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Finally, an eventful year of Hogwarts had come to an end. It was, perhaps… no, it had to be the most eventful, strange and difficult year of Hogwarts Harry had faced thus far. Were it not for his friends and Neville especially, there would have been a good chance Harry might have gotten hurt more seriously than he had been. Now, with the year over, there was nothing left for Harry to do short of resting and thinking.
And Merlin, Harry had a lot to think about. He had survived the tournament, made new friends, reaffirmed his friendships with Ron and Hermione, and finally, won the tournament, the Galleons and the 'eternal glory' that his companions had wanted. None of that really mattered all that much to Harry, but the friendships bit had been pretty important to him. Sure, it didn't help that he didn't have all that great of a way to contact those new friends of his, but that was fine.
Everybody in the wizarding world seemed to have a way of coming back to meet him again when they were needed. Maybe it was magic, or everybody in the magical world had an innate sense of timing that was far better than Muggles.
"Arry!"
He jumped when he heard his name called. Harry had been outside, working in the garden and pruning the weeds. It was originally a task that he was forced to do by the Dursleys, but now, it was strangely calming and precisely what he needed after such a chaotic fourth year. With his hands dirty and his knees in the dirt, one hand reached for his wand as he turned to look at the person that had called out to him.
"Yeah…" he saw the person, he blinked at her in disbelief, rubbed his eyes, and cocked his head. "Fleur? What're you doing here? Shouldn't you be back in France with Gabby and your family?"
He had thought that was the plan, but apparently not. If Fleur was here, then obviously something hadn't gone according to plan for her. That, or she'd been lying often and loudly to everybody else when they'd asked her what she had planned on doing. If that was the case, his original thought of her belonging in Ravenclaw was wrong; Slytherin was best for her.
Fleur smiled widely at him, her visage beautiful as ever. "I am to watch you for ze summer to free others that usually do ze work," she said, her smile widening.
"And your family?" he asked, finally on his feet.
"Gabby is 'ome with our mama and papa, she is to stay safe at 'ome," Fleur said, happy to leave it at that. "I 'ad the chance to work as a curse breaker or learn to teach, but it was not something that suck out to me, you understand, no? After the end of the tournament, I saw what you English had to put up with here," Fleur's look was concentrated as she focused. English and her pronunciation of it, was difficult.
In truth, it was part of why he had a crush on her when they'd first met. That allure of hers that everybody seemed to feel didn't work all that well on him, he barely felt it pricking at the back of his mind. Her beauty wasn't horrible, most would call her the most beautiful woman in the world. For him, it was the accent and her mannerisms.
"Arry?" she asked, blinking at him with that same smile on her face as she got closer — enough so that their distance had shrunk to a couple of feet.
He stood up, blinked at her as he did his best to let his thoughts go, and then returned that smile. "Sorry," he said. "It's just surprising to see you so soon after the tournament. I didn't think we'd meet again for quite some time."
"You are not excited?" Fleur pouted exaggeratedly, her lips pouting at him.
Merlin. She doesn't know what she's doing when she does that… or maybe she does.
"I didn't say that," Harry responded as he finally got to his feet and wiped the dirt from his hands as best as he could. "So… what does your job entail? Should I expect to look at my window in the night and see you watching me?"
Fleur blinked, and then she giggled, one hand rising to cover her mouth as she did so in that fashion girls often did. "It will be nothing so strange, 'Arry," she assured him when her giggling was through. "I was told only to make certain that you are safe and that 'arm does not come to you. I think zere is no reason we cannot 'ave fun, do you not agree?"
"I guess. What would we do?" he paused. "Wait, did you say you'd be watching me all summer? Is that right?"
"Ouais, they wished for the other guardians to be free for other tasks and as I am new, zey told me this would be my first task. I did not believe they were serious, but who am I to argue, no? Time with 'Arry Potter, the man who saved my little sister as a job?" Fleur scoffed, even that action sounded beautiful despite the roughness therein. "I could only hope to repay ze kindness you showed our family."
He didn't have to tell her again that there was no need to repay it. Anybody, everybody, would have done the same.
"Hey, Fleur? What do you think about a game of bowling?"
It was sudden, random, and perfectly in line with what she'd said earlier; they would be safe, and there wouldn't be any harm coming to them. It'd be fun between friends, and for Harry, something truly enjoyable.
"Bowling?" she parroted, a look of genuine interest flashing across her face.
At that, Harry smiled. She was a good friend, and if he could take her out for something aside from bowling and away from the Dursleys, there was no chance he'd throw that chance away.
Friends were his everything, and now, he had the chance to reconnect with one he hadn't thought he'd see again for quite some time.
It was perfect.
Fleur was strangely different from the time he'd spent with her at Hogwarts and throughout their tasks. Her manners weren't any different, she was still kind and teasing to those she called friends, but beyond that, and without the watchful eyes of hundreds, she was more personable and open. It was hard to say what exactly had changed, but she was freer in the smiles she gave and her laughter, melodic-sounding as it was.
He was happy that she seemed happy.
Maybe we'll go out to the Muggle cinemas next. We've already done bowling, food and a trip to the ocean. I wonder if Dumbledore knows, or if Fleur's really supposed to be taking me away from the Dursleys.
Ah well, he didn't care. If she was happy to take him away from the Dursleys and to wherever they wished to go, that was fine with him. It wasn't like he'd complain either; his crush was minor, and the more time he spent with her, it seemed to grow. More than one time, she'd teased him when it took him a few seconds to respond, and it was at those times that he felt her allure grow stronger.
If it was controlled, she had to enjoy messing with him… no, she definitely enjoyed messing with him. It was obvious in her mannerisms and if even a bloke as thick as him could pick up on it, she had to be laying it on pretty thick.
"Done," he said aloud to himself, the smell of food reaching his nostrils and mixing with the cologne he'd liberated from Dudley; it was amongst the best and most expensive. There was nothing that Dudley didn't get, and the cost never mattered. For a change, that worked in Harry's favour. Fleur was older and probably appreciated the mature bit from a bloke… not that he cared too much.
He carried over the last dish he'd made, set it up and ensured that everything was as perfect as possible. That meant the napkins angled correctly, the silverware clean and without any marks from soap or past meals, and the plates perfectly portioned; he'd made a full English for the pair of them, and Fleur should be just about…
Knock knock knock.
Harry grinned to himself and started toward the door, only to trip and nearly go end over end when he brushed into the side of a table. Sure, he wasn't carrying anything, but stacking it the moment he started to move towards Fleur wasn't indicative of a good day by any means. He wanted to impress her, not lose his mind as nerves threatened to take over.
He swallowed, calmed himself as best he could and, finishing his walking, opened the door with a grin on his face.
"Fleur, good morning," he said to her.
Fleur smiled at him. He wasn't certain, he didn't know much about cosmetics, but she looked as if she was wearing more makeup than usual. Maybe he was wrong, but there definitely was some form of glow around her that he appreciated. Any man would, Merlin, any person would.
"Arry," she returned, her head tilted to one side as a coy smile took over. "You will invite me in, non? The weather, it is a touch cold for me."
"Oh, yeah, definitely. Come in," Harry ushered her in, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck as she walked past and offered him a wink.
"Merci," she said, and then she stopped walking and reclined against the wall with a demure expression and stance as she looked at him in silence.
Harry looked at her, an awkward silence falling, and then a realisation dawned on him. She was waiting for him to take the lead and invite her to the kitchen, especially since it wasn't as if she knew the layout of the house or where the kitchen was.
"Please," Harry said, beckoning down the hallway that would lead to the dining table where the food and drinks were waiting. "Ladies first."
Fleur did a playful curtsey. "So mannered," she practically cooed at him, her voice husky and inviting; maybe her allure did have an effect. He was losing his mind.
When she walked as he said, he swore her hips swayed more than was typical. He had to look, there wasn't a chance he couldn't, but he removed his eyes from the sight of her rear after a second… or three.
"You made all of ze food?" Fleur asked, awestruck as she gazed at the spread he'd put out.
Harry nodded, and when he did, Fleur cooed at him again and drew closer, her hips swaying catching his attention once more.
"You are a wonderful boy," she said to him, infectious happiness in her tone. "My sister, Gabby, she was so jealous when I told 'er I would see you and spend my summer 'ere… tell me, 'Arry," Fleur's voice dropped an octave, its sudden softness making him swallow as she drew nearer, their food forgotten. "You are nervous around me, I know, I see — do you like me?"
He couldn't find his voice, but she didn't give him much time.
"You do~" she practically sang to him. "C'est bon. I like you too."
When those words reached his ears, he swore his heart was threatening to leave his chest.
"You do?"
Fleur nodded once, certain as she closed what little distance remained, their fronts touching as they breathed the same air. "Would you like to try?" she moved closer, her lips nearly touching his. "Say ouais ou non."
He wasn't sure what that meant, but he answered her all the same. "Yes."
Before he knew it, her lips, soft, plush, large and deep-red, were on his. Nothing was ever so sweet throughout his entire life than her lips against his.
And Merlin, her accent, her touch… that was the last thought before he lost himself to their kiss.