A/N: Hello people and thank you so much for your support!
A big thanks to my Betas and Discord Staff - Alec, Fox, Hindu Hari, Knight, Letus, Metzger, BaptismByFire, Post Mortem and Zevoros!
Special thanks to Discord users: 5Firehawk, Guiding Moonlights, Kovacs, Dr Maou-Senpai, Post Mortem, Denduck, Wumjumba, Ac, R3, Shirokama, TrustTube, Zachary, JDH, Avatar, CJ07, Echoh, Elizabeth Wilbrooke, Jacks_, Kappe, Kryn_Womble, Mr. E, Pat, Plut0, Presno, Shawnjohn120 and Trop C'est Trop for supporting my writing and commissioning works!
Feel free to join my Discord for updates, giveaways (for those who actively chat), early access and information, link on my profile. Without any more rambling from me, I hope you enjoy the story!
(Sorry if you don't like the work!)
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THE KIND REVIEWS. We now get so many that it's impossible to respond to all of them, but each and every one of you taking the time to speak your support mean the world to me. Please, by all means, speak with me in Discord!
February 24, 1995
Harry was still on edge, and Cedric was too by the look of the older boy when Harry chanced a look over his shoulder. Whatever had attacked Fleur so viciously — which could be any number of wicked sea creatures thanks to the Magical world's unique fauna — was still at large and very likely nearby. Now, that wouldn't stop the two boys from accomplishing their task, nothing short of a near-death experience would, but the anxiety and nervousness were palpable.
Anything that could make one of the Champions quit so early on into the competition was not to be underestimated, regardless of that champion's skill level; he had to be honest too, he reckoned Fleur was the worst of them all. She hadn't done too hot against the Dragons and here she was already calling it quits. Cedric wasn't too bad and the two could make quite the team so long as they kept up their Hogwarts and country bond. Krum was entirely independent to the point that he seldom spoke in general, though when he did, it was typically something important or in the journalists' cases, words to send them on their way.
He must have slowed down in his swimming based on the tapping at his foot. Cedric had gotten much closer and his own charm hadn't changed, nor had the small bits of webbing across his feet and hands. The older boy saw that he held Harry's attention now and took advantage of it, pointing towards a great wall of underwater growth and then a small cavernous hole that seemed to go under it.
What do we do? Harry all but heard Cedric saying in his curious tone of voice and perplexed expression.
When Harry weighed those options, them being the cave or the great thick forest, his decision was an easy one to make; the cave. Thanks to Fleur's evacuation and the semi-serious condition she was in as she shot up from the water, whatever lurked within those weeds was far from friendly. It was crazy to think that they claimed the tournament had gotten safer too, for those dozens of slices certainly didn't scream safety. Really, if somebody could cut them up just as easily as it did to her, why risk it?
Cedric saw Harry point towards the cave and nodded once as if he agreed with the choice. They couldn't be certain what had caused the many scratches on her body, but they reckoned they liked their chances better down below. If it was tightly packed without much room for a bunch of creatures or one large one, then together, the two blokes should stand a pretty good chance at combatting whatever it was.
Daphne's likely to kill me if I get too hurt… it's still not like her to be missing, Harry promptly shook his head in the hopes of removing Daphne from his mind. He couldn't allow himself to grow distracted or worried for the girl, not when he was the one in imminent danger. One small portion of his mind pointed out that she could be in a horrible situation right this very moment too, but the larger part of him squashed it. She was Daphne, the girl who had taught him nearly every combative or dark spell that he knew.
Harry saw Cedric ready his wand as the two grew closer to the thick weeds with various fish spotted swimming between them. None looked overly hostile or ugly, but that didn't mean there weren't other, more sinister beings that lurked deeper in the underwater forest.
I'll lead and you watch our back?
Cedric mouthed those words to him, his giant bubble making it easy to do so whereas Harry could do much the same, only without needing the bubble on account of his gills. Merlin, he was happy that Daphne hadn't given him a nickname thanks to their time spent studying… no, Harry shook his head and then nodded, waving away Cedric's look when the boy seemed confused by Harry's refusal that wasn't meant for him.
I'll be right behind you, Harry mouthed back, adding a thumbs-up for emphasis.
That seemed to work for Cedric and without much of a pause, the boy began to swim as quickly as he could towards the tunnel, his wand at the ready as his eyes scanned the forest ahead of them. Cedric had seen the same thing that he had, which meant the older boy was likely worried something would come charging out at them. Caution was definitely worthy, but he appreciated the speed they were going at too. After all, they both knew they were short on time; magic, potions and whatever else they used could only be maintained for so long thanks to their levels of experience and current magical stamina.
Harry intended to work on his magical capacity and general physical fitness when he got out of this tournament, perhaps this very task. It was easily apparent that he wasn't quite as in shape as he had thought he was. If he had been, all of this swimming wouldn't be burning his muscles, sending a light pulsing through his upper body especially, on account of its lack of transfiguration.
Cedric paused, taking Harry away from his thoughts as he looked at his friend to see if something had gone wrong. When the other boy shrugged and swallowed, Harry figured it was a bit of nervousness coming through — it made sense, the two of them were about to go into some underwater cave with only Merlin knowing what waited inside of it.
Upon closer examination and thanks to the older boy's hesitance, Harry could make out a few details that weren't as easily visible from a distance. The walls of the 'cave' were ribbed as if a worm had dug it and all of the shells or other obstructions that littered the inside of it were small and very insignificant. There was nothing that seemed natural save for the rocks and minerals that dotted the walls of the purposefully made tunnel. Whatever had made it seemed to have moved on based on the lack of dirt piled up at the front or any slide marks remaining after it moved, though if it were something that was used to ambushes or blending in, Harry could very well be wrong in his train of thought.
He felt a tug on his right arm, the webbing of Cedric's fingers feeling especially unpleasant and slimy to the touch. The boy's meaning was clear, their urgency didn't need to be restated and with a soundless huff thanks to the water, Harry followed after his friend as they delved into the tunnel, wands at the ready.
It was motionless, dark — until Cedric had used a spell for a very bright, near-blinding light — and empty of any life. No fish or other aquatic beings seemed to use the tunnel as a home, which only seemed to worry Harry more than he already was doing on his own. Really, if sea creatures didn't live somewhere as open and hidden away from predators as this was, there had to be a reason. That was, at the very least, Harry's way of thinking about it.
Cedric was equally nervous, cautious could maybe work too, but the boy was most certainly waiting for some form of confrontation or violence with their current position. Their tenseness only grew as they went further into the tunnel that dragged on endlessly, until, finally, there was movement directly ahead of them.
Unlike in Harry's imagination, it wasn't some horrifically large or ugly beast that had sprung a trap. There weren't rows of razor-sharp teeth, nor were there tendrils of any kind shooting out to grab onto them. As the fish grew closer, its downward-facing mouth finally visible, the two realised why the walls had seemed so clean. Whatever the fish was, it enjoyed eating the few small things that stuck near the ribs or the greenery that rooted deeper in the cracks. It was quite the sight to behold and it did put to rest some of the two lads' concerns, but they remained ready for a fight still. They were in a tournament where many before them had lost their lives and they wouldn't find themselves added to that list.
Straight ahead, Cedric mouthed when he looked to Harry, ensuring that the creature swam by him as leisurely as it'd done to the older boy.
Harry looked past his friend after ensuring he wouldn't bump the mundane-looking fish. There, finally, he could make out what Cedric and he had been looking for since they'd entered the tunnel. It was an exit, one that led into a wide-open portion of the lake with none of those forests visible. There did seem to a few rocks piled up at the end, all of them too deliberately placed for Harry's liking.
Stop being paranoid, you're not some faux Gryffindor or whiny Puff, Harry chastised himself, internally grinning when he saw Cedric give him the 'okay' sign as they started moving again, albeit at a slightly slower pace on account of their recent contact and reaching the end of their path. That forward progress very quickly came to a halt when they made it towards the end of the tunnel and into the wide… meadow — Harry didn't know the word for it underwater.
It wasn't the numerous merpeople swimming all around that worried him, nor was it the other few creatures that seemed tame or vaguely feral upon picking up their presence. What caught Harry's attention as well as Cedric's was that of the four figures chained towards the centre-back of the area, all of whom looked unconscious and horribly cold.
He bit back anger and worry, the two emotions fighting to overcome one another when he saw that one of the four figures was his missing fri- girlfriend. Very rapidly, Harry shook off the duelling feelings and started towards her only for a hand to grab him by the lower body where his ankle would have been.
Wait, Cedric mouthed to him, shaking his head and nodding in many a direction.
The older boy was clearly trying to be cautious in regard to the merfolk, but Harry didn't see a point for that. They had very likely been told to avoid confrontation on account of the dozens of treaties for interactions between their kind and his, no tournament would risk overcoming all of that political work across centuries. Even if they had been given the green light, the Champions had all been assured that the safety of the tournament was paramount so that it could return consistently. Professor Dumbledore, aloof as he could sometimes be when it came to Hogwarts, would most assuredly see to the safety of his students and those from abroad.
Come on, Harry said back to the boy, his words easily determined based on Cedric's hesitant expression, We're wasting time, we have to set them free before we lose focus or get attacked.
Harry wanted to add something in about not wanting to drown or be picked apart as Fleur had been, but that would have only served to chew up more time. He could add that in later anyhow, but when the two were safely back at the surface of the water and out of harm's way. Until that time came, they'd be rushing to set the four free; Daphne, Cho, a small blonde girl and a taller, dark-haired girl.
If he had to guess, the blonde one was likely for Fleur on account of her looking similar to the younger girl he'd seen her moving around with. She could very well be that same girl, but he couldn't tell. He hadn't exactly looked her over, there wasn't any reason to look at any other girls now that Daphne had ascertained her position in his life.
Cedric grabbed his attention again, nodding before he mouthed one last word with his wand firmly in hand.
Together.
They shot forward, their wands already alight with spells to sever the chains and send the four upwards, towards the surface of the water. Cedric and Harry made sure to do the same to themselves, though Harry had to admit, the two of them were far closer to a lot of angry merpeople at that moment than he would ever care to recall.
When the two had broken the surface of the water together, their charges waking up and gasping for air as they were pulled aboard the floating mass where all the crowd had gathered, cheering sounded off louder than all of the first task. Most of it game from Hogwarts, nearly all of them screaming their support with a fair few Slytherins included — Hogwarts dominance was likely their reason for cheering, as their school pride meant more than house-based drama when one considered it was the two Hogwarts students who reigned supreme in this task. Durmstrang was fairly quiet, only a few clapping while Beauxbatons was politely cheering, the occasional froggish yell from closeby reaching Harry's ears.
"Good one, Harry," Cedric said, smiling and helping the younger boy out of the water from his spot on the platform. "Felt like Quidditch, just without the competition being between us this time around, didn't it?"
"I'd say so," Harry said, his lungs feeling a bit strange to be breathing in oxygen again after only just having adapted to his gillish manner of taking in oxygen.
Cedric was about ready to say something more, but before he could do so, Harry found himself pulled upwards by a very soft — surprisingly strong — hand and into a tight hug. The owner of the hug was just as soft as her hand had been and it didn't take long, not in the slightest, for Harry to determine that the owner was most assuredly a female.
"Thank you," was all that she said in English, a barrage of French hitting him so rapidly that he could barely tell where one word ended and the next began. "My sister, she is well because of you."
Harry finally clocked who the smaller girl was thanks to Fleur's tight, very unlike herself hug that she was giving him. Her precious belonging as the clue had hinted, had been her sister and he'd saved her without realising it… he and Cedric both had.
He pulled back, the older girl keeping her hands tightly wrapped behind him in the process, so that he could tell her it wasn't solely him that helped her little sister; he doubted she had been in all that much trouble, to begin with. That time warning they had been given couldn't have meant death for the person, but failure for the champion.
"It," he started, stopping and widening his eyes when he felt Fleur's lips on his left cheek, then his right. "Cedric and I did it together," Harry blurted out, his eyes seeking out the form of Daphne who was finally feeling like herself based on the look she was giving him.
I saw that, he could practically hear her voice, but the small shrug and roll of her eyes as she clutched the blanket tighter to herself told him that she didn't mind all that much. It was normal for the French, at least the Muggle movies seemed to think so and even if it wasn't, he hadn't been the one to kiss Fleur's cheeks.
"Still, I was wrong to critique you on age alone. I am sorry, 'arry — you are a friend to me now, oui?" Fleur smiled at him and finally released her hold, one of her hands messing up his wet hair before she turned her attention to Cedric, Cho's arms already wrapped protectively around him which caused the French girl to laugh. "No thanks for your boyfriend, no?"
Cho shook her head, "I'll handle that enough for the both of us," she said, pointing back at Harry. "He'll take Cedric's," she said softly, her voice trailing off as she tightened her arms about the aforementioned boy and all but bathed in his presence.
Fleur shrugged, the smaller form of her sister now clutching at her left side as she looked between him and Daphne, an action that struck him as odd. He hadn't recalled the two speaking with one another, nor had he mentioned Daphne — Merlin, he doubted they'd even been seen together by the French witch with how often she was by herself.
"Non?" Fleur asked, one eyebrow raised in amusement as she settled her eyes on Daphne and stayed put where she was, her feet not carrying her over to Harry.
Daphne stood up on shaky, chilled legs and slowly, as confidently as ever, made her way over to him. "I'd prefer to do the kissing with my boyfriend, thank you. I suppose we could do something this evening or tomorrow if you'd like to formally thank him, but in the meantime, I plan to steal him away for doing something as reckless as rescuing all of us alongside Cedric."
"You were lucky with your pick of a boy," Fleur said to her, those sharp eyes of hers settling on him with a soft look inside that he'd never before seen from her. "You will tell me if you ever feel the need to rid yourself of him, no? One witch to another."
Harry winced at her words and the final sentence especially thanks to present company. Many people didn't consider Veela, even part ones such as Fleur or her sister, to be Witches. He didn't understand why that was considering they had all the necessary bits and bobs that made a person, uh, well, a person, but he figured anybody like the Malfoy's were too stupid to figure that out.
"I think I'll keep him," Daphne answered, securing her arms around his waist and urging one of his arms around her still fairly cold shoulders. "Maybe I'll rent him off to you for a day every now and then, but who knows — you'll join us for lunch and we can talk about it more then."
"Yeah. I know Cedric, gone to school with him for years, but I don't really know all that much about you. It'd be cool to learn, that's the whole point of this tournament anyhow," Harry added, staying beside Daphne and offering up a friendly, polite smile that he hoped wasn't interpreted as anything more.
Last thing I need is Fleur chasing after me, reckon Daphne wouldn't be all that fond of it either, he thought to himself.
Fleur nodded and moved her arm rapidly up the smaller girl's back, likely in an attempt to warm her. "Come to the carriage when you are ready, I will make time for new friends. Merci, again, 'arry. I don't know what I would have done for Gabby without you."
He smiled awkwardly and waved at the smaller girl, Gabby, as he now knew her. "It's all good, we should help each other when we can, I think. There's no need we can't be friendly about the whole thing, positions be damned."
He got an odd look from Fleur and a curious one from Gabby, but Daphne led him away when he had finished speaking. It didn't last long, the Champions were all required to read their scores, but the conversation between them and Fleur was over. In all honesty, Harry was pretty thankful for that. It was nothing the French girl did, she was polite once you got past her very cold exterior, just maybe a little too polite if he'd been picking up on those signals of hers.
"Maybe I'll need a charm for you," Daphne whispered, her voice amused as she spoke over the Minister or whoever it was that was announcing a bunch of events, statuses and other information that neither cared to hear about; political games and bragging were too often an occurrence, and unless it pertained to the final task, neither cared much for it.
"Why's that?" Harry asked, grinning despite the seriousness of the words being spoken about international cooperation and friendship.
Daphne's hand sought out his and she squeezed it, hard. "It would seem you've got a Veela partially interested in you. Cedric was able to keep her typical allure at bay and you seem completely unaffected by it, which isn't entirely surprising with how much willpower you have. Still, unless I'd like to lose you to the life of luxury in her arms, I'll have to be a bit more proactive."
"Don't wor—" Harry made to say, but Daphne had leaned up on the tips of her toes and kissed him softly, fleetingly, on the lips. Hers were as soft as ever and carried that same, familiar taste that only she had.
When she stepped back down, a satisfied smile on her face, there was a bout of localised clapping. Those nearest to them had seen it and the man reading the scores was interrupted though he didn't take offence, instead, he skipped over to Harry's score rather than the usual order that was done.
Forty-Eight, it wasn't bad, he didn't know what he could have done differently, but the Durmstrang man seemed to have it out for him. The looks he was shot by the rest of the judges and the crowd at large made up for it, not one seemed all that pleased with him for docking Harry of points most wonderfully earned.
Fleur, Krum and Cedric followed it up, their scores being about what could be expected based on their performances; Fleur and Krum had failed, and Cedric had tied with him. Hogwarts would be proud even if they hadn't originally intended to root for him. As for Harry himself, he was just happy to get out alive and well, though his own safety wasn't nearly as important as Daphne's had been the moment he'd spotted her. The other blokes would give him shite for thinking that, he knew, but Daphne made up a large portion of his world and the same could be said for her.
That could've gone a lot worse, Harry thought as he returned a small wave to the crowd, his thinking momentarily complete as he gave another to Fleur and a kiss on the cheek to Daphne, far, far worse.
February 25, 1995
"Well, they certainly work fast, don't they?" Daphne asked, amused as she slid a copy of the Daily Prophet over to him. "You seem to be quite the witch's man, Harry. Not only do you have 'Ashley Greengrass' pining after you, but the French Champion named Flower. How do you manage it?"
He raised his eyebrows, confused at the names she gave until his vision settled on the Prophet copy she'd slid to him. Sure enough, there was a wizard photo of Fleur kissing his cheeks and further down, one of Daphne clinging to him. Neither had been particularly private moments all things considered, but it was still incredibly poor taste to put them all across the world for everybody to witness; at least get Daphne and Fleur's names right.
"Unfortunately for all the witches who read this… colourful stuff, I'm taken. I bet you'd stomp them all if they tried anything — me too, for that matter. I'm not forgetting that you're the one who knows all the spells that hurt," Harry finished with a grin and wink, earning himself a roll of the eyes albeit with a confident look on Daphne's face.
"So long as you remember that I'll curse you if I catch you kissing another witch now that we're together, it'll be fine," Daphne paused, her cheeks flushing in an uncharacteristic way before she slowly grabbed one of his hands with one of her own."We've known each other since our first year in Hogwarts when you didn't trust me all that much and I thought far less of you than I currently do, yet we still became fast friends. Does it ever feel like you wake up one morning and forget that we're finally together?"
"Finally?" He asked, grinning like a fool when her cheeks grew even redder than they'd previously been.
"Answer the question before I make you duel me again. Fleur won't appreciate her sister's saviour being too sore or with the scent of sweat covering him when we go off to see her within the next hour," Daphne responded, her nose raised and hands settling on her hips even as she smirked back at him.
Shite, I nearly forgot about that, Harry thought, swallowing at the prospect of meeting with Fleur and her younger sister.
It wasn't that he disliked them, felt intimidated or was otherwise nervous in their company. None of that was true regardless of what some others may think about Harry, the part-Veela girls or his relationship with Daphne. Truthfully, Fleur was a bit intimidating in her attitude and confidence, it was the blokes that usually made first moves and that. Daphne, well, he liked to think they'd each done half like everything else — from the Chamber to Professor Quirrell, even Sirius, they'd done everything together.
Two was the magic number for anything and everything so long as the two were them.
"I guess it's still a bit too good to be true. I've liked you for a good bit of time and I'm pretty sure I remember you saying the same about me, uh… I think. Anyway, it feels too good to be true every now and then, but other times like in the tournament, for example, I get more worried about you now than when we were younger," Harry rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly and made sure to avoid eye contact, suddenly feeling slightly embarrassed at his confession. "I know nothing's changed, that you could still beat me in a fight, but that doesn't change anything. Merlin, I thought it was impossible to care any more than I already did."
"I'm not hearing any of that from you, Harry," Daphne responded with narrowed eyes as she suddenly discarded the Prophet into the nearby fireplace with a forcefulness she seldom used; her temper wasn't caused by exposure to 'dark' magic so she said, but he certainly had to say that it got a bit worse every year.
He swallowed and stored that thought for later, not wanting to bring the mood down. "I'm not that reckless. Everything I do is usually because we planned to do it together or something I come up with on the fly if our plan falls apart. It'll always be around to help you and distract whatever it is that we're fighting — if it's just me like in the tasks, I'll just go as aggressive and quick as possible, as you taught me to."
Daphne didn't seem entirely convinced or happy with his reply, but she shrugged it off and pulled him close enough that she could wrap her arms around his waist again. Ever since that time spent under the lake, she'd done such a thing. It was weird, she wasn't nearly as fond of cuddling or other physical affection as he was, but you'd never hear him complain about her shift in personality.
"Is Slytherin still alright?" she suddenly asked, changing the topic as the two simply sat by the fireplace, its warmth and the crackling of food soothing them on a primal level.
"Malfoy and his goons haven't been too problematic recently if that's what you're asking. That's the best they'll ever give me too," Harry answered honestly, his eyes moving to Daphne's face which was as beautiful as ever, the flickering of the fire only making her all the more alluring. "Sometimes, I wish that our houses were reversed and we could have more friends, like when we were younger… obviously they wouldn't be, uh, hindering our relationship."
"You've always had a way with words," Daphne said teasingly as she sat up in her seat, arms stretched above her head and wand in hand so that she could check the surprisingly late time.
Harry saw her eyebrows raise, so he figured she was a bit surprised too. "We didn't have a set time with Fleur or her little sister, did we?"
"No," Daphne responded quickly, yawning this time as she burrowed into his side again. "Put your arm around me and pull me closer. I've not been able to feel as warm as I'd like to ever since I was under that damned lake."
Not one to argue or complain about Daphne's affection, he did as she requested and pulled her close. She still felt a bit colder than she usually did, the occasional bout of shivers moving from her to him, but they didn't last more than five minutes after they'd pressed together. The warmth of a blanket and one another was always quick to send away the chill of the cold, he preferred it to fire, really.
"One more," he said, the epitome of relaxed thanks to their closeness and the comfort of their transfigured seat.
"Task, I hope you mean — any attempt to limit this cuddling will be met with a very interesting action on my behalf," Daphne responded, her voice muffled on account of her face being pressed into his shoulder.
Harry rolled his eyes much like she normally would do. "I did mean task, but I'm curious — and a bit worried — as to what that interesting action would be… really though, I just want this to be all over. Once it's done and we don't have these stupid papers, attention, or anything else, it'll be better."
"I agree, it'd be nice if we had a year at Hogwarts where danger and drama weren't the normal happenings. There's always next year, I suppose," Daphne pulled away a few inches and looked up at him, huffing. "With your luck, we'll never have a boring year. Not unless I stole you away to my home for the year and had us take private lessons with an expensive tutor… it's an attractive idea, I'll admit."
"It definitely sounds better than dealing with all of the Hogwarts problems. Professor Dumbledore, Merlin, probably the Minister himself would have a problem with that though, right?" Harry was pretty certain he of all people wouldn't be allowed to withdraw from Hogwarts, they'd almost certainly find some little-known rule or something of that ilk to keep him in the eye of the public.
"There would be little they could do if we really meant to withdraw from Hogwarts, my adoptive family would see to that. Our Old Ways, whilst not the ancient, grant us status and added respect that much of the wizarding world doesn't receive," Daphne didn't go into any more detail, she seldom did when it came to her home life or personal practices despite their relationship. "We should get a move on now unless we mean to stand Fleur up and spend the evening together. The prospect isn't wholly terrible, but we're not one to miss a vaguely worded and loosely made agreement, are we?"
Harry snorted, remembering one of their earliest interactions in which she'd been late. "Nope," he said, containing his grin as she narrowed her eyes at him, "We're never late."
"You haven't seen the inside of their carriage, have you?" Harry asked Daphne as they walked along the path that led to the Beauxbaton temporary housing.
"No, how could I have?" She shot back at him, raising an eyebrow as she tightened her grip around his hand. "It can't be too different from the usual carriage, not unless they spent thousands upon thousands of Galleons on it, which isn't impossible for a prestigious school such as theirs. Ah, right, I should mention that certain Pureblood events to designated grounds are a bit like a pilgrimage and on those trips, we travel in the lap of luxury, else we'd be too exhausted to properly celebrate."
"You'll tell me about these old ways eventually, yeah? I've heard about them so many times from you, but there's never much detail," Harry was very curious. She had told him a few times before that his family hadn't held themselves to the old or ancient, original ways of life as hers had, but there surely would have been a time when they had.
If only for that distant happening and those far away relatives long since felled, he wanted to learn. It was incredibly likely that he wouldn't adopt them into his life, some could even be a bit barbaric or crazy, hence Daphne's reluctance to share information, but he'd respect it so long as there wasn't any murder or sacrifices like the Muggles thought there had been; he really didn't fancy a new wave of witch or wizard burnings.
"Should you actually be half as interested as you say you are, we'll discuss all of those traditions at length when the tournament is completely finished. Until that time comes, I'll be focusing on getting you trained up in your more offensively focused spells, including ones that aren't all that… accepted," Daphne looked as if she'd nearly said another word, but the presence of three more figures on their trail, all of them belonging to the French contingent, had been enough to make her stop and pick a safer word.
"Sometimes, I think the spells you pick are purposefully very difficult to successfully cast," he mused, more so to himself as he gave a polite smile to the three French girls, all of them returning it without an ounce of malice or a seconds hesitation.
They're nicer than half of the blokes and birds in Hogwarts, Harry thought with disdain, the simple interaction getting to him more than it should have thanks to the truth of it.
Daphne smirked at him, her look coy as she responded. "I wouldn't say I pick the most difficult spells for you to learn, there's surely dozens that're harder and require more precise motions than the ones you do. You've done great with what I've taught you too, there's never a dull moment despite your lack of confidence in magic that isn't related to your preferred fields."
"It's not just me that's like that," Harry said quickly, poking at her side enough that she scowled at him playfully, their hands still connected. "You're the same when it comes time to learn healing spells or charms. Remember when I helped you with the Patronus? It didn't take more than a few weeks and you were already getting a whisp!"
That alone was incredibly promising and showed her power, even if the whisp wasn't a fully-shaped incorporeal being such as his. Most of Hogwarts would never be able to do what the two of them cou—
"You remember the reason I was able to so easily cast it, don't you?" Daphne asked, smiling genuinely at him as she dropped their playfulness; it was easier for her to express herself openly when they were alone, as she wasn't too fond of people thinking she was soft despite her helpful nature towards those who needed it… like he had, very early on.
"I don't think I do," he responded, completely honest as he scanned his brain and came up empty.
"It was the first time we'd really hugged and called one another our best friend. Thinking back on it, the memory isn't half as good as our first kiss was…" Daphne trailed off, clearly thoughtful as her left hand itched towards her wand only to stop after reaching the halfway mark. "Another time, when we're not busy and your life isn't actively in danger thanks to these woefully outdated games."
Harry would agree with her on that, but now that he thought about it, he reckoned her Patronus was a hell of a lot stronger than it used to be so long as she really liked him as much as she seemed to. Merlin, he didn't know what he'd think of their first kiss couldn't generate a whisp. He was thankfully saved from that train of thought as Fleur's carriage came into view with a half dozen or so students milling about the entrance.
"Think any of them speak English?" Harry asked, remembering that his French was, uh, far from good.
"If they don't, we'll just need to keep repeating Fleur's name and pointing at the door until they understand what we'd like. My Swedish isn't going to be all that helpful with our new friends," Daphne's additive remark about her second language made him blink, as she only rarely spoke of it and never in it, not within his ears reach at the very least.
"I'd like to hear you say something in Swedish before that task and no, I'm not getting nervous," Harry said, the latter half added when Daphne shot him a none-too-happy look.
"Sentimental is what I would have called it," Daphne responded, her eyes locked on the carriage entrance as two more girls stepped out from it. "And good, you should expect to make it out with not a single problem so long as we're working on it together."
Harry agreed with that, and when he made to respond, he found himself cut off thanks to those two girls who'd only just made their exit coming over to them. When they spoke, well, when the brunette one spoke she did so in surprisingly good English. Most of the French-speaking delegation spoke a small amount, a few spoke it well but she seemed to be the only one that spoke with near fluency, albeit with a weird accent.
"Hello Harry, Hello Daphne, I think," she greeted, smiling widely at the pair of them as she gestured with her head towards the door she'd only just left. "Fleur had us waiting by one of the windows for you, I assume you're here to join us for a meal?"
"Yeah," Harry responded for the both of them, nodding.
Daphne gave him an appraising look and like that, the group of four was headed right back whence the two newcomers had come. It was a bit of a tight fit when Daphne and he had awkwardly tried fitting through the frame together, but once inside, the interior had to be of the quality Daphne had thought. Quite frankly, the size of the main room alone was insane when compared to the scale of the carriage's exterior. When he imagined all of the additional rooms, the kitchen and any other more purpose-driven areas like bathrooms, the thing could easily be an eighth the size of Hogwarts.
It made him wonder not only how powerful the caster or team of casters had been, but what the ingrained runes and wards did for it too. Durmstrang's ship had to be similar, what with the contingent of students they had brought, but exterior-wise, the thing was easily four times the size of the carriage.
"It's beautiful, right? There's nothing like this back home, at least not that I have seen," the brunette girl said, speaking up as she glanced over the room they were standing idly in.
"It's certainly impressive," Harry agreed, his eyes focused on the softness the couches conveyed by looks alone.
Daphne seemed to agree, but she didn't say as much when she spoke. "Where's the rest of your school?" she instead asked, her eyes focusing on the two hallways that seemed to stretch on until they took a matching right turn that would put them on course with one another. "For one-hundred of you or near-enough, I expected the common room to be completely full."
The girl smiled and gestured towards the two hallways that Daphne had only just been looking at. "We have shared dorms, four or two per room based on who was lucky enough to get the latter — as you can imagine, a lot of people choose to wind down with their friends rather than out in the open with everybody else. Fleur as the Champion was able to have her own, but she took Gabrielle with her."
When the name Gabrielle was said, the girl beside the one speaking looked very intently at him. Of the few others milling about or taking their leave from dorms unknown to him, some of them looked equally as awed by his being in their carriage. None of them spoke, most of them smiled and only then did their guide let out a small gasp.
"Sorry," the brunette girl said quickly, dipping her head as a seemingly nervous smile came to rest on her face. "My name is Alena and my friend is Maegan, I'm from Quebec and she's from the deep American southern state of Loose-e-ana… I can never pronounce it correctly, but that is close enough for you to get it if you know the place. We're both friends of Fleurs and before I go on for too long, you would like us to take you to her, right?"
Daphne nodded politely for the both of them, wanting to get to the point of their presence without coming off as rude to their entertainers. "That would be wonderful, please."
"Of course," Alena said, smiling without the awkwardness or sense of nervousness that she previously wore. "Right this way, she is near the Headmistress in the back portion so that she isn't distracted by the usual commotion."
Harry wasn't sure what that usual commotion was considering how quiet the carriage was in comparison to Hogwarts, much less the Great Hall when hundreds were in it, but he supposed he didn't really need to know. It wasn't like they'd make a habit out of coming to the Beauxbaton carriage. That wouldn't be terrible though, he reckoned, especially when the artwork and general vibe of the place seemed so relaxed.
Bit weird of the French to not go as outrageous in the decor and furniture as they did in the creation of the wards and charms, Harry thought privately, not wanting to bring it up out of respect, This wouldn't be too bad if Hogwarts got any worse.
"This bend requires a bit tighter of a grouping for us, there is only so much the magic can do and not many people were needed to go this way," Alena said as they made it to where the two hallways started back towards one another, the width of them half as much as the main two corridors.
Daphne squeezed into Harry's side while Alena continued with her friend right up against her, until, the four of them stopped at the third from the final door. As soon as they halted their movement, Alena knocked on the door and called to Fleur in French, the girl's name the only thing that Harry could pick out. Within the next few seconds, that very same door was opening to reveal Fleur and her nearly identical little sister, the former smiling amiably while the latter seemed the embodiment of shyness.
"You two came," Fleur said, a tinge of relief or something of that nature detectable in her voice. "You are hungry, no? Please, forgive me, come in and sit wherever you would like, the food will be here shortly — ouais, Alena?"
"Of course," Alena responded, rolling her eyes as she nudged the other girl beside her and then gave a little wave to Harry and Daphne. "Don't be strangers, speak with us before you leave. Thanks again, Harry, for doing what you did."
After those words, Harry and Daphne were quick to make their way over to the large dining room that was tucked away in the corner of Fleur's place. Her room was easily the size of the entire boys' dorm up in Gryffindor tower, the chairs that were tucked into it being heavily padded and with blankets hanging over their back on account of the colder weather, he suspected.
"Gabby," Fleur said, only doing so once Harry and Daphne seated themselves on the right side of the head of the table so that they could see the room in all of its entirety; the simpleness of its beauty was very Fleur-like, he thought to himself, lest Daphne overhears him and thinks he was hitting on the French girl.
Merlin knows one witch is enough for me, I don't rightly know how so many blokes can wish for dozens of them.
After a little extra prodding from Fleur, Gabrielle made towards him and Daphne, her hair done up just as expertly as her older sisters. "Merci beaucoup, 'arry," she said to him, the meaning not lost on him since he'd heard that particular sentence many a time thanks to French tourists… as for the rest of her prepared dialogue, he hadn't a clue as to what she said as his mind hadn't been able to track anything beyond the sound of swallowed words.
"She is very thankful, but not confident enough to use her English," Fleur said, giving a teasing look at her younger sister. "I am sorry if you had wanted to eat out too, it is not easy for us to do, you understand, yes?" Fleur gestured to herself then, trying to ensure that they understood why she'd ordered in, as it were.
Daphne responded before he could this time around. "We're aware of why that could be a bit problematic. If boys were as well behaved as Harry, then you'd be able to enjoy your life the way everybody deserves. My apologies on behalf of Hogwarts."
Fleur shrugged, unoffended. "C'e— it is life… it is a phrase in French, I still forget that the people here do not speak it as we speak English. Not most of you, at least. Enough of language and immature boys, you two are guests who have earned more than I can give. Tell me about yourselfs, please, and I will do the same if you have questions."
Harry wouldn't correct her English and Daphne didn't seem like she would either, so with a purposeful look towards his girlfriend, one with only a hint of teasing, Daphne started, albeit in a way that was entirely like herself. "I'm not great at describing myself unless you're asking for my strengths and where I think I could improve. If there's something specific that you'd like to learn about either of us, please, do be as specific as you'd like. I'm sure you know better than most how not to ask intrusive questions."
As expected of Fleur and Daphne's perception of her, she smiled at such words. "You are right, the questions typically too… int-ru-sive, are ones I will avoid. If you would like, I don't even have to ask much of you, we can eat in peace and celebrate Harry's success — you are lucky, my other competitors are not half as cute."
Daphne raised an eyebrow at the older girl, her head slightly inclined.
"It's not Harry alone that is cute," Fleur added, grinning when Daphne rolled her eyes and not a second after, her door opened again, this time to reveal a few house-elves in a beautiful style of dress. "Pastries, pies and even sausage for you Anglaise, I hope that is fine."
This will definitely be an interesting meal… I just hope Fleur stops her little flirting games before Daphne really steals me away as she said she would.
"Wine?" Daphne asked, making him look back at her and stop his errant thinking.
"Locally from Hogsmeade, it is expensive and sweet-tasting. You go to the tastings, no?" Fleur asked with an expression of curiosity on her face that looked just as pretty as anything else; Daphne was still the most beautiful of them all even if Fleur constantly had a subtle pull at the back of his mind.
Ah well, it's not half as strong as Moody's spell was, Harry thought happily, his hand tightening around Daphne's.
There was a little bit of tugging on his other hand and when he turned, he saw the younger girl he'd rescued. She held something out to him in her small hands, whatever it was firmly wrapped and secure in a decorate velvet-made box.
"She wants you to open it, 'arry," Fleur said, clearly amused as she watched them interact.
He shrugged; she could have her amusement, the evening was far from horrible and who was he to deny his hosts?