A/N: This is a work of fiction using the characters from Harry Potter that are trademarked by J.K. Rowling.
Harry stood next to Ron and Hermione and let their argument wash over him. His eyes scanned the grounds in front of his for any sign of movement. They had no idea how the delegations from other schools would arrive, but it was an exciting prospect. The entirety of Hogwarts had emptied, and everyone stood outside as they waited.
The sun had just set so Harry was hoping they arrived shortly otherwise it was bound to get cold. It seemed they were, as Arthur Weasley said, going to show off, as most wizards tend to do.
Dumbledore stood at the back of the gathered students with the other teacher and called out, "Unless I am mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!"
Harry's head snapped back towards Dumbledore and tried to follow where he was pointing but it was dark, and he couldn't pinpoint what direction they were even coming from.
"There!" he heard a student call out and then movement caught his eye. In the distance he spotted a large black shape that skimmed over the trop of the Forbidden Forest. It was a large house sized carriage pulled along by winged horses the size of elephants.
The carriage landed softly on the field in front of the gathered students and Harry caught sight of a coat of arms on the door before it opened and the largest woman he had ever seen stepped out.
Harry's attention, like everyone else's, had been locked on the giant woman and hadn't noticed until now that the students from Beauxbatons had started to depart the carriage. There were about a dozen girls all in their late teens. They stood behind who Harry assumed was their headmistress. They shivered in their silk robes, and it seemed none had prepared for the cool evening.
AS Harry's gaze scanned the blue-clad crowd he locked eyes with one particular blonde that stood near the back. Her silvery-blonde hair shimmered in the moonlight and her blue eyes had a hypnotic glow. Harry felt a shiver run down his spine. He didn't know who that girl was, but he desperately wanted to.
Harry sat in the warm Great Hall with food filling up the table in front of him. It was a much vaster variety then was usual at Hogwarts. On top of their standard meal they also had French cuisine, for the Beauxbatons students, as well as some other type that Harry couldn't identify that he assumed was familiar to Durmstrang.
Even though there were only about thirty more students the Great Hall felt even more crowded that ever before and looked even more colourful. Instead of just a sea of black robes it was now scattered with the blue of Beauxbatons and the red of Durmstrang.
Harry chatted with Hermione and Ron before they were interrupted by a voice behind Harry, "Excuse me, are you wanting ze bouillabaisse?"
Harry startled and felt a burning sensation over his heart. He knew those words well as he had spent hours staring at them in a small mirror at the Dursleys. They had offered him company and proved that even though he had been suffering at the moment, in the future he was destined for someone to love him.
He swallowed harshly and slowly spun around. It was the girl from Beauxbatons that he had noticed outside. Her silvery-blonde hair was now loose and fell almost to her waist. Her blue eyes were even more intense up close. He heard a sputtering noise and looked over at his friend and saw that Ron had gone red in the face and when he tried to speak nothing came out but a faint gurgle.
The words over his heart still burned but it was a pleasant warmth. When he saw it was the girl was still waiting, he finally spoke up, "Yeah, you can have it," he said with a small smile.
Harry noticed the slight jerk that the girl made. She locked eyes with him, and he saw the surprise that had taken over her gaze.
"You 'ave finished with it?" she asked faintly.
"Yeah," Harry responded.
"Yeah, it was excellent," Ron added breathlessly, and Harry was pleased that her gaze never wavered from his.
"Thank you," she said. She picked up the dish and carried it carefully back toward the Ravenclaw table where she sat with her classmates. He watched as she whispered to the girl that she sat beside and blushed when the other girls head snapped towards him in surprise.
Harry finally pulled his attention away from the blonde and focused back on his friends.
"She's a veela," Ron said hoarsely to Harry.
"Of course, she isn't!" Hermione snapped, unimpressed by Ron's attitude, "I don't see anyone else gaping at her like an idiot!"
Unfortunately for Harry, Hermione was incorrect. He noticed as the blonde chatted with her friends many boys' heads were turned towards her, mouth gaping much like Ron's had been.
He didn't like the jealousy that burned in his chest, but he knew that it was a result of an unacknowledged bond and could only hope that once they sorted out their relationship and accepted their bond it would settle down.
On Saturday, Harry walked down to the Great Hall with Hermione and Ron. The goblet had been lit and they were excited to see if anyone had submitted their name yet.
When they got to the Hall it seemed as if the majority of Hogwarts had the same idea as them. People were seated all around with their gazes fixed on the blue flame of the Tri-Wizard Tournament Goblet.
"Has anyone put their names in?" Ron asked a nearby Ravenclaw student that Harry didn't recognize.
"All of Durmstrang. Don't know about Hogwarts or Beauxbatons."
Harry watched in amusement as the Weasley twins strutted into the Great Hall boasting about their aging potion. While Harry agreed with Hermione that it was bound to fail, he was interested in what would happen.
Unfortunately, he never got to see as his attention was drawn away by a tap on his shoulder. He spun around and smiled when he saw his blonde soulmate.
"Can we talk?" she asked, and Harry nodded and followed her out of the Great Hall.
"Shall we go for a walk?" Harry suggested and was thankful that she agreed.
They walked out into the courtyard in silence and started a slow pace down toward the Black Lake. Harry then screwed up his courage and turned to face her, "I'm Harry, by the way," he said and held out his hand.
"Fleur," she said with a grin that said she found him adorable, "I was just wondering. Did you want to have dinner with me? We should discuss the situation. We could eat here." She said and motioned towards the big tree near the edge of the lake.
Harry blushed and was secretly glad that she had brought it up first, "Yeah, I'd love to. I'll stop by the Kitchens and grab us some food. Anything in particular?"
"Anything warm should be fine," Fleur said, "I'll see you tonight…around six?"
"Can't wait," Harry nodded and watched her walk back into the castle. He sighed and slumped back, his heart was racing, and he felt like he had the first time he flew on his firebolt. Exhilarated and scared all at the same time.
Harry walked down the sloping hill towards the Black Lake, and he saw that Fleur was already there. She looked radiant in the setting sun. her blonde hair seemed to glow, and Harry wondered if that was just his imagination or if it was a side effect of being Veela.
He slowly approached the girl that he now knew to be his soulmate and sat down beside her underneath the nearby tree.
"I hope you don't mind soup and sandwiches. Figured it was the easiest thing to eat out here without a table or cutlery," Harry explained nervously.
"Sounds perfect," said Fleur, her accented voice soothed Harry's frayed nervous and allowed him to calm down.
"Excellent. Ham or turkey?" Harry asked and when Fleur reached out and grabbed the turkey sandwich Harry settled down with the Ham.
They talked in between bites and slowly got to know one another. While for the moment it was all surface level there were hints at deeper discussion. Fleur spoke of being a bit of an outcast at her school due to being Veela and Harry briefly touched on the drawbacks to fame that he had experienced over the last three years.
Once the sun had set a chill settled in the air and Harry noticed that Fleur had begun to shiver.
"Do you want my jumper?" he asked and was already pulling it up over his head. It was the warm, cozy, red sweater that Mrs. Weasley knitted for him last year.
"Merci," Fleur whispered and pulled it on. He watched as a slight flush rose in her cheeks, "It's so warm."
"Yeah," Harry nodded, "Mrs. Weasley, Ron's mum, she knits one for me every year. According to Ron she uses this special thread that is infused with a permanent warming charm. It feels just like being hugged."
"If only I could get one of these," Fleur joked, and Harry immediately offered.
"You can have that one if you want. I mean I'll get another in a couple months. Christmas is right around the corner," he said sheepishly.
"It was a gift. I don't know if I should keep it," Fleur hesitated.
"Nonsense. I'm positive Mrs. Weasley wouldn't mind, and I certainly don't. Wouldn't have offered if I did."
"Thank you," Fleur said softly and shyly kissed Harry's cheek.
Harry stood at the entrance way and waited for Fleur to appears. He had ditched his friends with a vague excuse and was looking forward to spending his day at Hogsmeade with the beautiful French witch. Movement caught Harry's eye and he looked up and saw Fleur approaching, wearing the jumper that he had given her.
The pair began their fifteen-minute walk down to the village outside Hogwarts. Halfway through Harry plucked up the courage to reach out and lace their hands together. Fleur looked over at him when their hands locked together but he kept this gaze locked forward.
"Do you mind if we stop by Gladrags first?" Harry asked once they were in sight of the village.
"Non. What are you looking for there?"
"Thread. Mrs. Weasley always complains that this is the only place to find a warming charm enhance spool of thread for her sweaters. I figure, after everything she's done, I could pick up a couple for her. I know Ron will probably never think of it," Harry chuckled.
After Harry picked up five multi-coloured spools of thread for the Weasley Matriarch the couple made there way over to Honeydukes. Fleur had a bit of a sweet tooth and was excited to see if there were any differences in the candy available in France versus Scotland.
Harry picked up a box of Ever Flavour Beans as well as a half-dozen box of chocolate frogs. As he was browsing, he spotted a caramel-coloured teddy bear with a red scarf that was included with a package of Honeyduke's signature fudge. Harry decided to grab it since the bear was pretty cute and he was sure that Fleur would appreciate the fudge as well.
He quickly stopped at the till and paid for his merchandise and shoved it into the provided bag. Even though he was going to give the bear to Fleur as soon as they left he wanted it to be a surprise for as long as possible.
Harry then began his search for Fleur and found the blonde in front of the display case of the Honeyduke's Chocolate.
"Decided what you're going to get?" Harry asked as he snuck up behind her. She startled and spun around. Fleur punched his shoulder lightly and scolded him.
"I think I'm going to get their variety pack. Everything looks delicious and I don't want to miss out on anything," Fleur said.
Once the variety pack was purchased the pair left the sweetshop and walked further down the pathway. Harry led her towards the Shrieking Shack.
"Is this the infamous haunted house?" Fleur joked.
"Nah, not haunted. It was home to a werewolf student a long time ago. During the full moon he would hide out here, so he didn't hurt anybody and the wailing and screams they heard were his," Harry explained, solemnly. His heart hurt for his kind-hearted professor and the trials that he still had to face as a werewolf.
The mood dropped at his statement and silence descended on the pair. Harry winced and decided to pull out the bear to bring the mood back up into the positive.
"I got you this," he said and pulled out the small bear with the fudge attached.
"Aww," Fleur whispered and gently grabbed hold of the bear, "It's so fluffy!"
Harry looked into Fleur's ice blue eyes and then pulled the older girl into and tight embrace. He held her close, and she wrapped her arms around him and held on tight.
"I'm so glad I met you," Harry whispered into her ear.
"Me too. I couldn't imagine anyone better that you for a soulmate."
Harry knew it was too soon to utter that four-letter word, they had only known each other for a month, but the warmth in his chest and the way his heart skipped a beat whenever she smiled at him told him that even though he couldn't say it, he was falling hopelessly in love.
Word Count: 2280
Challenges/Prompts:
Scamander's Case – Spool of Thread, Cozy
Wicked Webs – Harry/Fleur, 4. Relationship: Soulmates
Can you make it to the End? – Round 17. Favourite Character Interaction: Harry x Fleur
Five Nights at Freddy's – Classic Freddy: Object - Teddybear
Writing Club: Movie Madness – 27. Dialogue: "It's so fluffy!"
Writing Club: Colour Theory – 4. Item: Teddy Bear/Plushie
Writing Club: Travel Guide – 3. Dialogue: "Shall we go for a walk?"
Writing Club: Hogwarts Library – 9. Action: Embrace
Assignment 7: Ballroom Dancing Task 4: Write about a couple falling in love