Disclaimer: I own nothing other than the plot. The original concepts belong to JKR and Warner Brothers. Any concepts brought from other fictions are either coincidental or will be used in their own way, and no plagiarism is meant.

A/n: Assume all talk within Beauxbatons is in French. I am not fluent in the language and I doubt you all are interested in reading another language and its translations.

Chapter 29: Challenge Accepted

September 4th, 1994

Beauxbatons Academy, France

Fleur sighed, staring at the plate indifferently as she ate her breakfast, not overly excited at being back in school once more. While her sister finally being present was something that made being within the Academy more bearable, it didn't help much. Her sister, for all that she was, was still nearly six years younger than her, and Fleur couldn't spend all of her time around Gabrielle and her friends. Chloe was about her only friend her age, though, briefly, her mind wandered back to the other person she had hoped would be a friend.

The distinct lack of letters would suggest otherwise.

She was rather miffed with him too. She had thought he was different, but his lack of letters indicated he had simply dismissed her or had forgotten about her entirely. Being dismissed only ever came from the female population, and being forgotten… it had never happened. She was always, even if she never wanted to be, noticed when she was present. It was especially a problem at school, but in the public, even more so.

Still, four days back, and she had already earned one detention for dousing a boy in water when he wouldn't leave her alone. He had deserved it, something the Headmistress agreed with, but she had to be punished for it regardless. Chloe had thought the use of water conjuration was hilarious, especially considering her heritage. Chloe's use of puns regarding 'cooling the man off from gawking at a hot bird' in a hundred ways were as humorous as they were tiring.

Others had spoken about her too. Many didn't like her, and her loss in the championship to someone from England hadn't helped matters any, even if it were to the Boy-Who-Lived. They still belittled her and made snide comments behind her back. She cared little for it though, often ignoring their words in favor of a snort of derision, turning her back to them, or, in the one case she couldn't ignore Celine, prodded at the person's own faults.

Was it petty and above her? Sure, but the girl grated on her nerves.

There was a spur of muttering that drew her attention in time to see a rather beautiful snowy owl flutter down in front of her, a letter with neat scrawl on the front of it. It was surprising, considering owls didn't often come in the morning. They often appeared in the evenings after classes.

Fleur Delacour

Beauxbatons Academy

The handwriting was clearly from a male, and, even more surprising, the stamp was one that indicated it was from House Potter, which she recognized from the dueling tournament. A momentary thought crossed her mind to not take the letter, but she sighed, burying her displeasure at being forgotten, only to be distracted by a wayward comment.

"Who would write to you?" Reine huffed out. "Not your parents, surely? Perhaps an ensnared boy? Or perhaps another whore asking for advice?"

"None of your business." Fleur replied disinterestedly as the owl held up its leg, hooting in displeasure at being kept waiting.

Ignoring the girl's further comments, Fleur chose not to make the beautiful owl wait any longer, untying the letter gently and passing the owl a few chunks of cut up ham from her plate. The owl looked at it in confusion before pecking it twice, then tentatively taking up the first of four chunks. She could only laugh as the owl suddenly got excited about the ham and devoured the last three chunks in gusto, hooting in happiness before disappearing from the dining hall through one of the open windows.

Finishing the last of her breakfast, she stood, heading from the hall and into the main courtyard. It was rather busy, students often practiced magic before classes when it was nice out, but she managed to find a nice pine tree to nestle herself under. To maintain her own sanity, she casted a privacy charm and a notice-me-not before breaking the seal on the letter. She was honestly surprised about the neat scrawl, written in a nice emerald ink instead of the Black on the outside of the envelope.

Fleur,

I owe you several apologies, Fleur. I had promised to write, and when I got back, I had every intention of doing so, but then planning for my birthday came up, staying with my friends, and I had about a three day break before Sirius surprised me and told me we were going to Italy! I promise, it hadn't been intentional that I didn't write, and I wrote as soon as I remembered.

My summer was pretty good, I spent several days around my birthday with my friends, which was nice. I also got to connect with more of Sirius' family, even if I don't like them all quite yet. They are trying to be better than they used to be, but it'll clearly take time. Italy was amazing too, it was my first time ever visiting a beach, and it was amazing, even if the salt water tasted horrible.

And the sights! The Coliseum was amazing, as were some of the magical and muggle museums! I couldn't believe the history there and how much it influenced our modern lives. Did you know the Blacks had been influential during the Roman Empire? Not to mention their discoveries in warding had laid the principles for modern designs for Ward layouts?

By far, it was the best experience I've had, but now I'm heading back to Hogwarts. It is my first home, really, and I've missed being there. The train ride is probably the hardest part of the journey, spending eight hours sitting in compartments with no room to stretch…

But how was your summer? And how is your family doing? Are you excited to be back at Beauxbatons? Are you still coming to Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament?

Again, I am truly sorry that I forgot to write. I promise to do better!

Wishing you the best,

Harry Potter

P.S. I have no idea how long it will take Hedwig to get to you, my owl I mean, but she will likely expect food as an 'offering' for her bringing you a letter. Bacon is her favorite in case you want to become her best friend.

She snorted as she read the post-script. 'Hedwig. A beautiful name for an owl.'

Rereading the letter, she felt more relieved. At least he had been genuine in his apologies, and had a somewhat acceptable reason for not having written. Perhaps she would forgive him this once… after making him sweat for a day or two without a reply.

September 8th, 1994

Charms Classroom

"-work for the week is the theory on the severing charm, six inches, including three uses for it in everyday life. It will be due at the beginning of class on Tuesday. Dismissed." Professor Flitwick called out. "Mister Potter, a word please."

Harry was already almost packed up, and once he was done, he stepped down from his desk and followed the professor into his office, the door shutting and locking behind him as he took a seat.

"I expected you to have approached me already." Flitwick said with a hint of disappointment, climbing into his chair. "Are you not interested in dueling anymore?"

Harry frowned, "I was planning on approaching you this weekend. Last weekend I was caught up with seeing my friends and the excitement over the tournament."

"Ah. Apologies for my impatience then." Flitwick nodded, "Were you hoping to continue our lessons then?"

"Um… about that." Harry took a breath. Sirius had supported him in the idea, but he wasn't sure if Flitwick would go with it, "I was hoping to ask, not just about dueling, but charms as well."

He didn't miss the subtle raising of the professor's eyebrows as he finished his sentence. "Charms?"

"Yes sir… I am getting bored in class. Truthfully, in most of my classes. I've already mastered the charms… and Transfiguration really for fourth year… and most of those in fifth year as well as having studied quite a bit of the theory." Harry explained, "Really, the only charm I still am struggling with is the Disillusionment charm."

"You can create several clones of yourself using powerful illusions, but not make yourself invisible?" Flitwick asked, before shaking his head, "You've already finished the O.W.L. curriculum?"

"Most of it, sir." Harry nodded. "At least, in the practical aspect. Theory is where I am catching up in, but the dueling practice with you and Sirius, and self study I am doing has made me surpass anything practical in class."

"Hm. And what are you hoping for in this conversation?" Flitwick asked. Harry visibly frowned.

He hadn't actually thought of what he was wanting. He hoped to eventually work towards getting an apprenticeship, but what was he wanting now? He voiced as much.

"Hm. Much like your mother. She came to me due to her boredom in my class, and in potions with Horace Slughorn if my memory serves right." Flitwick stated, and Harry suppressed a smile at the fond look on the professor's face at the thoughts of his mother.

"As for what I can offer you… you are inquiring about a future apprenticeship in Charms. I normally wouldn't even consider it." Flitwick stated, Harry's face falling, "But, you are just as good, better even, than your mother. She was only the third apprentice I had taken. You are aware that I am a taskmaster, yes?"

"I am." Harry nodded.

"Good. If you wish to be my apprentice, I want to see you pass both of your O.W.L.s and A.W.L.s without Outstanding marks in both Charms and Transfiguration. Oh, and a year early." Flitwick stated.

"A.W.L.s?" Harry frowned. He had never heard of such an exam.

"The international standard exam set by the International Confederation of Warlocks." Flitwick stated, "Advanced Wizarding Levels. The test, and their O.W.L. equivalent, are harder than our own exams. England accepts them as well, but we have our own exams to… boost our viewed scores."

"They're dumbed down to make the purebloods look smarter." Harry stated flatly, instantly piecing the clues together.

"I cannot confirm or deny it. Nor could I say our own curriculum is the same way." Flitwick said with a look at the wall. Harry just rolled his eyes, before frowning.

"So you want me to sit those two exams for O.W.L.s this year?" Harry asked bewildered, "Is it even possible for me to do that? And pass?"

"You are more capable than you think." Flitwick said firmly, looking him in the eye. "You took down someone almost three years older than you with more experience to be the champion dueler after only six months of practice. If you were to truly apply yourself, you could do it. You taking those exams, getting the theory within your mind, will only make everything in dueling easier, and magic in general. Doing it early, that is just my challenge to you."

Harry nodded, "What about my classes now?"

"Self study. I will inform the headmaster of the change in your course studies for my own class, and Minerva as well. She may choose to allow you to do the same." Flitwick flicked his wand, summoning a quill before writing on a parchment he had laying on his desk. It was a list from what Harry could tell.

"These are the general subjects on their O.W.L.s for Charms. I will get a list for Transfiguration. It is up to you to schedule your exams at the end of this year." Flitwick said, "And the books at the bottom will be your best best. You are welcome to ask me any questions you will have."

"Thank you sir." Harry nodded. "And dueling, if it's possible, I would like to continue with our training."

Flitwick eyed him for a minute, "Ambitious, aren't you. Perhaps you would have fit in any house. Tuesdays and Thursdays from five to seven, and Saturdays from six to nine. We will continue building on where we left off."

"Thank you sir." Harry smiled, taking the list and standing.

"Of course. Apply yourself to your best, and enjoy your day."

Hermione and Neville were waiting outside the door, Ron having likely gone ahead to lunch already, "What was that about?"

"He was asking me about dueling, and I asked him about a Charms apprenticeship in the future." Harry shrugged.

"You weren't joking?" Hermione stopped, "I thought you were kidding about asking him for an apprenticeship."

"Nope." Harry shrugged, and watched as she matched step with them once more, prompting him to continue speaking. "And he didn't outright deny me. I have to earn my chance though. I have to sit the International standard O.W.L.s in June for Transfiguration and Charms, and their N.E.W.T. equivalent exam in my sixth year."

"But… wait, what's the difference?" She asked with a frown. Neville coughed.

"Um. I can explain that." Neville began hesitantly, his eyes flicking towards Harry, "Despite what Hogwarts claims, they aren't exactly the top school in Europe. In fact, in the past fifty years, they haven't even been in the top five. Right now, we are number nine if Gran told me right. The purebloods, the bigoted ones, have been dumbing down both the exams and the courses since the early forties."

"What are the differences between the exams and courses?" Hermione asked, a scowl quickly overtaking her face.

Harry glanced at the list, "Four of my topics for the exam this year are some of our sixth and seventh year topics."

"But… McGonagall lied." Hermione muttered angrily as she entered the Great Hall. "Is this why I am always at the top of our year?"

"In the top three? Probably. Gran says she did a lot more self-study during her time. She constantly tries to undo what has been done, but can't. There's supposed to be more teachers too, more subjects, but now there are only the listed twelve subjects and a few abstract ones you have to request from the headmaster." Neville explained.

"But… that's not acceptable. They are only hurting themselves!" She exclaimed.

"Who got Hermione's knickers in a twist?" Susan asked, flopping down next to Harry. Hannah plopped down next to Neville, getting a quick hug as the boy grabbed a plate of sandwiches.

"Everyone. She just learned the unspoken lie of Hogwarts and its curriculum." Neville said quietly.

"Oh. Yeah. Dad complains about Hogwarts somewhat often, though he mostly teaches us the stuff that used to be taught here. Mostly about Snape, but… don't sweat it Hermione. What brought this subject on anyways?" Hannah asked.

'And now the conversation repeats itself.' Harry chuckled internally.

He and Ron shared a look, knowing the long days ahead of Hermione complaining about the curriculum and how dumb it was to reduce it. Ron only smirked, before taking another slow bite of his food. Harry needed to remember to thank Draco later for fixing Ron's eating habits, something not even the fearsome Molly Weasley was capable of doing.

Break…

"So, you are trying to pass some exams? That's it?" Salazar asked with a snort. "I will teach you those subjects before Christmas. Hell, get the Potions, Ancient Runes, and Defense requirements. We'll get you them all before the end of the year."

"What?" Harry stared. "It's not possible."

"You are capable of doing them. I have no doubts. You are my heir, after all, and I am Salazar Slytherin. Besides, all of these years here, do you really think I just stared off into space? No. I studied. Elves are a very useful thing. I can teach you just about anything you want to know."

"Oh. That's… that actually explains a lot." Harry muttered, feeling completely stupid. The man's whole soul was stored within the portrait. He was bound to have gotten bored watching the Headmasters over the years, so what else would he have done. "You're sure it's possible?"

"Absolutely. Four to five hours an evening during the week any day there isn't a ritual. We shall make sure you get your mastery chance." Salazar stated firmly. "Onto other matters. You are still worried about this tournament thing?"

"Sort of. Sirius says Dumbledore has assured him the protections will be sufficient, but I have my doubts." Harry shrugged. "I don't want to be involved. Not with these new goals."

"I am hardly able to help with this, then. We shall have to hope for the best. Or perhaps… speak to this headmaster. See if you are able to stay and observe this unbiased cup."

"It will be on display for a week. I cannot be there the whole time. And anyone not explicitly trusted cannot do it either." Harry stated firmly.

"Damnit." Salazar hissed. "Fine. Let us hope for the best. Now, let's begin teaching you Charms. It was Rowena and Helga's favorite subject…"

Three hours later, and with a headache from the nearly nonstop voice of Salazar explaining in-depth theories of animations, Harry returned to his dorm. Tossing his notebook into his trunk, he flopped down into his bed and passed out still dressed in his clothes from the day.

September 13th, 1994

Great Hall, Hogwarts

He had been wondering if Fleur would write him back, truly, he hadn't come up with a definitive answer, but seeing the letter, his name in elegant blue ink, attached to the leg of a barn owl, was a rather pleasant surprise.

"She wrote you back?" Neville asked as the owl took off, its reward of bacon clutched in its beak.

"Of course." He said cheekily. "Now to see what she wrote."

It was written in French, something Harry couldn't simply read, so he used a translation spell, watching the words shimmer and turn to English before attempting to read it once more.

Harry,

I must say, it took you plenty of time to write to me. Far more than I find myself happy about… but I understand. You were busy, and truly, we aren't that close yet.

He breathed a sigh of relief. He would not want her enraged and trying to kill him, even if he won the dueling tournament.

I am jealous of your time in Rome. My father has said it was one of his favorite places to go with his dad when he was a child, but he hasn't been in years. Perhaps your visit has given him the idea to take me, in which case, thank you.

I am glad you had an amazing birthday, happy belated birthday by the way, and that your summer was amazing.

Why do you brits insist on wasting so much time on a train though? They could make portkeys to travel to and from Hogwarts. Beauxbatons does not do anything so ridiculous, we use Floos and Portkeys.

As for Beauxbatons itself? I cannot say I am overly excited to be back. It is nice to have Gabrielle here though. She is more than happy to make friends with everyone, and she is well liked too. I hope her school years are better than my own.

Maman and Papa are doing well. Papa is busy with work, as is normal. They had an incident just before school started, three were killed in a robbery of a high end artifact store. Only one staff member present survived, while one of the robbers was killed and the other three were severely wounded. They will likely have life sentences, but it has kept him busy with handling the press and overseeing the others as they do the investigation.

As for coming to Hogwarts? I will still be coming. I wish to enter and win the tournament. The rewards are worth the danger in my opinion. Would you have participated if you were old enough?

What is Hogwarts like? And what are your favorite subjects?

Hope to hear from you soon,

Fleur Delacour

Hermione, who read the entire letter over his shoulder, smiled, "Good. You did well in making your apologies."

"I'm not daft. I know how to say sorry." Harry said with a glare that gave away his amusement. Her shock was equally dramatic.

"Still. It seems like you may have made another friend. It's a good thing considering what you've told us about her." Hermione replied, "Perhaps it's your saving people thing."

"That's not it because if being friends with someone like Riddle or Merlin help me, Bellatrix, would save people, I'm not sure I could do it." Harry's face scrunched up in distaste as he spoke, and he could hear Hannah suppressing laughter.

"Definitely not. There are easier ways to save people." Neville agreed with an overly enthusiastic nod. "Being friends with him is just torture."

They held their faces for only a few moments, looking in between each other as their faces turned red. Susan was the first to lose, quickly followed by the rest as their laughter at the absurdity of the conversation rang through the hall. Many of the professors watched in amusement, or unease, depending on how they remembered James Potter and his band of misfits.

Harry could almost feel the scowl aimed at the back of his head from Snape, but paid it no mind as he enjoyed his time with his friends.

A/n: So this is another short chapter, in which you have my apologies for. Life is currently slowing down my ability to write for extended periods of time as I am dealing with some family health issues but I am doing my best to spread it evenly between this and Potter Ascending. Hope you all enjoyed this, and see you next time!