The Dragon's Silver Flower

by TigerSwarm9122

Deciding to take control of his life after discovering his true heritage and Dumbledore's betrayal. Without the machinations of Dumbledore and the overbearing Weasley family, Harry will make a name for himself and rise. Grey/Dark is more dark than grey but still honorable. Powerful, Smarter! Mentor Flitwick. Good Snape.

8. The Winner is? Learning hard lessons!

Chapter 8: The Winner is? Learning hard lessons!

The next day, Fleur went down to the dining room with Gabrielle after getting out of bed, showering, and dressing in her dueling uniform. Making sure her hair was in a high ponytail, she and her younger sister entered the dining room to see that their parents and uncle were already eating. Taking seats next to them, they filled their plates and started eating themselves as Genevieve and Amélie came in to join them. After a couple of minutes, Apolline put her cup of coffee down to look at her oldest daughter, who had been picking her food with her fork and looked like she was in deep thought.

'Is there something wrong, my little flower?' Apolline asked.

'Non. . . Yes. There's something I find concerning about one of the remaining competitors,' Fleur raised her head from her food to look at her mom.

'What would that be?' Sebastian took a sip of his coffee. 'Are you worried you will lose?'

'Non, of course not. I am the best duelist Beauxbaton has seen in years and will prove it by winning this tournament,' Fleur proudly declared, holding her head and nose high like a haughty pureblood princess.

'Then what concerns you so?' Sebastian asked.

'It's Master Filius' apprentice, 'Alphonse decided to cut in. He had a feeling his niece would be concerned about her future opponent. Fleur did not need to respond as the answer was clear on her face. 'The only advice I can give you is to not underestimate him and stay on your guard.'

'But why, Oncle? Harry Potter is just a little boy and will be defeated like all my other opponents,' she arrogantly stated. 'It's only by a miracle that he got past the preliminary round.'

'Fleur!' Alphonse snapped, and the arrogant smile on her face instantly went away as she recoiled at the hardened gaze he was sending her. 'Do not let your arrogance blind you from seeing what is in front of you! Monsieur Potter is the protege of a highly accomplished Dueling Master, and there is no doubt that he's had other Masters.' He chastised his niece. 'Filius would never take an apprentice unless he believed they had incredible potential. You may be a skilled duelist in your own right though that doesn't give you the right to look down on others.'

'Listen to your, Oncle. He knows what he is saying,' Apolline agreed with her brother.

An hour later, the second day of the Dueling Tournament began. Though, unlike yesterday, this would be the elimination rounds as the competitors would need to compete and win four matches if they wanted to advance to the semi-finals and final match. Several of the remaining competitors were carefully watching what could be their future opponents trying to figure out their styles and how to defeat them. Harry had been carefully observing and studying the others and used the different strategies he came up with to defeat his first opponent of the day. The fifteen-year-old boy was from magical Egypt and was a speed stylist.

While the boy was exceptionally fast when it came to casting spells and had excellent footwork, he lacked precision and was always on the attack. Harry had watched a couple memories through his pensieve of how a traditional speed stylist acted in combat. A speed duelist relies heavily on their speed to deliver attacks and defend themselves only for a short time, thus making them ineffective in duels that can be drawn out. But more than that, their movements can sometimes become predictable, and their offensive and defensive skills lack power. Patiently Harry waited, observed, and let his opponent tire himself out before rendering him unable to continue. A greatest strength can actually become the greatest weakness.

His next opponent was a female from magical Russia. She was undoubtedly good and had an impressive repertoire of spells at her disposal. Her offensive and defensive skills were power-based, and she had a commendable amount of speed. While it was clear her spells revolved around the Dark Arts with an emphasis on Battle Charms, her style was straightforward. And the fact that she had a fierce temper made his plan work. He sent a chain of spells to draw her closer, and when she got close enough, he used Tenespirium. The girl had no idea that using a shield would be the wrong move as she was sent flying in the opposite direction near the end of the platform with a loud crunching noise. Given how she struggled to her feet, clutching her stomach, it was obvious that some of her ribs had been shattered.

He then used Caligor Netatem. The crackling ball of dark mist left his wand, shot at the girl, and then exploded when it was only an inch from her. When the fog cleared, she was prepared to launch another series of spells, only to fall to her knees, screaming in pain from the purple lightning enveloping her, and she felt weak. Then finally, he decided to have some fun by transfiguring the clothes she was wearing to make her look like that muggle woman he saw on Dudley watching on the telly once. Mary Poppins. To finish, he conjured her an umbrella and summoned her wand.

Many audience members were laughing, with Dora being one of them, as she clutched her stomach. However, there were a couple of boos from the audience as he humiliated another of his opponents. Nonetheless, the referee grudgingly declared him the winner and, after handing the girl's wand to one of the healers who came to escort her away, walked back to Filius and Dora. His teacher gave him a cheeky smile once he controlled his laughter. "Cheeky Harry. Very cheeky!"

"Nicely done. This will definitely be a good memory," Dora added. She had been working on the patronus charm and managed to conjure an incorporeal shield. To be fair, she had only started it last week, so her being able to do a corporeal patronus would take a little while longer. "Let's watch the other matches from the bench, then get some food. I could use something to eat."

"Sounds like a plan," Harry agreed, and the three went to sit on the bench to watch the other duelists participating in the same Division. The more he knew about his opponents, the better chance had of defeating them. Heading over to the bench, Filius handed him the sports bottle filled with water. "Thanks," giving his teacher a nod and accepting the bottle.

Sitting on the bench, he watched the others dueled to see who would advance to the next round. His eyes then fell on a beautiful teenage girl wearing a blue dueling uniform with platinum blond hair tied in a high ponytail. To say she was beautiful and powerful would be an understatement, as she was very attractive, had an impressive dueling style, and had a decent amount of power. The girl looked older than fifteen. Maybe sixteen or older. She appeared to be 5'7.5. But what mainly caught his attention was her platinum blond hair and the magical aura around her, as it was different yet strangely familiar to him. For an unknown reason, he felt drawn to her. Shifting his gaze around the stadium, he could see a lot of people, mainly the men from the audience, the remaining competitors, and some of the referees, who couldn't take their eyes off the girl. Given her annoyed expression, he could ascertain a guess as to why she would be annoyed as he, too, abhorred the attention he would usually get.

Even her opponent found her to be irresistible, as he couldn't tear his eyes away from her. As a result, he was unfocused, and his dueling skills became sloppy. These two were some of the most important things a person needed, along with remaining in control and not allowing your focus to waver during a battle because that would be trouble.

With those thoughts in mind, Harry found the girl to be curious and rather interesting at the same time. Upon seeing the uncertainty on his face, Dora nudged his arm to bring him out of his thoughts. "You okay, Harry? You seem dazed?"

"I'm fine," he replied, then said, "though there is something about that person in the blue dueling uniform that caught my attention. Her magical aura feels very different from the other female competitors. It's almost like a fire."

Filius then grunted, "very astute, my young apprentice." He resumed when Harry and Dora looked at him. "Given the way everyone, including the males and her opponent, are staring at her, I say there affected because of her Allure."

"She's a Veela," said Harry. He remembered reading about them through his grimoire. Veelas were renowned for their incredible beauty and had the ability to entice men and turn them into drooling idiots. They had a unique brand of magic called their Allure, thus making them very attractive and irresistible to most people of the opposite sex. "From what I know, they have an affinity for fire magic and are very proficient in using it."

"And?" Filius urged him on.

"Aside from their inherent Allure, making them very attractive and desirable, they can turn into bird-like creatures and can throw balls of fire when angered. Other than that, Veelas, including hybrids, have two different maturities. A Veela maturity and magical maturity," added Harry.

"Correct," Filius smiled, glad to see that Harry had done his homework. "Given that she looks older, it is likely that she's already had her Veela maturity and has complete control over her Allure," Filius explained.

"Then why are you not affected?" Dora asked, then added. "Also, if, like you said, she already went through maturity, then why are people staring at her with glassy eyes? And how is it that Harry is not affected?"

He proudly answered, "I am half-goblin, so her unique brand of magic doesn't affect me like it would other human males. What they're probably experiencing is a passive side of her Allure, not the full thing. As for Harry, however," he looked at his protege, "I only have a theory. For someone as young as you to submit to a passive Allure effect is as impressive as it is rare. Then again, you are proficient in the mind arts and have that in your body. If she used her Allure to the fullest, it might only grab your attention briefly. In a sense, you can remain in control over yourself a lot better than most."

"Your eyes showed you were interested in her," a light blush appeared on Harry's cheeks. "However, you were more interested in her as a person and abilities than anything else."

Silently Harry acknowledged that his mentor was right. She is undoubtedly beautiful, but her as a person, her abilities, and her unique brand of magic are what mainly captured his attention. He noticed that she seemed quite arrogant with the way she finished her opponent and left the poor sod a badly beaten mess on the platform. There was no question in his mind that she would be a powerful opponent, and he was eager to see how truly skilled she was in the battle. Her dueling style and techniques were most impressive. When the referee said her name, he began to think.

"Fleur Delacour? Her last name sounds familiar," Harry went into deep thought. "Delacour? Delacour? Where have I heard that name before?" Thinking to himself for a few minutes, his eyes widened as it hit him. "I remember now. The Delacours are a prominent family in France who are a part of the Ancient and Most Noble House. Monsieur Delacour is the current DMLE of the French Ministry, and Madam Delacour, the French Representative for the ICW," sounding impressed. "This will make things much more interesting."

Harry then stood up when the last victor for this morning's rounds was announced, "time to go for now. Let's find a nice place to get some food."

"I heard that," Dora chimed as she caught up to him, with Filius following behind. They met Ted and Andromeda at the end of the entrance to the stands and followed the latter as she led them away from the stadium and apparated them to a cafe she remembered from when she was younger.

"Nice to see this place is still here," commented Andromeda after appearing at the entrance with Harry. The others then arrived behind her, and they all went inside. "You all will love this place. It is a relative favorite and well-known for serving delicious sandwiches."

When the server came, the waitress asked how many there would be and if they would prefer to sit in or outside? Andromeda gave the young woman the number and told them they would sit outside. Grabbing five menus, she led took them outside to an open table near the black gate, handed them each a menu, and said she would be back shortly.

"So, little brother, what do you think about your remaining competition? Think your up to the task?" Dora casually asked.

Putting his menu down, "you know it," he replied with a grin. "These next two rounds are important, meaning no more games. It's time for me to start getting more serious."

Andromeda gave a small smile and nodded in agreement. "He is right. It would be wise to be more cautious from now on, as the second part of today will be more difficult," she warned. "I know you've been studying your opponents before and during your matches. Needless to say, I have been doing the same and could tell that the remaining few have been well-trained. Particularly Ms. Delacour. She has exceptional skills when it comes to Battle Charms and is proficient when it comes to using the Dark Arts and Battle Transfiguration. You saw her fighting style, correct?"

"Yes, she has an excellent balance of offensive and defensive skills. Her transitioning skills are fluid and swift, and she possesses impressive reflexes," commented Harry. "But more than that, her speed and stamina prove that she is athletic, having gymnastics and dancing skills. My guess is either lyrical or ballet. Probably both."

Filius and Ted grinned at his deductive skills. Harry continued, "there is no doubt in my mind that she will be in the finals, especially if her opponents continue to be sloppy. They are too affected by her Allure," surmising. "Other than her Allure, she is a powerful witch and will undoubtedly be a strong opponent. All my past duels were instructive, but she will help me elevate my abilities more effectively. I want to experience it firsthand!"

"Magic sharpens magic," a smiling Andromeda replied. "Spoken like a true Potter and Black."

"Just be careful," Ted added. Harry nodded at him.

The waitress then returned to their orders, where each requested a different sandwich and a drink. Writing what they wanted down on her notepad, she went back inside to hand it to one of the cooks.

The conversation then changed to the possible places he wished to invest in once they returned to Britain. Andromeda listened as Harry continued on as he had a good sense of business. She had to admit that he was pretty good and could be a shrewd businessman in the future if he wanted. "I'll see what I can do. Oh, this is going to be fun."

After having a good lunch, they returned to the stadium for the second part of today's matches. Like Harry said, the need for fun and games was over, and it was time for him to start getting serious. Heading over to his side Filius informed him and Nymphadora that they had twenty minutes before the tournament resumes. Looking at his remaining contestants, he was sure they would be gunning for him, though he wasn't scared as they had no idea what he was truly capable of. His eyes then fell onto a pair of deep blue eyes.

Delacour had just returned with her family and what appeared to be her two friends. When she returned from having lunch, she scanned through the remaining participants until her eyes found a beautiful pair of emerald eyes. It astounded her that a thirteen-year-old boy had made it this far into the tournament. He had some impressive skills and was sure what he demonstrated wasn't the full scope of his dueling skills and magical abilities. Once more, there was something about him that surprised her as he seemed unbothered by her appearance, unlike the other boys who had been staring at her. Harry Potter didn't look at her with lustful intent or start drooling like an idiot. No, the fire behind his eyes showed he was determined to be the victor.

Fleur was so immersed in her thoughts that she didn't notice that her sister Gabrielle had gone over to the boy. 'Gabrielle, non,' Apolline called out to her youngest, but it was too late.

Harry was a little taken back when a silver bullet collided with him. Looking down, he saw what appeared to be a carbon copy of the girl he had locked eyes with, except she was much younger. When she let go of his waist, he knelt down in front of her. "Hello, little angel. What would your name be?" He asked in fluent French.

"I am Gabrielle Delacour," she replied. "Are you really Harry Potter? I mean the Harry Potter?" Her blue eyes shined with hope that it was really him and that this was not a dream.

"Yes, Mademoiselle Delacour, that is my name," he answered. The girl then started bouncing up and down.

"You speak French?" Dora gave him a look of surprise.

"Filius taught me," he looked at her before returning to Gabrielle. "Are you related to the person who is competing in this tournament?"

"Oui, oui. Fleur is my older sister," she confirmed as her parents, sister, Uncle, and Fleur's two friends approached.

'Gabrielle, you know better than to do that in public,' Apolline chastised her youngest daughter, who blushed furiously. 'I am so sorry, Monsieur Potter,' she apologized.

"It is fine Mademoiselle Delacour. Your daughter meant no harm," he waved off the apology, then kissed her knuckles respectfully. He then turned to the patriarch of the Delacour House. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Monsieur Delacour. I have heard much about you." Extending a hand to the man.

Sebastian accepted the gesture and shook the boy's hand. "As have I, Monsieur Potter," the man towered over the young man before him. "Your story is rather interesting, though I doubt most of it is true. You speak our language quite well."

"You can thank my mentor for that," gesturing to Filius on his right. He then gestured to the left, "this my cousin Dora." The metamorph gave a pleasant nod.

His gaze then drifted to Fleur before returning to the man. "Your oldest daughter is a powerful witch and a skilled duelist. You must be very proud."

"Oui."

Harry then turned to Fleur again; taking his wand, he muttered, "orchidaceous," conjuring a bouquet of red and white roses, then handed it to her. "These are for you, Mademoiselle Delacour. I hope we get the opportunity to face each other soon."

His grin made Fleur glare though she nonetheless accepted the flowers before handing them to her sister, who happily grabbed them. 'For a little boy, you are surprisingly skilled, though that won't be nearly enough to defeat moi. You're in over your head,' she arrogantly said.

Alphonse and Dora frowned, and the latter looked about, ready to retort that statement, but stopped when Harry shot her a look. "You sure are arrogant and conceited," grinning, he got in her face. "In case you haven't noticed, you're a half inch taller than me, hardly anything to be proud of. Also, let's see how good you are against someone who isn't affected by your Allure. It would be a shame to see that you're all squawk and no fire."

Dora started laughing, while Alphonse and Apolline seemed impressed with the way he stood up to Fleur. The latter tried to hide her frown about his comments though her lips started to form a ghost smile. Meanwhile, Fleur looked seconds away from strangling Harry with her hands. Who did this little boy think he is. 'You should be careful when you choose to play with fire. You might get burned.'

"Bring it on, firebird," he returned. "You might be a pretty face, but if you think beating me will be easy, then you are dead wrong! Let's settle this on the platform and allow our skills to do the talking."

The announcer spoke before Fleur could offer a response. 'Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the second part of the U-14 and U-16 Quarterfinals of this year's International Dueling Tournament. The contestants from both age groups have proven their skills in making it this far into the competition. To be allowed to compete in the final match ups tomorrow, they will need to win the two remaining matches for the day. So without further ado, let's find out who will be the first two duelists of the U-16. Judges. . ."

Fleur and Harry continued to look one another in the eyes, refusing to break contact. The fire in their blue and green eyes burned brightly. It was only because Apolline had to forcefully drag her away did she avert her eyes. 'Cocky little British boy.'

"Stuck-up French."

Harry missed Alphonse's ghost smile and the look in his eyes that said you got guts. Heading up to the platform, he came face-to-face with his opponent Masaru Ishii from magical Japan. The people from Mahoutokoro were known for being powerful and ruthless when it came to magical combat. As soon as the other platforms were full, the referee gave the green light, and Harry kicked things off with a blasting curse, followed by three bone-exploding curses and two piercing spells to the boy's legs.

The boy shielded and dodged Harry's attacks before retaliating by sending a powerful blast of water. After using the freezing charm to turn the water into ice, he dipped into Battle Transfiguration and, with a few twirls of his wand, turned the ice into several ice crystals and sent them. He followed up by sending a wave of conjured arrows.

Conjuring a brick wall to block the incoming attacks, the boy launched a volley of dark spells when the last of the arrows hit his wall. Harry dodged, blocked, and transfigured the area around him and the boy's spells. The boy had impressive skills, was constantly on the attack, and had excellent defensive skills. However, Harry had seen better. Figuring that enough time had been wasted, he went on the offensive and launched a barrage of powerful spells.

Ishii was so focused on defending himself that he didn't see that Harry had conjured a couple storm clouds in the air. Twisting his wand at the clouds, Harry conjured a hurricane and directed it at the boy. This was then followed by a couple volts of lightning. Poor Ishii found that he could barely keep up as he just narrowly avoided the hurricane and bolts of lightning. Though Harry was far from done with him as they were merely a diversion to keep him off balance as a huge bolt of lightning struck the platform he was standing on and formed a tiger, dragon, and snake. The lightning beast then charged at the desperate boy, who went pale.

Desperately he conjured a torrent of water that got rid of the beasts. Before he could attack, Ishii realized too late that this was what Potter wanted him to do as the water grew till it was at his knees and turned to ice. Taking the remaining water, he transfigured it into a mist that blanketed the platform. The mist was so deep that Masaru could hardly see what his opponent was up to. He could hardly see the tip of Potter's wand glow orange but felt that the temperature suddenly increased, and the mist started to dissipate. He prepared to launch another attack. But the younger boy lowered his wand and turned around with a smirk.

"Sayonara," Potter said in Japanese before snapping his fingers. A split second later, a series of small but powerful explosions sent the fifteen-year-old flying and crashing toward the end of the platform. Both his ears were ruptured, he had several broken bones, and he was out cold.

'After a brutal match, Mr. Potter is the winner,' the referee grudgingly declared after ensuring that Masaru Ishii was still breathing. There was a collection of boos and cheers from the audience, not that Harry cared in the slightest.

As he walked down from the platform, Harry looked over at the benches to see a surprised Fleur looking at him. The surprised girl then glared at the boy when he grinned and winked at her. His beautiful eyes dared her to top that.

Genevieve nudged her friend to get her attention. 'You have to admit he is pretty good,' she smiled.

Amélie quickly added, 'you may not want to hear this, Fleur. . .but you cannot deny, 'Arry Potter has got style.'

'Oui,' a reluctant Fleur had to agree with her friends. Monsieur Potter was more than just a skilled duelist. He's an exceptional strategist and tactician. All of his movements and spells were swift and powerful, not to mention very accurate and precise. Two could play that game if he wanted to make a point about something.

When the referee called her name, she strolled onto a platform to meet the Spaniard witch who was to be her opponent from magical Spain. She made sure he was watching when she stole a glance at him. Her opponent was a fellow student in her year at Beauxbaton Academy named Mariana Cortez, and right bitch who, along with her friend Camille Tessier loved to make her life at school a living hell and were responsible for the numerous nicknames and rumors about her stealing other people's boyfriends. Out of everyone in the world who could make Fleur's blood boil, it would be Camille. She then figured this was a blessing in disguise. She would get to shut one of the biggest tramps and prove how formidable she was to Harry Potter.

From his seat, Harry watched as Fleur's opponent Cortez sent a string of dark hexes and curses at her. He knew her choice of spells were not illegal or a violation of the tournament's rules, but they would sure as hell hurt and leave their targets in pain for a couple days if they made contact. Fleur nimbly avoided the spells performing a series of somersaults, demonstrating excellent balance, speed, and flexibility and how light she was on her feet. Yet, for an unknown reason, Harry had a feeling this was somewhat personal, as Ms. Cortez looked like she was actively trying to cause significant harm to her opponent. He could sense the girl's bitter hatred toward Fleur as it rolled off her in waves. Evidently, the two knew each other well.

Fleur then went on the attack, bombarding the girl with questionable and painful spells, and entered her affinity for fire magic. Within a few minutes, Mariana Cortez was rolling on the ground in serious pain. The poor girl had several deep cuts to her body, a handful of broken, possibly shattered bones, and some burns. Harry raised an eyebrow as Fleur shot him a superior look with her nose held high.

A low whistle from Nymphadora brought his attention to her. "Things are about to get a lot more heated around here," commenting about what she just saw, then added. "Seems the stuck-up bint means business."

Harry then burst out laughing, "Good. The more serious she gets, the more of a challenge she will give me. Which is exactly what I want." He then looked at Blaise, who, even though he received a cutting curse to his left leg, managed to put his opponent out of commission with a bone-breaking spell to his wand arm and a stunning spell. As soon as the dark-skinned boy got off the platform, Harry motioned for him to come over.

Seeing that his friend was limping, he went to help and bring him over to where he, Dora, and Filius had been sitting. "How are you feeling?"

Blaise sat down as Mum came over with a jar of Essence of Dittany. "Aside from the stinging in my leg, I'm good." He hissed as his mother applied the burning salve onto the cut on his leg. "You?"

"Feeling good, and I'm enjoying myself," Harry said. "I also wanted to give you some advice about your opponents."

"I'm all ears."

"You see the boy from Oceania over there?" Gesturing to the boy at the end of the second bench. "I wouldn't let my guard down around him. Do not let his lack of defensive skills fool you, as he compensates it by having impressive offensive skills and exceptional casting speed. The Australian has a knack for setting traps to confuse his opponents, so you better watch out."

"Thanks for the advice," Blaise knew Harry was right as he saw how the boy was when it came to dueling. "Anything I should worry about?"

"Stop being so earnest in your approach. Remember, you are a Slytherin. Power is not everything, is it?" He asked with a cryptic smile.

For a minute, Blaise wondered what his friend was talking about until his mind connected the dots, and he smiled back. "No. It isn't." Just as they called Harry over to participate in his final match of the day, Blaise placed a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks. I'll be sure to pay you back for the advice. Good luck, my friend."

"You too," Harry said before heading off. Looking ahead, he saw his opponent was a female from North Korea. The girl had an aggressive dueling style emphasizing total domination over her opponent. Not to mention she was fast both in casting and in overall speed. An impressive combination, to be sure. She is a user of both Battle Charms and Dark Magic.

In short, this will be a tough duel, and he must be cautious. The minute he set foot on the platform and took a dueling stance, she gave him a look that promised great pain would come his way and said you're through! She then took her own stance, and they waited to begin. Evidence that she was itching to cast a spell came from her wand as the tip lit up. A second later, upon being told to start, a volley of dangerous spells left her wand, and Harry began putting his defensive style into action.

Admittedly the girl's combat style and repertoire of spells were impressive. That and her attacks alternated between swift and heavy. But there was a flaw in her style as she was heavy-footed and would step forward with every few attacks. Knowing what to do, he retaliated with sharper and harder strikes to bring her closer. Spending hours and hours of training to separate his magical power from the power of the spells he'd use, he knew how to be more efficient and strike at the right moment with the necessary force.

Just as she got close enough, he pointed his wand in the air and created a tornado around them, then added some fire turning into a fiery tornado. Continuing with his wand movement, he increased the tornado's power around them before directing his wand down at her. Doing that caused several balls of fire to rain down upon her. Now, it was her turn to be on the defensive as she attempted to dodge, use the shielding charm to block the incoming fire blasts, and retransfigure the flames. Though that didn't amount to much, as the flames were firmly under Harry's control. With her distracted and growing more desperate to protect herself, he sent tenespirium that painfully knocked her flat on her back. Listing the fiery tornado up, he condensed it into a large ball he left suspended in the air. Sung painfully got to her feet while ignoring the painful burns on her body.

Knowing that she had no chance of beating him but was still determined to give it all she got earned Harry's respect, and thus he decided to end their duel by creating a couple circles with his wand and then adding a jab toward the spinning ball of fire. Fire lashes and fireballs quickly came down, all targeting the caster's opponent. Sung knew she was out of power and overwhelmed by the fiery barrage. The force of the impacts had knocked her wand away and sent her to the ground smoking. Harry then vanished from the remaining flames and summoned her wand. After the referee declared him the winner, he walked over to pick the girl up and take her what appeared to be her father.

The people behind the man had their wands trained on Harry, and they looked moments away from attacking him until Mr. Sung motioned for them to lower them. "Your daughter will have no permanent injuries though she will require time to heal her burns and any other injuries she might have sustained today."

'Thank you, Mr. Potter,' taking his daughter her wand from the young man. 'You fought well, demonstrating both power and ingenuity, then winning with honor. For that, you have my respect.'

Harry gave him a respectful bow before heading to his section on the bench.

Filius tossed over his water bottle, thinkin' he might be thirsty. "That level of dueling skills and magic you demonstrated was impressive, though I recommend you be more cautious of the spells you choose to use," frowning as his student eagerly drank his water.

"Valid point," putting his bottle on the bench. "But in all fairness, she did use some very lethal and fatal spells against me, and the referee didn't say a word. However, you are correct, as I will be more mindful of the spells I use from now on."

Filius laughed and sat beside him. "You are showing remarkable skills when it comes to dueling and are becoming stronger with each fight. Not just in power, but your techniques are growing more refined," patting him on the back. "I have great faith in you."

"An apprentice is only good as the person who trains them," smiling back at Filius, who laughed harder.

They then watched the remainder of today's competition. Having secured his spot for the semi-finals tomorrow, he would be one of the four contestants. The fourteen-year-old boy closed his eyes when it was announced that Blaise would move on to the U-14 semi-finals tomorrow. At the end of the rounds, the remaining three contestants for each Division were announced and told when they would duel in the semi-finals tomorrow. It came as to no surprise that Delacour would be a participant, as she was very powerful and skilled.

Meanwhile, Noah Lawrence had an impressed smile as he carefully watched and assessed the dueling skills of everyone. But truthfully, he was more interested in Filius's student. The boy was undeniably powerful and remarkably intelligent for someone so young. His combat skills were only matched by his determination and strategic and tactical skills, as he made sure not to show everything he had. More than that, though, he displayed some impressive feats of magic and executed them without fail. For someone to wield such high-level magic well beyond what is normally taught is as rare as it is exceptional because only those with impressive determination, magic power, and intellect can perform them. There's no question he might be a little cheeky, but then again, so was Charlus when he was younger. Thinking of his old friend and how the man's grandson resembled him, another person then popped into his head. Arcturus Black.

Just thinking of the former Lord Black sent a shiver down his spine as that man was brutal and ruthless, the former more than his brother-in-law. And the man was very cunning and strategic. Many of those who believed they could gain an advantage over him would be left confused and at a loss of words by how he would leave them broken and utterly defeated. Those two did not play around, and anyone foolish enough to cross them would be ruined, dead, wishing they were dead, or broken beyond repair. That was a scary combination, as they never allowed anyone to walk over them, no matter their status.

If what he thought was right, the boy would join the Organization and become a Mage sooner than later.

(0^0)

On the tournament's final day, the four remaining contestants for the U-14 and U-16 Divisions were creating different plans for how they might approach their opponents. Sitting on the bench, Harry meditated to reinforce his occlumency shields and connect with his magic. Today would mark his first of many milestones. This is what he had been training for. Winning or losing this tournament didn't matter much to him, as he mainly wanted to gain combat experience and further hone his skills. He'd need more than raw power to become more powerful and lethal. Ingenuity, strategic and tactical thinking, honing his skills and techniques to their highest levels, adaptability, and subtle to the point where none of his opponents could figure out his next move. These and more were essential.

Harry opened his eyes when he felt someone was looking at him. Turning his head, he saw Fleur giving him a serious look of determination. Next to her was Gabrielle though she was smiling and waving at him. Harry got out of his meditative position and gave them a nod after standing up. Blue eyes met green, with both ready for the matches to begin. "May the best duelist win," he said, then turned his head.

Fleur didn't respond with her words, not that she needed to, as her deep blue eyes said it all. Soon the remaining two competitors for the U-16 arrived. The announcer came when the stands were packed with people, the remaining participants had entered the stadium, and everything was in place. One brief announcement from the man later, and the teenager's numbers were randomly called.

While a little disappointed that he wouldn't get to face the French witch this round, he brushed it aside and strode up to the platform to meet his opponent Leonid Domitrovich from Ukraine. Harry had observed this one almost as much as he studied Delacour and knew he was a highly skilled and powerful duelist. Similar to him, he had also undergone training from a Dueling Master. Domitrovich was not only powerful, but he had a large repertoire of Dark Art spells in his arsenal, was swift, and was skilled at unleashing powerful combination attacks. He would need to bide his time as the Ukrainian would not go down easy; he'd probably need to demonstrate more of his power to take him down.

'Duelists, take your positions,' Harry and Leonid did as the referee said and got into their respective stances. 'And. . . Battle begin!'

Neither opponent fired a spell as they just decided to circle one another with their wands trained on the other. The spectators could feel the intensity in the air as they wondered who would attack first and make the final round. Dora silently chewed on her nails as she watched as her cousin and the Ukraine circle each other like a pair of tigers getting ready to brawl. She hoped Harry would be okay.

A long minute later, Domitrovich fired a combination of cutting, withering, and explosion spells. Harry easily knocked them away with the banishing charm before retaliating with a set of spells from his own arsenal. Avoiding the young boy's spells by dodging and shielding, Leonid finally stopped moving, as did Harry, and the two stared intently at one another. Both were waiting to see what their opponent's next move would be.

Harry could sense that his opponent's magic level was rising and could tell he was ready to launch an attack. And sure enough, what he thought became true. Fire missiles, lightning bolts, and a handful of other dark and painful spells left the Ukrainian's wand at a furious pace. Having expected something like this, Harry wasted no time defending himself and counter-attacking with great speed and power. This continued for a couple of minutes, with both combatants trading spells after spells. The Ukrainian was really impressive and highly skilled, as he knew what to do. However, that didn't mean he would go down without a fight.

At the next set of spells that came his way, Harry materialized his blue-green phalanx shield. Once they impacted his shield, they immediately rocketed back to their caster with greater speed and power than when he used to create them. Knowing not what kind of shield Potter cast, Domitrovich tried again with another wave of spells, but no matter how hard he tried or how much power he put into his spells, they couldn't penetrate the shield. Even manipulating their trajectories proved ineffective as they never got near Potter and would return to him. Becoming annoyed, a powerful and destructive blast of green lightning left his wand. This was one of the deadliest spells in his arsenal. At best, Potter would be left in excruciating pain for a month with his organs barely functioning. And at worse, the boy would be hit with over a hundred thousand volts that would fry and kill him before he hit the ground. The latter of the two was his goal.

Harry knew the lightning coming toward him was a highly dangerous and destructive spell that he himself had used before during his training. Judging by the look in his opponent's eyes, he could only guess the fool's intentions. Well, he would certainly be in for a shock. The Ukraine boy's expression became one of pure shock and disbelief when the lightning hit the shield and shot right back at him. Narrowly avoiding it after hitting the ground, he still felt the heat as it grazed his left arm. After picking himself, Potter's blue-green shield changed to pink, yet what really got him was the fire in his eyes. They promised that what he was about to do would hurt. A lot!

A magenta-colored spell was fired through the pink shield and knocked Leonid back with incredible force shattering a few of his ribs. The feeling of being drained and lightheaded was not lost on him, as he screamed in pain as purple flames painfully erupted around his body. Then again, when he used the blasting curse, it was much worse this time, as he was forced to his knees.

Easily sidestepping the curse, Harry conjured a dozen kunai knives half of them had the added effect of fire and the other lightning. Once the shield vanished, he began to direct them into flying around following his wand movement. They began cutting and piercing the boy's body from all sides, making him scream in agony. The boy had tried to kill him, and the referee didn't say a word, so it was only fair that he get some pain in return. Harry made sure to avoid his vitals as they proceeded to leave gashes and the added effects of fire and lightning. This fool will undoubtedly leave his opponent with several scars and engrave the memory of what happened today deep within his mind.

Harry ended his spell after seeing Domitrovich drop his wand and collapse to his knees with several deep cuts. He certainly looked like he had seen better days. Then with a final wave of his wand, he summoned his opponent's wand and looked at a shocked and pale referee. "Mr. Domitrovich is still alive but can no longer continue. I strongly suggest you get the healers in here."

Snapping out of his shocked state, the referee hesitantly named Harry the winner, and immediately, a squad of healers came running onto the platform with a stretcher. Harry quickly tossed one of them his opponent's wand before leaving to watch the other contestants and their matches. Yes, he brutalized his opponent; however, the fool's second-to-last attack would have killed him.

"Ooh, I pray for the sorry sod who tries to piss you off, as they will likely spend a great deal of time in a hospital bed. You were ruthless," she nervously laughed.

"Hey, he tried to kill me, Dora! Besides, I made sure to avoid anything vital," Harry explained.

Filius agreed with him, "true, and Mr. Domitrovich will have to stay in a hospital for several days to recover properly."

"Anyway," wanting to change the topic. "How we lookin' here?" Watching the contestants duel one another. Blaise ended up losing to a female from magical South Korea, falling victim to a powerful combination of spells that sent him flying and crashing down onto the platform. "That had to hurt," Harry cringed.

As expected, Fleur defeated her opponent by beating the poor bloke to a pulp with debilitating and powerful spells. A short while later, after it was announced that the finals would take place that evening, Harry went to check on his friend in the stadium's medical wing. By the time he made it, he saw that Blaise was being treated by one of the healers, and his mum was standing at his right.

"Hey, mate. How are you feeling?" Pulling up a chair and sitting near Blaise as the female healer continued doing her job.

" . . .Feel like I've been run over by a herd of hippogriffs," groaning in pain as he sat up. "Damn, my ribs hurt." Aisha shot her son a disapproving look for his language.

Harry couldn't resist chuckling. "So, you're heading back once you're done here?"

"No," Blaise replied in a firm voice. "I strongly suspect that your duel with that French girl Delacour will be one to remember. No way am I missing that," declaring his intentions to stay and see the final match. "Merlin, I had no idea you were that powerful or skilled. However, your opponent sure is a dangerous one. The way she broke and defeated her opponents was both impressive and terrifying."

"What are you scared of her?" Harry teased.

"A little, yeah," Blaise answered and added. "I'm surprised you're not worried, as she has been watching you throughout your matches and is gunning for your butt. What did you do to provoke Delacour in such a way? From what I saw, she looks like she wants to maim you."

For a half-hour, Harry explained his first encounter with the girl and the people who accompanied her. The Zabinis and healer were surprised; Blaise's eyes became comically wide, staring at Harry in disbelief.

"You are either a bold or foolish person," commented Blaise, who soon started laughing. "You actually said that to her?" Harry nodded his head. "No, wonder she looks like she wants to roast you. Best be careful."

"You haven't told me I do not already know," the green-eyed boy said. "No, doubt she is a very powerful and highly skilled witch; however, I refuse to back out, nor will I let her look down on me. If she's serious about facing me, she better bring her A-game and be prepared to show the full extent of her powers and abilities."

(0^0)

Hours later, Fleur was sitting on the bench next to her friends and little sister while her parents and Oncle stood behind her. The silvery-blond was in deep thought about her final opponent. Harry Potter was unlike any other boy she met in her life. He was smart, powerful, and demonstrated some incredible feats of magic. A few of his spells were unlike anything she had ever seen before. That green-blue shield, the black-purplish ball of fire, the dark fog with purple lightning, and that magenta-colored spell were impressive. Not even her Papa, Maman, or Oncle knew what those spells were. Was it possible that he created them? But how? He was only 13. No one his age should be able to create spells like the ones he showed. He was an enigma.

Genevieve shared a knowing smile with Amélie when they saw Fleur was deep in her thoughts. 'It's really a surprise, non? To think someone so young could make it this far is nearly unheard of.'

'Oui,' Amélie nodded in agreement. 'Monsieur Potter is indeed not like what is written in those books. He's actually quite powerful and very talented! He wouldn't have made it this far without it or any kind of hard work, right Fleur?'

'Fleur?' Tapping her shoulder when she didn't respond. 'Fleur, do you agree?' She tried again, this time bringing the girl out of her thoughts.

'Did you say something?' She asked, not knowing what they were talking about.

'We were talking about how talented Monsieur Potter was and how hard he must have worked to come this far,' Genevieve explained after catching Amélie's eye.

'He is a talented and powerful wizard,' Fleur grudgingly agreed, not to mention very cute and his eyes. Oh, those beautiful eyes, she could get lost in them. She mentally slapped herself for thinking such things. Harry Potter had stood up, made cracks about her heritage, and challenged her like no one else had ever done before. But more than he was her opponent, and after today there was little chance they see each other again. 'A powerful duelist he may be, but there's something about him that concerns moi. I cannot figure him out.'

'Like what, my flower?' Apolline asked.

'Some of those spells he used were nothing like I have ever seen before,' Fleur stated in a curious yet intrigued voice. 'More than that, I am sure he is still holding back,' she held up her hand when her Papa was going to speak. 'There is also the fact that despite facing older people who are supposed to be more experienced and powerful, his skills and techniques seem to improve in the midst of combat. The only time I'm able to sense any power coming from him is just when he attacks, but even then, it's only for a couple seconds, and I can only sense the power of his spells. It's hard for me to tell how much power he really has.'

Sebastian groaned, 'so Filius actually taught him that technique. That is indeed troubling,' he said in agitation.

'What technique, Papa?' Gabrielle asked.

Before Sebastian could speak, Fleur was called to the platform to participate in the final match. 'We'll discuss it after this tournament.'

Fleur walked up to one side of the platform while Harry came up from the other end. Both contestants were ready and had looks of fierce determination on their faces. This time, the announcer addressed everyone instead of the referee when he came onto the stage.

'All right, witches and wizards of all ages, this is what you all have been waiting for the final match of the International Dueling Tournament! In this corner,' gesturing to Fleur, 'we have the fiery and ruthless witch Fleur Delacour from magical France, age 15,' there were rounds of applause from the crowd, especially from the French section. 'In this corner,' turning his head to Harry, 'we have the youngest competitor to come from magical Britain in years. I give you Britain's brutal and ruthless Harry Potter, age 13.' Harry received numerous applause though many of the spectators were reluctant.

'Despite their young ages, they have made it to this year's final match, thus proving they are far ahead of their peers in terms of magical knowledge and skills. Both of these two amazing competitors have shown impressive dueling skills by demonstrating their magical powers, ingenuities, and willingness to adapt,' a big smile crossed his lips. 'However, there can only be one champion tonight! Who will it be, Britain's strategically ruthless or France's feistiest? I can only say the victor will be the one who wants it more!'

Harry and Fleur each took their stances showing they were ready to begin.

'This match is about to get hot,' the announcer said. 'Duelist. . . Begin!' Jumping off the platform.

The British and the French locked gaze with one another; their eyes shined with fire.

Sensing one another's intentions, they simultaneously fired a blasting curse that exploded when they collided in mid-air. Harry then quickly sent a string of spells consisting of bludgeoning, bone-exploding, exploding curses, and a handful of other spells. Fleur quickly dodged and retaliated with her own chain of spells. Both opponents were holding back as they wanted to see how the other might respond. For the most part, this was nothing more than an opening act. A way to test the waters between them. This continued for a few minutes, with both teenagers either attacking or blocking and using low to mid-level.

Fleur had to admit that her opponent was good as he could keep up and meet her spell for spell. She could tell that he, like her, was holding back, wanting to see what he was truly capable of. Deciding to test him further, she put some power behind a large ball of fire. Harry intercepted with an upward slash of his wand, and a blade of air came out that cut the fireball in half. The two balls of fire missed by a mile and impacted the ground behind him. Harry then went into Battle Transfigurations, conjuring a high volume amount of spinning water. In turn, Fleur used the freezing charm to turn the water into ice, then, with a few slashes and waves of her wand, turned them into sharp ice crystals, and sent them toward Harry.

Slashing his wand at the incoming crystals, Harry turned them into a pile of sand. Then creating a few circles with his wand, he turned the pile of sand into a sand tornado and directed it at her. In response, Fleur conjured a fire tornado to intercept. The resulting impact between the two created a wide area of smoke; the young French witch then turned the smoke into a dozen or so daggers and launched them. With a few waves of his wand, the daggers became butterflies that scattered around.

"What are you up to,Mademoiselle Delacour?" Harry asked.

"I can ask you the very same question, Monsieur Potter," Fleur raised an eyebrow at him.

"Just getting in the mood," Harry said. "No reason to go all out from the start. Let's enjoy ourselves."

"What your saying is I have to bring out your power by force," a smirk appeared on her beautiful face as her eyes narrowed in determination. "Fine with moi."

"I was hoping you say that," cracking his knuckles and meeting her gaze with his. "Come on, Frenchie. Let's see what you got!"

Harry and Fleur started using the more advanced spells of Battle Transfiguration and even started pushing power into their spells. The audience intently watched as the two started to up the ante on their powers and skills. Dora silently prayed for Harry to be careful while Filius watched with excitement as his pupil and opponent demonstrate their magical prowess. So far, they seemed more-or-less even in power, yet Harry was gaining a little more latitude than Ms. Delacour. Filius knew exactly what Harry was doing as he was comparing and judging her power with his own. Apparently, she was doing the same as neither of them were yet at their limits.

Even though she hated to acknowledge it, 'Arry was better when it came to Battle Transfiguration than her. So switching her style, she went straight into Battle Charms and started using spells from the Dark Arts.

Seeing the change in her style responded in kind by using his own repertoire of spells. After deflecting a concussion hex, he fired a blasting curse. To Fleur's surprise, his spell broke through her shield. She could tell he put some power behind his spell. Not liking how things were going, she began sending spells at an alarming rate. The spells she sent may have been dark, though they would not kill, only cause the victim a lot of pain. It irked her that he defended himself so well. She was so immersed in what she was doing that she failed to notice that he sent a ball of dark cloud with purple lightning at her.

The dark cloud exploded and covered her. He then sent the magenta-colored spell that knocked her on her back. Getting back up on her feet, she immediately felt weak and screamed in pain as a purple flame erupted and red lightning surged throughout her body. Harry then sent a cutting curse to her torso and lowered his wand. "Hold on a minute," he raised a hand when she was about to attack again. "If you're done playing around, then let's get serious," he conjured a storm cloud and let it rain over her to eliminate the effects of his spells.

Then turning his head to the announcer and the audience, he pointed his wand at his throat, adding a sonorous charm. "This duel is pointless," his declaration got everyone's attention. "You all came here to witness a match between Mademoiselle Delacour and I, not a playdate. So how about the officials of this tournament actually give you your money's worth! I say the judges let us take our duel to its peak and allow us to go all out! Is that what you all want?!"

Shouts of approval erupted from the audience as they wanted to see the two go all out. Harry then turned to Fleur. "What about you Mademoiselle Delacour? Are you ready to duel for real, or are all squawk and no fire?!

Fleur's blue eyes formed a slit as they hardened at Harry. He had just called her out. "I accept!"

As the audience was in an uproar demanding his request, the judges consented and upped the prize money to 9,200 galleons.

Casting the counter spell, Harry narrowed his eyes at Fleur. "Let's go!" Making an X with his arms, his magic began rising fast. Fleur's eyes widened considerably at the amount of power Potter was releasing. It flowed off him in waves, and he was generating a heat she had never felt. Then it hit her. The spike in magic she felt the day before the tournament began came from him. Stilling her resolve, she began powering up her magic as well. She was not going to let him outdo her. And soon, they started dueling again, using the most powerful spells in their arsenals and the powers of their magical cores to their fullest.

Neither side was willing to give an inch as they continued trading high-powered spells attempting to dominate one another. The power growing from the two of them was growing with each passing minute. Both parties were receiving a fair amount of injuries ranging from broken and shattered bones and deep cuts on their bodies. Fleur didn't know how much longer she could keep this up as she was overtaxing her core. That and the injuries she was receiving from Potter didn't help much. Heavily sweating, she found trying to catch her breath to be difficult as he continued with his relentless assault.

Unfortunately, she was not the only one getting tired as Harry was the strain he was putting on both his body and magic. He knew he needed this, so he used tenespirium and put a decent amount of power into it. Upon impact, Fleur's wand flew out of her hands, and she crashed hard into the dome that kept their magic from exiting the ring.

Every part of her body hurt. Slowly lifting her head up, she saw the look of annoyance on Potter's face as he turned his head. It was like he was disappointed. Positively infuriated. He had challenged her. Mocked her heritage. Had bested her in combat. But more importantly, he dismissed her like she was nothing. No one does this to her. No one! Just then, her avian side broke loose as her blue eyes slit, gave a loud avian screech, and wandlessly two blue fireballs.

Harry had no time to react as he was thrown back when the two blue fireballs hit his left arm and part of his chest, burning through his uniform. He had never felt such pain before, not even from the two rituals he did. The pain from them paled in comparison to the burning in his flesh. Angrier than words can describe, his eyes burned with anger as they narrowed on a terrified Fleur who just realized what she had done. If she wanted to see which of them was more lethal, then he'll oblige her.

Raising his wand, 'Tonitrua sagittis leviatán,' this was a parseltongue spell he found in the Slytherin grimoire. Out from his wand came a leviathan dragon made entirely of blue lightning. It roared with fury as it rushed toward Delacour, revealing its sharp teeth. Delacour screamed in absolute pain as lightning surged throughout her body when the leviathan split into eight lightning arrows and sank their fangs deep into her body. Then with a final complex wave of his wand, the dragon lightning arrows detonated in a big explosion of lightning. When the smoke cleared, a burnt Fleur lay on the ground unconscious, and Harry fell to his knees, mentally, physically, and magically exhausted. His entire body hurt like hell, and he had a big headache. Despite his legs feeling like they were made of jelly and could give out at any minute. Still using what little energy he could scrape together, he somehow forced himself to stand up and thrust his right hand into the air.

'Unbelievable! After an exciting yet terrifying match, our youngest competitor from magical Britain has emerged victorious. Harry Potter has won this year's Under-16 International Dueling Tournament!' The announcer declared. There were applause and cheers from the audience, with the biggest coming from Filius and Dora, who ran onto the platform.

The latter had tears in her eyes as she wrapped her arms around Harry in a big hug. "You were amazing out there. I'm so proud."

"As am I," Filius gave his apprentice a big smile.

The announcer then gave Harry this year's trophy and cash prize. 'Is there anything you wish to say to the people, son?'

Pointing his wand at his throat, he reapplied the sonorous charm. "I just want to say that if it wasn't for my teachers, I wouldn't be here today. But this one, in particular, is the main reason why I am here. So this win is for Dueling Master Filius Flitwick and the House of Potter!"

As the people chanted the names of Harry Potter and Filius Flitwick, the said people and the Tonks family began to leave the platform. Harry was still too injured and required help from Dora. She handed the trophy and bag of galleons to her parents, so she could help Harry. Throwing his good arm around her shoulder, she escorted him across the platform.

However, Harry pulled away when he saw something silver on the ground and limped over to pick it up. A broken charm bracelet with a thunderbird on it. "Does this belong to—" was all he was able to say before collapsing onto the ground from pure exhaustion.

(0^0)

The next day, Harry woke up on a bed in an unfamiliar room. "Where am I?" His arm was still numb, and he had a little headache. Though in his right hand was a silver charm bracelet.

"Glad to see that your awake," turning his head, he saw Filius standing near the door. "What is the last thing you remember?"

"Dora was helping me off the dueling platform, and I found this on the ground," showing the bracelet as the Tonkses entered the room.

"Interestingly, despite our efforts, we couldn't pry it out of your hand," said an amused Ted. "Where did you get that thing anyway?"

It all started to come back to him. He remembered seeing this on Fleur's wrist. It must have come off while they were dueling. His eyes then snapped wide open. Where was she, for that matter? He never intended to cause her any serious damage, but his last spell was done out of anger and pure instincts when he got hit with those blue fireballs.

"Where's my wand at?"

"On the stand next to you," Andromeda pointed to the stand at his right.

He threw off the blanket, got out of bed, and managed to catch himself when he found his legs still wobbly. Putting the two pieces of the bracelet on the stand, he waved his wand in an intricate pattern after discovering that a standard mending charm wouldn't do anything. Even though it would have been simpler to just vanish the thing entirely, it rightfully belonged to Ms. Delacour, and he owed it to her to try and fix it.

After a few minutes, two pieces melded together like they had never separated, and he added a spell so that only she would be able to take it off. With his work done, he pocketed his wand, grabbed the bracelet, and stiffly went to exit the room.

"She's in the next room over," said Filius.

Giving him a nod, he walked out and approached the room beside his. Respectfully he knocked on the door. 'Oui?' Recognizing Madam Delacour's voice, he entered the room to see that Fleur had regained consciousness and most of her injuries had been healed. Around her was her family and two friends.

Fleur frowned when she saw him, while her Papa looked seconds away from pulling his wand out and cursing Harry into the next century. 'What are you doing here? Come to gloat about how you had to cheat to win?'

Frowning himself, "let's get one thing straight here. I beat you fair and square! Even after you tried to incinerate me. So why don't you try pulling back on the attitude for five minutes?"

'Why are you here, Monsieur Potter?' Apolline asked when Fleur was about to respond with a sharp retort.

Closing his eyes, he sucked in a breath. "I came to apologize for how I acted toward you, Mademoiselle," he said, shocking everyone in the room, including the people behind him. "Honestly, I only wanted a challenge, as I never intended to push you that far, nor for you to end up so injured. You had every right to be angry with me, so the reason for my burns is on me. I will not make that mistake again."

'Is that all you wished to say?' Agitation was laced in Fleur's voice as she figured he was patronizing her by offering a false apology. 'I do not need your pity. If you think a false apology is enough, then you might as well leave!'

'Fleur Isabelle Delacour!' Apolline snapped. Fleur was taken back at the harsh tone in her Maman's voice. 'You're behavior these last few days have been reprehensible.'

But Harry cut in with a cold edge in his voice. "Why don't you try removing the broomstick that is so far up your—"

"Finish that sentence, young man, and you will be needing some additional bags of ice," Andromeda cut a look that said choose your next words carefully.

Flaring his nostrils, he turned back to the other occupants. "I only came to apologize for my actions and return this," pulling out a familiar chain from his pocket that made her eyes widen. It was her charm bracelet. She didn't even notice it was gone. "It must have fallen off of your wrist, and it was damaged when I found it. I have already repaired it and added a variation anti-thievery charm, so only you can take it off from now on."

'You dare steal that from, moi!' Fleur made to grab her wand, but her Oncle beat her to it.

Dora finally had enough of the girl's condescending attitude and spoke, "you got a lot of nerve calling my brother a thief. So how about you do us all a favor and shut that French pie hole you call a mouth!" Everyone looked at her with wide eyes. "Harry had no idea until after he woke up a couple minutes ago. He could have trashed or vanished it but instead chose to repair and return it to you."

"I can verify what she says is the truth," Filius said.

'Oui, I saw it myself. Monsieur Potter didn't know it was yours at the time,' Apolline said to Fleur, then approached the boy. She took her wand out and ran diagnostic spells over the silver chain. 'Thank you for repairing and returning the bracelet. It is one of my daughter's most treasured possessions,' replying after discovering that what he said was true. 'You truly fought well during the tournament.'

Harry gave her a respectful bow and turned to leave with his family and Filius. When they were gone, Apolline locked the door, applied a privacy ward around the room, and put the bracelet in her pocket before giving her oldest daughter a serious look. 'Fleur, I am very disappointed in you.'

'Your Oncle, Papa, and I have warned you time and time again about that arrogant and conceited attitude of yours.'

'But Maman—'

'No, 'but's' Fleur,' her glare told her daughter to not interrupt and remain quiet. 'Monsieur Potter's behavior was less than appropriate, but at least he was mature enough to realize his mistake and the decency to admit he was wrong and apologize for it. You, on the other hand? You behaved in a way that would resemble an over privileged child. What's worse is that you can't see past your own arrogance and see that you were also in the wrong. You were warned to stop looking down on others and of the consequences of underestimating others and were taught a much-needed lesson.'

'He was not looking down in disappointment at you. Rather he was disappointed with himself because he realized he pushed you too far. But what do you do? In a fit of anger, you nearly kill him with your avian fire.'

Fleur looked down in shame and disappointment as her Maman tore into her. She was right. In her anger, she almost killed Harry Potter after he defeated her. He even repaired her bracelet, even though he could have vanished or kept it for himself.

A/N: Harry has won the tournament. Though he learned a valuable lesson: Never anger a veela! Fleur was also in the wrong, as she needed a refresher course on reality. The girl needed a wake-up call about how her arrogance could be her undoing. Underestimating someone will lead to severe consequences.

Next Chapter: Another Horcrux and the truth