishwoman fell limp, the whistle blew, and the Greengrass family cheered wildly.
Alex McClair defeated his Croatian opponent in the next duel with aplomb, having only needed just over a minute to down his foe. Saric had been one of the oldest duellists in the tournament and found he could not keep up with the constant barrage from the Scot who, along with Landry, was quickly showing himself to be a strong contender for the championship.
After Adile Dervishi of Albania had defeated Francesco Rossi of Italy, quickly followed by Jana Izmailova of Russia outlasting Klaudia Rukowska of Poland in a close-fought duel, an hour's break was announced and the crowd began to disperse.
Making their way to the benches outside of the stadium they stood and waited, each of them keeping an eye out for the Delacours who thus far had not failed to find them. When they arrived Patrice was smiling ear-to-ear. "Very good duels today, non?" He asked the group as he led his family over to them.
"They certainly were, I was afraid the standard had dropped considerably since your time," Daniel told his friend with a grin.
Patrice just shook his head with a laugh and turned to the rest of them. "Hello again!" He looked between them all as they returned his greeting before his eyes rested on Astoria. "You look very happy today, little one."
Astoria nodded in agreement but didn't elaborate so Marie did it for her. "It's her birthday today, Patrice, she is eleven now."
Patrice looked away from Marie and back toward Astoria with a wide smile. "Eleven! A special birthday, we must celebrate!"
Apolline stepped forward with her own smile. "My husband is correct, please, allow us to treat you to a meal tonight. It is only four o'clock, the remaining duels will not last long so we will have plenty of time to honour the birthday girl."
Whilst their parents had been speaking to Astoria, Gabrielle had been receiving a whispered translation from Fleur, and when she heard that it was her best friend's birthday she raced forward and dived at her. She wrapped her arms and legs tightly around Astoria in her approximation of a hug, pinning the older girl's arms to her sides.
Astoria tried to lean backward to avoid toppling over with the sudden extra weight as the koala formerly known as Gabrielle Delacour began babbling at her. "Oui! Vous devez écouter maman et papa!" Astoria began to fall forward. "On peut bien manger et danser et s'amuser et je veux passer du temps avec toi et..."
"Yes! Oui!" Astoria interrupted quickly as Harry and Daphne both grabbed the back of her t-shirt to keep her and the unwanted hanger-on upright. She turned pleadingly to the Delacours. "Please tell her to get down."
Fleur stepped forward and spoke sternly to her sister. "Gabby! Descendre!"
The koala dropped down to her own feet and reverted back into an eight-year-old Veela, though she continued to hug Astoria tightly with her upper body alone. Astoria's eyes caught sight of Harry and Daphne both grinning with amusement at her predicament, though all she could do in her imprisoned state was glare at them.
"We are agreed then," Patrice said delightedly. "There is a highly-respected restaurant nearby, the food is truly magnifique."
Astoria sighed and smiled at the kindly Frenchman as she repeatedly patted Gabrielle on the back in a lost-in-translation effort to end the girl's hug. "Thank you very much."
The two sets of parents broke off again, leaving the children to find their own bench. As Harry, Daphne and Fleur quickly took seats at the nearest one, Astoria had to awkwardly shuffle after them, dragging Gabrielle along with her.
She was losing her patience.
"How long would that hug have lasted if it wasn't her birthday?" Harry whispered to Daphne as he watched Astoria's slow progress toward them, her face starting to descend into an angry scowl.
She had lost her patience.
"We'd have had a crying eight-year-old on our hands about a second after it started if she even managed to get close enough," Daphne whispered back with a grin. "Though even by Astoria's birthday standards I'm surprised she's allowed it for so long."
When she finally managed to reach the bench, Astoria wiped the scowl from her face and instead smiled sweetly at Fleur. "Fleur, could you do something for me, please?" She asked politely.
Fleur blinked in shock but began to nod her head with a happy smile.
Astoria leaned in as closely as she was able. "Tell your sister that if she does not let go of me in the next three seconds then I will remove her head, scoop out her brains and then turn her skull into a vase."
Fleur's mouth dropped open for a moment before she frantically translated for Gabrielle, who was blissfully unaware of her own impending doom. "Gabby! Lâche-toi!"
Once Astoria was free she sat down heavily beside her older sister and sighed in relief, looking entirely unconcerned by the fearful looks she was receiving from Fleur, who wrapped her arm protectively around Gabrielle when she took the seat next to her.
"So," Astoria said to the wide-eyed Veela. "Have you eaten at that restaurant before?"
Fleur shook her head.
"Excited about watching Landry again?"
Fleur nodded her head.
"Fancy a dance later?"
Fleur didn't know what to do with her head.
Astoria turned to Daphne beside her with an expression that suggested she had just discovered something remarkable. "You know that phrase Dad always used to say, it's actually true."
Daphne sighed, preparing herself. "Which one?" She asked wearily.
"Silence is bliss."
Once the duels had finished for the day the family found themselves waiting by the benches for the Delacours once again.
"Make sure you thank Patrice and Apolline," Marie instructed her youngest daughter, who nodded her head.
When the Delacours arrived, walking toward them and smiling, Gabrielle broke away from her sister's tight grip and raced ahead, making a beeline for Astoria yet again. This time, however, the girl stepped behind Harry and pushed him forward with her hip into the path of the oncoming missile in a fluid motion, sacrificing him and making her way quickly toward the Delacour parents.
Whilst Harry was dealing with the sudden assault of a tiny Veela, Astoria smiled at Patrice and Apolline. "Thank you again for inviting us out."
They both smiled widely at the girl. "No need to thank us, little one, it is your special day! We are delighted to share it with you," Patrice told the girl.
Fleur stood behind her parents as they greeted the psychopath and regretted not telling them of her true nature. But then, she knew, the lunatic would have in turn told them how she had acted toward Daphne and Harry and then she would be in trouble. For now, all she could do was protect her darling baby sister, and to that end, she went over to Harry to extract Gabrielle.
"Thank you, Fleur," Harry said gratefully once he was free from the enthusiastic eight-year-old. Fleur just nodded and held onto the back of her sister's dress securely, it would not do for her to escape again and approach the youngest Greengrass.
"You are welcome," Fleur replied absently as she kept her eyes on Astoria, who was taking part in a short conversation with her parents.
Daphne was smirking as she saw the look Fleur was giving her sister. "Is something wrong, Fleur?"
Fleur's eyes flittered to her for only a moment before they returned to watching Astoria. "She is...worrying."
Daphne adopted a look of surprise and turned to look at her sister in faux concern. "Is she? I wonder what she's worrying about." She pondered in a light voice, causing Fleur to turn sharply toward her in disbelief. The French girl opened her mouth to correct Daphne when Astoria managed to escape the conversation with Patrice and Apolline and walked over to them.
Instantly Gabrielle darted forward and out of her sister's distracted grip and grasped Astoria's hand tightly. "Astoria! Joyeux anniversaire!"
Astoria breathed in heavily for a moment but smiled at the younger girl. "Merci."
"Come on, you lot," Daniel called, diverting their attention to the adults. "Patrice tells me it's only a short walk to the restaurant,"
Gabrielle happily led Astoria over to the waiting group whilst Harry, Daphne and Fleur followed along behind them. Fleur was watching her sister and Astoria carefully, at all times looking like she was seconds away from darting forward and pulling Gabrielle away from her.
They arrived at the restaurant after the promised short walk and as they entered the Greengrass family looked around appreciatively. Evidently, Patrice and Apolline's tastes were similar to their own, as rather than a lavish, high-end restaurant they had taken them to a warm, cheerful establishment where they all immediately felt right at home. Round tables surrounded a large dancefloor on three sides as the other had been taken up by a stage. The family all turned to smile at each other when they saw the instruments that were already waiting on the stage.
A waitress bustled over to them when they entered, smiling widely. "Bonjour! Allez-vous manger aujourd'hui?"
Patrice smiled at the young woman. "Oui, nous avons besoin d'une table pour neuf, s'il vous plaît."
The waitress smiled and nodded, beckoning them with her hand to follow them. She led them to a large, round table near a side wall, leaving them for a short moment before returning with nine menus.
Astoria had failed to extract herself from Gabrielle and found herself seated between the young girl and Daphne, whilst Fleur sat on her younger sister's other side protectively. When a menu was passed to her, Astoria leaned over Gabrielle to speak politely to Fleur.
"What would you recommend?"
Fleur stared at her seriously. "A mind healer."
After they had each finished their starters and main courses the waitress returned to collect their empty plates. "Allez-vous commander un dessert?"
No translations were needed for the English members of their group due to the last word she had spoken as they all immediately perked up and gave ravenous looks to the bewildered waitress. "Yes, please," The Greengrass family all chorused.
When she returned with dessert menus they took the opportunity to order more drinks, though as Patrice had spoken on everyone's behalf it was not until the waitress came back to their table with the refreshments that something became apparent to Astoria.
She was staring at the glass of wine that Fleur had been allowed with an envious look. She turned quickly to her mother who, having noticed it herself, had already passed her own glass to Harry with a knowing smile, instructing the boy to pass it along to Astoria.
Astoria took the glass of wine from Daphne and stared into it as if it were liquid gold for a long moment before she grinned to herself, brought the glass to her lips and took a long sip.
The rest of the table watched as her eyes widened and she slowly brought the glass down and passed it back to Daphne with an unreadable expression, where it quickly made its way back to her smirking mother. Astoria forced herself to swallow the contents of her mouth and as soon as she managed it her face scrunched up and she shuddered with her entire body.
"Would you like your own glass, baby?" Marie asked lightly, receiving a frantic shake of the head from her daughter.
"That was disgusting," Astoria whined before grasping her glass of lemonade, taking a long gulp in an attempt to wash away the foul taste of the wine from her mouth.
Fleur took a small sip of her own glass with a light mocking smile. "I find it quite enjoyable in small quantities,"
When Harry and Daphne both turned to Marie with curious expressions she rolled her eyes and surrendered the glass again, handing it to Harry. He took a sip of his own and reacted just as Astoria did before he quickly passed the glass over to Daphne.
Daphne looked to her right at the regretful look on Astoria's face, then to her left at the miserable look on Harry's before she shook her head and handed the glass back to her mother, who nodded approvingly at her.
Daniel, Patrice and Apolline were chuckling at them all and shaking their heads. "It is an acquired taste," Patrice advised the youngsters.
"For masochists," Astoria answered, receiving an agreeing nod from Harry.
The desserts were ordered, though Patrice had a small whispered request for the waitress that went unnoticed by Astoria. Their orders arrived shortly after, their individual meals placed in front of each of them with a smile from the waitress, though as Astoria eagerly attacked her gateau, bringing her first spoonful to her mouth, she paused in shock when she heard singing from people approaching their table.
"JOYEUX ANNIVERSAIRE," Astoria whipped round and watched with wide eyes as five waiters made their way toward their table. Her full spoon slowly lowered back into her bowl as the waiter in front carried a large birthday cake with eleven candles on top directly toward her. They continued to sing loudly despite the look of mortification she was wearing, which only deepened when the Delacours joined in, including Fleur who was smiling as if she were witnessing true justice.
The cake was set down in front of her burning face, Gabrielle having hastily moved her gateau out of the way for her, and she had to endure the entire too-bloody-long French rendition of "Happy Birthday" with a forced smile of happiness.
Finally, blessedly, the waiters finished with a final refrain of "JOYEUX ANNIVERSAIRE," before they began to clap loudly which, of course, the entire restaurant joined in with, having obviously heard the waiters as they sang.
After the applause had died down and the waiters dispersed Gabrielle decided to lean in and hug her tightly.
"Fais un vœu, Astoria!" The young French girl said happily. "Assurez-vous que c'est un bon!"
Astoria's gaze moved from Gabrielle's smiling face to Fleur, who sighed and translated again. "She says for you to make a wish and make sure it is a good one,"
Astoria turned away from her as she muttered lowly. "Oh, I'll make sure it's a doozy," She blew out the candles quickly, causing the table to begin applauding again. Astoria looked around at the eight others gathered at their table, taking in their stupid grinning faces. She sighed and began to smile genuinely. "Thank you,"
When Gabrielle continued to hug her whilst the rest began tucking into their desserts, Astoria just shook her head and thanked Merlin that at least her dominant hand was free to begin eating her gateau.
However, after half of the dessert had disappeared and Gabrielle was still clinging to her she turned to the girl and began to look at her head speculatively. "Maybe you'd be better as a desk ornament,"
Fleur's eyes widened. "Gabby! Lâche-toi!"
When they had finished their desserts and they had each also had a slice of Astoria's birthday cake the waitress came over again to take it away, telling them that she would package it for them so they could take it home.
When music began to play they quickly turned to look at the stage. A classical band had arrived and had taken up the waiting instruments, which caused much of the room to get to their feet and make their way to the spacious dancefloor.
Daniel got to his feet and walked around the table to Astoria, who just smiled at him and got to her feet to meet him. When the two had walked off Patrice also stood and held his hand out for his wife, who took it with a smile and allowed him to lead her after Daniel and Astoria. Finally, Harry turned to Daphne who nodded quickly, and together they got to their feet to join them.
As they danced, Harry smiled as he saw Astoria do the same with her father. "I'm so happy that wasn't me, I'd have hated the attention,"
Daphne chuckled and nodded. "I agree. She hated it too, for a second I thought she was going to vault the table and try to kill Patrice with the candles."
They danced in happy silence for a few more minutes before Harry spoke again. "We only have four more days left after this,"
Daphne hummed. "Yeah, but I'm starting to miss home now so I don't mind. What about you?" She asked him interestedly.
"I miss it too, mainly being able to use magic freely," He admitted, stepping back so Daphne could twirl momentarily. "But I'll always remember my first holiday, it's been amazing."
Daphne smiled up at him softly. "Yeah, but we can go on more in the future."
Harry met her eyes and smiled widely. "I hope so."
They danced for a few more songs before Daniel and Astoria slowly made their way closer to them. "Would you like to switch partners, Harry?"
Harry looked to Daphne, who just shrugged in agreement, and soon he was dancing with Astoria instead. They danced together for a few songs before Astoria broke off from him, walked over to her sister and father, and pulled Daphne out of his arms, pushing her back toward Harry. Daphne surprisingly didn't mind being manhandled and smiled happily when she was reunited with the boy.
After fifteen minutes they returned to their table where they discovered that Patrice and Apolline had already returned for a drinks break, each of them holding their glass of wine as they spoke to Marie.
Whilst the children sat back down Daniel held his hand out to his wife, who took it happily and left for the dancefloor with him. Harry took a large sip of his drink, slightly out of breath, before he sat back in his seat and lifted his hand to his forehead, lightly grazing across it with his palm to make sure he wasn't sweaty.
When he dropped his hand he turned to speak to Fleur and noticed that both she and her younger sister were staring wide-eyed at his forehead. He frowned for a moment until, with a sinking feeling, he realised what had happened.
He turned to Daphne who grimaced sympathetically as she reached out to cover his scar back up for him. They turned to look at the two stunned French sisters who were staring in a stupor at him until Gabrielle recovered and lifted her hand to point at Harry.
"Harry Potter!" She half-stated, half-accused. Fleur jumped slightly at her sister's voice and finally looked down from Harry's now-covered forehead to his face with a strangely wistful look.
Before Harry could say anything Apolline leaned over to her daughters with an angry expression. "Fleur! Gabrielle! Arrête de regarder le pauvre garçon!" The two French girls both blinked and hastily looked down at their laps. The woman eyed them for another moment sternly before she turned to Harry. "I apologise on behalf of my daughters, Harry, they should know better than to stare."
Harry nodded as he peered at the woman suspiciously. "You knew?"
Both Patrice and his wife nodded as the man answered. "We knew, you are famous all around the world young man, not just in Britain. We did not know immediately, of course, but there were enough clues." Patrice explained, smiling slightly at the boy. "Do not worry, we assured Daniel and Marie that we would not tell a soul, you seem as if you value your privacy."
"Thank you," Harry said gratefully as he sat back in his seat. Unfortunately, while Fleur was ashamedly looking down at her lap, Gabrielle had returned to gawping at him. When Patrice and Apolline noticed they both stood and motioned for their daughters to do the same, leading them both away from the table and to the dancefloor. Patrice danced with Gabrielle slowly, speaking urgently to her, whilst Apolline danced with her oldest daughter and scolded her briefly.
Left alone at the table, Harry and Daphne shared a commiserating look before their attention was drawn to Astoria, who had snorted with amusement.
"Well, that was awkward."
Gabrielle returned to the table a few minutes later, red-faced and embarrassed.
She walked over to stand beside Harry and curtseyed cutely. "Je suis désolé, Harry," She said quietly, keeping her eyes on the ground.
Harry, knowing what désolé meant, spoke softly to the girl. "Merci, Gabrielle," He smiled when her head shot up and laughed when she wrapped her arms around his neck tightly before she scuttled off to sit back down next to Astoria.
Fleur returned next and sat down in her seat. "I am sorry, Harry, I should not have reacted in such a way," She mumbled, refusing to look at the boy. "I know how it feels to be stared at and I should not have subjected you to the same,"
Harry exchanged a glance with Daphne and shrugged. "It's okay Fleur, I understand,"
Fleur turned to look at him and gave him a small smile but she quickly turned away again, ostensibly to watch the dancers. After a few minutes, the older girl got up to her feet and walked away in the direction of the bathrooms without a word, causing the rest of them, other than Gabrielle, to frown.
"What's up with her?" Astoria asked, turning back to the other two who both shrugged.
"She's upset but I don't know why, Harry accepted her apology," Daphne replied, turning to the boy for his thoughts.
"Maybe she feels like a hypocrite?" Harry guessed, knowing he didn't have enough social skills to understand quite what was wrong with Fleur. An idea came into his head and he looked at Daphne intently. "You should go and ask her."
Daphne looked at him as if he had two heads. "Why would I do that?"
"To find out what's wrong, you could help her," Harry told her as if it were obvious.
Daphne was baffled and turned to her sister who immediately shook her head and crossed her arms firmly. "Don't look at me, Daph. Do you not remember the last time Fleur and I were in a bathroom together?" Astoria reminded her, her eyebrows raised.
Harry frowned. "Wait, what happened?"
Daphne ignored him in favour of sinking down in her chair and closing her eyes with a sigh. She counted to ten very, very slowly, and when she opened her eyes and saw that Fleur had not saved her by returning in that time she slowly got to her feet and smiled tightly at Harry. "Fine, I'll go see what's up with her."
She stalked away toward the bathroom, muttering to herself angrily. When she reached the light yellow door to the women's bathroom she pushed it open forcefully, but as she stepped into the room she saw nobody was inside the main area. After a quick glance around she noticed that the stall at the end had a closed door, indicating that it was currently in use.
Slowly she walked over to stand in front of the door. "Fleur?"
"Daphne?" Fleur's surprised voice called back from the stall. "Is that you?"
"No, it's Morgana le Fey." Daphne shot back before shaking her head. "Yes, it's Daphne." She added in a lighter voice.
"What are you doing here?" Fleur asked softly.
Daphne had to concentrate very hard on not responding sarcastically again. She closed her eyes, reminding herself that she was doing this for Harry, and replied in as sweet a voice as she could muster. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
"...Harry sent you in here, didn't he?"
Daphne narrowed her eyes at the closed door, highly offended that the Veela did not believe that she was capable of being nice off her own back. The fact that Fleur was correct was entirely irrelevant.
"No, of course not, I told him I just needed to use the bathroom."
Merlin, she hoped Harry wouldn't inadvertently contradict her later.
Or Astoria, for that matter.
The lock on the door clicked and it slowly swung inwards to reveal Fleur sitting on the closed toilet and looking despondent. Daphne frowned at her and, after a quick glance to make sure nobody had walked into the bathroom, spoke again.
"What's wrong, Fleur?"
Fleur looked up at her for a moment before she dropped her eyes quickly. Lightly, she shrugged and answered in a small voice. "I was...feeling sorry for myself."
Daphne's nostrils flared in annoyance as she stared at the top of Fleur's head. That answered nothing.
"Why are you feeling sorry for yourself?"
Fleur shrugged again unhappily. "Because..." She started slowly and hesitantly, meaning Daphne had to fight down the desire to tap her foot impatiently. "I have only met one boy close to my age that could resist my allure, and now I have found out that that boy is also the most famous in our world. I am feeling sorry for myself because I cannot have him."
Daphne's first urge was to grab hold of the Veela's head and then drown her in the toilet. Instead, she took several deep, calming breaths and resisted her impulses. She stepped into the stall and closed the door, leaning on it heavily. Fleur looked up in surprise at how close the other girl now was but once again looked down quickly.
Daphne frowned as she took in the other girl's depressed body language. Where was the haughty, arrogant witch she had first met in a bathroom much like this one?
Daphne opened and closed her mouth several times, not really knowing what to say to cheer the French girl up. With a sigh, she turned and locked the door again before stepping close to the girl sitting on the toilet. "Budge up."
Fleur looked up at her and frowned but nevertheless, she moved to one side so that half of her was still seated on the toilet, leaving enough room for Daphne to half-sit beside her, both of them squeezed in tightly between the other girl's shoulder and the side of the stall.
"This is uncomfortable," Fleur said after a moment of silence, both of them knowing she was talking about both their current physical states and the fact it was happening at all.
Daphne hummed in agreement as she thought about what she could say to the girl.
Eventually, she started to speak quietly, grateful that in their current position, she could simply look at the cubicle door rather than the other girl. "Before I met Harry, I didn't think I'd ever have any friends," She started slowly, noticing Fleur turn her head to look at her. "My family is not...popular, and before Hogwarts, I'd never really spoken to anyone other than them. But, that all changed when I met Harry. I never expected to meet someone like him, who understood me and cared about me. He's amazing and I feel so lucky that I have him in my life."
Fleur spoke slowly in response. "Forgive me, Daphne, but are you trying to make me feel better or worse?"
Daphne turned away from the door to give her a withering look. "Just because you might not have met anyone yet, it doesn't mean you never will." She smiled to herself, thinking about the boy. "You'll meet your own Harry one day."
Fleur was silent for a moment before she too began to smile. "You are right, I am being silly." Daphne shrugged off her thanks awkwardly before Fleur began to laugh lightly.
Daphne frowned at her. "What is it?"
"I was just thinking that it is lucky that I did not know who he was from the start," Fleur's smile turned into a slight grimace. "I acted awfully when we first met, I would likely have been much worse had I known he was Harry Potter."
Daphne hummed in agreement and turned back to the door. "What do you think of him now?"
Fleur shrugged again. "He is still handsome, and he is very sweet, though the age difference is a little much. In a different life, perhaps one where we were the same age, or if it were he and I that met each other first, then he could have been mine." She knocked her shoulder lightly against Daphne's until the girl turned back to her. "But he is yours, I will not do anything to change that now. I could not even if I wanted to."
Daphne quirked her mouth. "Harry isn't mine, we're not..." She trailed off unsurely and shrugged lamely.
Fleur laughed, tinkling and beautiful. "He is yours, just as you are his. Even I can see it after I set aside my arrogance." Daphne snorted with amusement and began to grin, which Fleur soon matched.
The two were silent for a while before Fleur began to speak again in a light, considering voice. "Perhaps we could share him?"
Daphne's grin remained as she turned back to the older girl, eyes roaming around her face. "Suggest that again and I'll tear your pretty face off with my bare hands. I wonder if people would stare at you more or less often after that?"
Fleur laughed. "Both. More often, but for less time, non?"
Marie swished her wand through the air again, eyes intently watching the doorway for anything that she had missed the first time she had done so.
When nothing came through the open doorway she nodded and turned to the open suitcases, quickly closing each of them. Once they were secured she shrank them one by one and placed them in her pocket.
It was now the 7th of August and the final day of their holiday. They had agreed with the owner of the villa that they would leave during the evening so they could enjoy one last full day in the beautiful commune but the time had finally come to leave.
The European Championship had been won, unsurprisingly, by Bertrand Landy, though his opponent had been a shock to them all. Both Leonard Oakes and Alex McClair had lost in the quarter-final, disappointing them all greatly, but the baton had been taken up by Katherine Collins, who had defeated the duellists from Albania and Denmark to earn her place against Landry in the final.
The Welsh witch had performed admirably but, as had been predicted at the beginning of the tournament, Landry was, in the end, victorious and France had finally won their first European title since Patrice Delacour had triumphed in 1969.
Marie smiled to herself as she thought about the man himself and the joy he had had after Landry's victory. Patrice had insisted upon treating them all once again that night, taking them back to the same restaurant they had visited on Astoria's birthday before continuing the celebrations in a nearby bar.
She was sure the man was still hungover two days later.
Once the suitcases were safely in her pocket she turned to the rest of her family. The children were all gathered around Daniel who was holding an old shoe that would be their Portkey home. Marie walked over to them and stood beside Astoria, ensuring the girl was in between herself and her husband. Daniel took a last look around to ensure they were all present before indicating for them to each place their hand on the Portkey.
"Well, this is it, is everyone ready?" Daniel asked, looking between each member of his family, smiling at their tanned skin and happy faces. They each nodded.
"Home," Daniel spoke clearly, and after another three-second trip via Portkey, they landed on solid ground once more.
After an absence of two weeks, they were finally back where they belonged.
Unlocking the back door with a wave of his wand Daniel led his family into their home, an unspoken agreement passing between them on the first place they would go.
With practiced steps, they quickly made their way into the living room and sat in their own seats. Daniel sighed in happiness as he sat in his comfortable, well-worn armchair, Marie curled up on her end of the settee she shared with Astoria while Harry and Daphne happily plopped down onto their own.
The screech of an owl was heard from outside the window and, after Daniel had hastily opened it with a flick of his wand, Hedwig soared into the room and toward her owner, dropping two packages on Harry's lap as she flew over his head.
"Hedwig!" Daphne greeted her owl happily as she landed on her outstretched arm. "Did you have fun at Hagrid's?"
"Hoot," Hedwig replied.
Daphne blinked and frowned at her. "Well, I'm sure it was a simple misunderstanding."
The other three smiled at the sight before Marie began to speak, leaning on her arm as her eyes drifted closed. "It's good to be home,"
Daniel nodded. "Yes, I've missed it. It's fun to get away but I've been looking forward to my own bed."
"When can we start training again?" Harry asked as he opened the first package, which turned out to be another tin of Scottish shortbread from Professor McGonagall, as well as a short note wishing him a belated happy birthday.
"Tomorrow, kiddo, let's just get settled for tonight, and then we can start again in the morning," Daniel replied as he leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes.
After she had finished catching up with her beloved owl, Daphne looked around at them all before she noticed what none of them had seemed to.
"Where is Astoria?"
Daniel and Marie's eyes both flew open and they each stared at the empty space beside Marie for a moment. "We had her when we arrived, didn't we?" Marie asked her husband slowly.
Daniel's eyes narrowed as he thought about it. "Yes, I'm certain we did. I was holding onto her tightly."
Marie nodded her head in response. "Yes, so was I, so where..."
"AHH!"
They each jumped up and ran out of the room and into the hallway, not stopping until they arrived outside Daniel's study, where they found Astoria, dangling upside down in mid-air, her wand on the floor below her.
"Oh, there she is," Marie said in relief as they all stared at her.
Astoria crossed her arms and scowled at them, her long black hair almost touching the floor below her head. "Take a picture, why don't you."
Daniel turned to his wife. "Which suitcase is the camera in?"
"GET ME DOWN!"
Hey.
Bit of a shorter one this time but I wanted to end the holiday portion and get them back home. It's also quite an Astoria-focused chapter, especially in the first half, but she's so easy to write and I love her as a character so more just kept coming out.
Now that they're home I can finally end my reliance on google translate.
My plan for the next chapter is the kid's training, the trip to Diagon Alley, A NEW POV CHARACTER WHO COULD IT BE?, and then finally the train to Hogwarts and Astoria's sorting. I swear I said her sorting would be about 3-4 chapters ago but this is what happens when you have typing vomit.
So yeah, that plan is almost definitely subject to change.
Oh, when writing the birthday cake scene I suddenly realised 'Oh shit I never did that for Harry', so the last chapter now has an incredibly short birthday cake scene.
Can't think of anything else to say here, which some people will probably be delighted about, so once again I'll just say how thankful I am for the support this story has from you guys, especially those of you that have been here from the start and leave reviews on each chapter. It makes me honestly so happy to see your names when I get a new review notification and I end up smiling to myself for hours like a complete lunatic.
Please let me know what you think of this chapter, I hope you've all enjoyed it and are looking forward to plot actually happening soon.
Enjoy!