"Harry Potter" belongs to J.K. Rowling
AN: Chapter 13. Had a busy couple of months.
I hope all of you Luna fans liked the last chapter. I hope you like this one even more.
Chapter song is "Call of the Sea" by Kamelot. This is before Roy Khan was on vocals, so it may be a little different than some of their later, more famous songs.
With that out of the way, enjoy the chapter.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
"Foreign Language"
A Godfather's Promise
Chapter XIII: Call of the Sea
It was already past lunchtime when Harry managed to dress himself properly and leave the room. He took one last glance at the bed before he stepped out of the door and couldn't help his lips tugging into a small grin as he took in the sight.
Luna was still sleeping – just as soundless as she had been the previous night – her uncovered form was being held closely by Fleur. The Ravenclaw's head was nestled safely in the valley of the Veela's breasts, her blonde hair being slowly caressed by the French witch's fingers.
"Take care of her," ordered Harry, his green eyes piercing Fleur's.
Fleur giggled. "You know I will, Maître."
Harry nodded before closing the door behind him and started to walk upstairs almost automatically. His destination had been the same he'd gone to almost every day since the moment the dark-haired wizard set foot inside the castle – the Gryffindor common room.
There were many students abound, many of the girls were giggling at the prospect of receiving a heart-shaped box that would be undoubtedly filled with chocolates from many of the bored looking wizards. He ignored most of them though, until he saw a familiar witch that was wearing the same blue lined robes that a certain blonde back in his room had been sporting the previous night.
"Cho!" he called out, getting the attention of the Asian girl. She was carrying a box herself. Cedric's probably.
"Good afternoon, Harry." Her voice was a little dreamy as she clutched the box close to her heart, reminding Harry of Luna.
"Likewise," Harry responded dryly before his gaze hardened a bit. "Cho… would you mind if I talked with you for a bit."
The Ravenclaw gave a weird look for just a moment. "Err… sure Harry," she said before following to one of the empty hallways. "What is this about?"
Harry sighed. "I need to talk to you… about Luna."
He did not miss the frown that formed on her features. "Loony Lovegood?"
"Don't call her that!" Harry almost snapped. "If you mean Luna Lovegood, then yes."
"What about Loo – Luna?"
The Potter heir looked straight into her eyes. "I want you to stop bothering her."
Cho half glared at him. "I don't bother her – "
"I'm not talking about you, Cho," Harry interrupted. "I'm talking about the other girls in her year… make them stop. I'm certain you have quite a bit of social pull over on Ravenclaw."
The oriental witch closed her eyes and sighed. "Harry… I know you don't like it when people get bullied, but you don't get it! That girl is not… she's not right in the head!" She gritted her teeth. "She always asks these disturbing questions, and she always goes on and on about some crazy conspiracy, and… and… she sleeps in the n-nude!"
"You let me take care of disciplining Luna. I'm not asking you to teach or raise her," replied Harry. "I'm asking you to tell them to just ignore her and stop bothering her. I'll make sure she has all the friends she needs."
"Harry," Cho breathed, "I don't think I can convince them to ignore her…"
"Then you tell them," he said in a strict voice, "that house Potter has quite some pull outside of this castle… and if they do not stop with this, I'll make sure that they'll have just a tad bit of trouble when it comes time to look for work outside." He let the threat hang for a bit, seeing Cho's eyes widen.
"A-Alright then." She nodded and started to walk back towards the main hallway before turning back. "I… I know I shouldn't pry," she muttered, "but does Fleur know about this? I thought the two of you were an item."
Harry smiled. "That's my business, Cho." He turned around and started to walk in the opposite direction. "Happy Valentine's Day!"
Harry did not know what to expect when he entered the Gryffindor common room after being gone for so long. He half expected the place to have completely changed after not seeing it for nearly a month; the same way the room of a married couple would be transformed after a particularly nasty breakup.
It was almost a shock to him then when he entered and saw that almost every thing had been the same as the last time he'd seen it, as if it was only yesterday that he packed his trunk in favor of the smaller, yet more private room he now shared with Fleur.
"H-Harry?" squeaked a voice from one of the corners. Glancing at the source, he found saw that it had been Ginny. Besides her was Ron, who's demeanor soured almost immediately.
The rest of the common room also quietened a little, but they awkwardly went about their business once again, trying their best to show that Harry's arrival had not surprised them. The outcast Gryffindor barely noticed his surroundings however. His eyes searched only for the mass of chestnut hair that belonged to Hermione.
She was sitting down as she always did, with a characteristic book in front of her. She probably had not even noticed his arrival, too busy with studies like the brightest witch she wanted everyone to see her as.
"Hermione," he said gently, putting a hand on her shoulder.
The brunette witch jumped at first – barely muffling a rather cute squeaking noise – before she turned around and immediately embraced Harry once she noticed his presence.
"Harry!" she gasped. "Sorry. I didn't expect you would come."
Harry almost winced at the words. "I wouldn't leave my best friend alone for today," he said before adding, "I need to make sure my 'Mione's admirers are the decent sort."
Hermione seemed to lighten up. "Oh, you idiot," she admonished. "I have far too much to worry about than some silly little holiday."
"I think a lot of people think it's more than just a silly little holiday."
"Apparently," she responded dryly, her gaze pointing towards Parvati and Lavender. The two witches were giddily receiving and giving small cartons that were surely filled with chocolates.
Looking around the common room, Harry spotted many more boxes and wrappers from magic brands like the ever-famous chocolate frogs, to muggle brands that one could find in London shops easily.
"That reminds me," said Harry before taking out a small box from his robes. "Here you go, Hermione. Now, I know that you've told me many times before about how they are terrible for your dental hygiene but –
"I love them," interrupted Hermione, taking the box with a smile. "I need to make sure Ronald doesn't go about eating them."
Harry quickly glanced at the red-head, still sitting down besides Ginny. He made sure not to turn his head, so that Ron did not know they were talking about him.
"He's still mad, I take it?" asked Harry.
"He's just being a jealous prat." Hermione's eyes then became more serious and whispered, "you brought any for Ginny?"
The black-haired wizard made a face. "I… erm… no." He glanced back at the couch to see that Ginny was looking at him almost expectantly. "I forgot about her," he confessed to Hermione. "I only thought of you."
"You're sweet," thanked Hermione. "I just hope she takes it in good faith. She's been… difficult, since you and Fleur got together."
Harry sighed. "Honestly, that's not my problem, Hermione. If she can't get over her childhood crush then it's none of my fault. Fleur it my girlfriend now and there's little that can change that."
For some reason or another, the brown-eyed witch took in a sharp breath.
"I… I understand." Her tone was definitely a bit solemn but Harry did not know what to make of it. "I think I should go now… you should too, unless you want Fleur to start worrying."
"I guess I should." He gave the witch a quick peck on her cheek. "I'll come visit you later 'Mione… hey, where's Neville?"
Her cheeks were flushed red a little but she still responded. "I-I think he and H-Hannah went over to Hogsmeade for the day."
"Good for him."
"Yes," she muttered silently. "Good for him."
He did not stop to talk to anyone on his way out, even though he noticed that a few of the students were quickly trying to gather enough courage to say something. It didn't matter, there was very little for them to say that would interest him.
Going down the stairs, Harry noticed that it was a lot less crowded than when he ascended them. The usual loud conversations were replaced by mostly silence – with the exception of a couple of excited first years, of course – the dark-haired wizard was almost surprised to see a familiar figure going up the stairs.
"Susan?" he asked.
The witch did indeed turn out to be the redheaded Hufflepuff. She gasped a bit once she noticed his presence but quickly stammered out a response.
"H-Harry?!" squeaked the buxom redhead. "I'm s-sorry. I didn't see you."
The champion merely chuckled a bit. "No need to apologize – in fact… let me see here." Harry rummaged once again through his pockets until he found what he was looking for: a shrunken box, similar to the one he'd given to Hermione.
He took out his wand and cast a quick enlargement spell; the box quickly returned to its normal form. The green-eyed wizard promptly handed it to a red-faced Susan.
"Hope you like them," he said before sheepishly adding, "I guess I should have asked if you like chocolate first, but that would have ruined the surprise."
The grey-eyed witch slowly took the gift from his hands, her face getting almost impossibly redder with each second until she managed to control herself.
"Why would yo-? I mean, thank you!" she almost exclaimed before catching her breath. "I… I don't know if you should give me these, Harry – I mean… does Fleur know about this?"
Realization dawned on Harry. The Hufflepuff's reactions were now beginning to make complete sense.
"Those are meant for friendship," he said quickly. "Back in my muggle school, I always gave chocolate to every-one of my female classmates. I guess it just became a bit of a tradition with me."
"Oh." Her eyes looked towards the ground. "Do you consider me your friend, Harry?"
"Of course, I do," he responded, his emerald eyes meeting her grey orbs. "I always like spending time with you. Don't you?"
Susan's face became red again. "Yes! Yes, I do! Thanks for the gift, Harry!" she exclaimed while hugging the box close to her left breast. "S-sorry… I'm in a bit of a hurry! I…I'm late for class!"
Harry nodded and let her pass. The redhead quickly ran towards one of the corridors in the sixth floor. She was still holding the box almost crushingly tight against her chest as she hurried towards the classrooms.
The dark-haired wizard looked on until she disappeared, letting out a sigh once Susan turned around one of the corners. He thought nothing of it until he reached the door to his room.
Odd. He was pretty sure there were no classes today.
Susan was sure that her heart would burst at any moment; it was certainly pounding hard enough that even Seamus Finnigan would notice. It was making her feel so lightheaded that she nearly forgot why she'd walked all over to the sixth floor.
'The one at the end of the corridor. The one at the end of the corridor,' she repeated in her mind, trying her best to take her mind off Harry.
Quite a hard thing to do when she was holding his gift so closely.
The Hufflepuff calmed herself a little by the time she reached the end of the corridor. There was a wooden door in front of her – a bit aged compared to the rest but still sturdy. She took out her wand and unlocked it and quickly looked behind her in case there were any onlookers before entering.
"You sure took your time," came a voice from inside the abandoned room.
The redhead slowly turned around to see the elegant sight of Daphne Greengrass sitting on an expensive looking divan – a stark contrast to the drab classroom.
"Sorry," Susan said sheepishly. "I had to deal with a dozen wizards who were asking me out to Hogsmeade. The amount chocolate I got could last me for years."
Daphne's face contorted into a familiar image of contempt. "Yes, quite insufferable. Very few in my house bothered because of their contempt for Muggles, but even I got some from them." She scoffed. "As if I'd even consider accepting."
Susan giggled. "You're too harsh. I just told them that I'm not looking for a partner at the moment."
The violet-eyed girl let out a sigh. "Then they'll just ask you again next year, if not sooner. Better to say it once and for all – it's better for everyone involved."
The redhead walked over to Daphne slowly, almost timidly. "I suppose you're right. You always are."
"Of course, I am," responded Daphne. "I've been having to deal with marriage proposals since the day I arrived here. They were not convinced themselves, naturally. I believe most of them were following orders from their parents." She smirked almost cruelly. "Not an inch of spine among any of them… and they haven't changed throughout the years, as much as they love to talk and talk about their supposed 'ancient families'."
"I don't really pay much attention to how old the families are," said Susan as she timidly sat down on the opposite end of the divan.
"Don't be so modest," chided the Slytherin witch. "Bones is one of the oldest ones; along with Greengrass, Longbottom, Abbott, Black –"
"Potter?" interrupted the redhead, unconsciously clutching the box closer.
"Yes… Potter. They're not from these islands – not originally at least – they've always been different from us. My father does seem to talk a lot about their wealth, however."
"Years of service to the crown will grant you that," chirped Susan.
"You've done your homework," noted Daphne, "and here I thought you didn't care much about the old families."
"I…" Susan trailed off, feeling that warm sensation spread to her cheeks once again.
"You only cared about Potter, didn't you?" guessed Daphne, smugness now evident in those aristocratic features.
Susan did not respond, but she was sure that her heated face said it all. "D-Don't look at me like you didn't look into it too."
"Of course, but my parents made sure that learning about the families was one of my earliest lessons." Daphne smirked. "Don't try to make excuses when you're caught; you'll only be digging deeper into your own grave."
The buxom witch puffed her cheeks a bit. "Don't look at me like that. You said that you like him, too."
Gazing away from Susan, the Slytherin witch huffed arrogantly.
"I do find him attractive," admitted Daphne. "But that does not make him any less of an ass. It just means that if I had my pick of the smoldering refuse that is the wizarding population, I'd find him to be the least offensive choice to stick his thing in me."
She grimaced. "It has to happen at some point, right? I have to give at least one boy for House Greengrass or my family disappears… and I'll kill myself before I let Nott or Malfoy," she spit the name with hatred, "have the satisfaction of procreating with me, let alone one of my sisters."
Susan shuddered at the idea of having to spend the night… procreating with the pureblood fanatics in Slytherin. It was not even about their looks – although Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe were definitely lacking in that area – even the admittedly attractive ones still carried that aura of malice that repelled her from them before they even had a chance to speak.
"He's much better than that!" defended Susan.
Daphne sighed, turning her gaze back at the redhead. She now seemed to notice the box that Susan was still gripping close to her.
"I thought you didn't accept gifts," said the dark-haired witch, frowning a little before she managed to put two and two together. "It's from Potter, isn't it?"
Susan let out a giggle, powerless to help the tug on her lips. "He just gave them to me."
"Why?" asked Daphne. "Doesn't he have that French tart to content himself with?"
"Her name is Fleur," berated Susan. "And he gave me this as a token of friendship. I'm sure he'll give you some if you meet him today."
Daphne snorted. "I didn't ask for presents, I don't need presents."
Susan almost giggled when she shot a quick glance at the box of chocolates like a puppy that had been denied a treat.
The redhead set the box atop the table in front of the divan and opened it. She did not recognize the label, nor did the chocolate piece spring to life, meaning that it more than likely came from a Muggle shop. Not that it mattered to Susan; she had learned to appreciate Muggle products the few times her Auntie brought her something.
She picked one of the pieces and immediately gave it a taste, taking her time to savor the expensive treat. The Hufflepuff knew with taste alone that it was of high quality.
"You know, when we planned this little meeting, I did not realize that you were going to come here to stuff your face," said Daphne.
Smirking, Susan picked a piece of white chocolate and offered it to the aristocratic witch.
"I told you that I don't want any," huffed Daphne yet it did not deter Susan from placing the treat right in front of her lips.
Sighing, the Slytherin beauty opened her mouth and accepted the piece of chocolate and ate it quickly. "Yes, yes. It tastes good now how about –"
Her little rant was interrupted when the redhead decided to give her another, different treat.
Warmth spread all around Susan's body once she felt the Slytherin's lips meeting her own. She'd had a long time since the Yule Ball to memorize Daphne's mouth, her scent, and her tongue.
The redhead was always the more playful one. Her kisses were always passionate and eager, wanting to take as much as she could for herself.
Daphne, for her part, was always far more elegant in her affection. Her kiss was far more practiced, as if the movements were a part of a very complex dance or choreography, yet even her emotions would show from time to time.
That's why Susan knew that beneath that cold exterior, Daphne sought affection as much as she did.
"We're together, yes?" asked Daphne. The tone of her voice was much more vulnerable than most would imagine from the distant witch.
Susan pulled away from the close contact to see the violet-eyed girl fully.
Daphne Greengrass was so beautiful. Taller than most girls, especially when compared to Susan. Her sharp facial features were perfectly symmetrical. High cheekbones were a nod to her noble lineage, a natural rosy blush complimented them, and her hair was so dark that it almost turned a shade of blue with the right lighting.
The shorter Hufflepuff smiled softly before both their foreheads met, grey eyes meeting the Slytherin's amethysts.
"I'm with you… for as long as you want me."
An uncharacteristic glint appeared on Daphne's face as she grabbed Susan by the back of the head. The buxom witch understood the message immediately and she started to go below, landing kisses all over the pale, slender neck.
Daphne had already done away with her jumper and was unbuttoning her shirt, but Susan was going even lower, down the valley of the Slytherin's smaller breasts and unto the stomach.
The redhead was acting almost unconsciously as her fingers grasped the hem of the other witch's skirt and she slowly pulled them down, revealing white and admittedly old-fashioned underwear.
Susan never realized that the Ice-Bitch of Slytherin could be rendered speechless until she started to have these… meetings with her. Normally, Daphne would be the first one to shoot down anyone with a jab that had the uncanny predilection of hitting right at anyone's self-esteem but at the moment the only thing that seemed capable of coming out of her mouth were muted gasps.
"Sue?" asked the tall girl.
"Y-Yes?" Susan gasped back.
"Can you do m-me a favor?"
"Yes?"
"Call me a dirty girl."
Susan blinked but quickly shoved it away. Two months of spending intimate time with the stunning Slytherin had made her aware that Daphne had some interesting predilections that almost always ended up in some odd request.
The redhead grabbed the panties on both sides and pulled them down, revealing her partner's pink folds.
"You're a dirty girl," purred the Hufflepuff before thrusting her tongue at Daphne's core.
'I hope she didn't forget to cast the silencing charms.'
Harry had long prided himself as someone who could resist the cold far better than most of his classmates. Even though he couldn't compete with the likes of Krum and the Durmstrang students, he still managed.
That said, it was always a nice feeling when he felt the warmth of stepping inside the confines of his cozy bedroom, especially when its other occupant was still inside.
"Welcome back, Maître."
"Hey beautiful." Harry looked around and noticed something was missing. "Where's Luna?"
"She 'ad to leave. She's not a champion and is not excluded from ze rules like we are, mon chéri." She sauntered over to him and gave a welcoming kiss. "I made sure she was properly dressed before she left. She said she'll visit when she can."
Harry chuckled. "You know… I was almost certain that she wouldn't come back after last night. I… I really went rough on her."
"Per'aps," responded Fleur. "But Luna is… a little odd."
"Little?" teased Harry.
"She's not crazy," responded the witch. "She just reasons everyzing ze way you and I do not. Besides," she smirked, "we are all a little odd, aren't we?"
"Of course."
"Just be a little more careful next time, Maître," she said a little more seriously.
"I know," said Harry. "I learn everyday that I have a huge responsibility to take care of you."
"Oui," acknowledged Fleur. "Zat is why I prefer to submit to you when it comes to ze bedroom, mon chéri. Feeling jealous?"
"You kidding?" joked Harry. "I always wanted to be trusted as deeply as you trust in me. Thank you, beautiful."
"Bien!" exclaimed the silver-haired Veela before going back to the bed. Harry finally noticed that she was wearing the same rubber underwear that he'd gifted her and nothing else. She had also opted to don her collar.
"By the way." He revealed a few letters that he'd hidden inside his robes. "I picked up your mail too. Thought you'd appreciate not having to go through the Scottish winter for them."
"You are too good to your lowly slave, Maître," teased Fleur before grabbing the letters that had her name on them.
Harry stretched his limbs tiredly before sitting down on the couch, right in front of the small fireplace that kept the room warm enough for Fleur to not complain about the cold weather.
He didn't have to wait long for said French witch to sit down besides him, laying down at the opposite and placing her legs atop his. It was enough for him to remember that the only one that hadn't had any sexual gratification that morning was him.
Still, he reigned his instincts in and merely let his hands explore her legs. The dark-haired wizard looked at the small in front of them and noticed that the book Luna had gifted him was still there.
'I've been meaning to read this,' he thought, grabbing the leather-bound tome. It was best that the next in line to be the Lord of House Potter and House Black knows at least the basics of Magical Society.
The first chapter detailed the history of marriages of old, where Celtic customs still reigned in the Isles. Naturally, House Potter never engaged in these practices, but he kept on reading anyway.
He was halfway through the second chapter when Fleur stirred in surprise.
"Zut!" exclaimed Fleur as she held on to one of the letters. "Gabby caught ze flu and she says zat she won't be able to come see us." She set the parchment down, visibly upset. "Oh, mon cheri… I really wanted you to meet 'er."
Harry put his arm around her. "There will be another time," he assured, "I did not have it in my plans to stop seeing you after the second task." He lightly grabbed her face. "Or the third… nor after this whole thing is finished."
Fleur grinned before she pecked at his lips. "I do not intend to leave you, Maître. I am afraid zat you are stuck wiz me for quite some time."
"I can think of far worse predicaments, beautiful."
Their lips met and Harry forgot about life-threatening tasks and old-fashioned marriage customs. His hands immediately started to explore the Veela's half-nude body.
The shyness of the previous months had been slowly chipping away. Nowadays he was quite comfortable with letting his hands wander as much as he wanted. The side effect was that the arousal he tried to ignore earlier was coming back with a vengeance.
Fleur was more than happy to be touched, however. That is, if her moans were any indication. She even thrust her chest at him. He quickly passed his hands over the light blue rubber and boldly let his fingers explore underneath the fetish underwear, where her nipples were hard as a nub.
"Oui, Maître… your French Veela slave is 'ere for you," moaned Fleur as she started to slip further and further down. Confused, Harry never broke the kiss until she was kneeling on the floor in front of him.
"Erm… Fleur?" he asked the silver-haired witch. "What are you doing?"
The French witch said nothing but the mischievous look she was giving him was enough to know that she wanted more than a simple kiss.
Fleur's breath started to quicken as her hands slowly grabbed the zipper on his pants.
"Fleur?" he asked, quite aware of the fact that the crotch area of his pants now looked like it was sporting a tent.
The beautiful Veela hummed, "Poor Maître. Me and Luna 'ad an amazing morning. Our 'Arry made us feel ze most amazing zings while he 'ad to ignore 'is urges. I zink Maître needs to take more advantage of 'is girls, non?"
Harry tried to come up with a reply but could only stare as Fleur started to undo the zipper and nervously dug inside to extract his now fully erect member.
"I told you, beautiful," he responded, finally regaining his wits. "I want our first time to be special."
Fleur giggled. "Silly Maître. Zere are more ways your Fleur can give you pleasure. I am your slave, oui?"
The Potter heir felt pretty dumb now. Given his girlfriends posture it was pretty clear what she planning to do. Quickly shoving his nervousness aside, he gave a firm nod.
The blue-eyed witch grinned slowly as she tore her gaze from Harry and concentrated fully on the dark-haired wizard's tool. She visibly wet her lips slowly as if she was looking at a savory treat. Gingerly, Fleur slowly opened her mouth and gave his tool an experimental lick.
Harry did his best to compose himself but could still hear himself breathing far more heavily than before. The moment Fleur's tongue came into contact with the tip of his cock, he took in a sharp breath.
If there was any hesitation on Fleur's side, it soon melted away. She began by using her tongue far more boldly than before, exploring more and more of his cock with the soft, pink muscle.
It didn't take long for her to find out that the most sensitive area was the tip, and soon it became the center of her attention.
Eventually, after a few minutes of using her tongue, Fleur's mouth opened and she engulfed his entire tip with her mouth. Harry was pretty sure that she was inexperienced but he didn't care for that. At that moment, Harry James Potter was convinced that he was in heaven.
"That's my girl," he whispered while he looked at the coals burning in the fireplace. His right hand sought her head and almost unconsciously started to pet her long silver tresses. 'My beautiful, naughty French girl.'
Fleur never stopped with her ministrations. Once she got used to having him in her mouth, she started to go deeper and deeper, stopping only when it seemed that she needed to get accustomed to his size before trying again.
"You're amazing, beautiful," he gasped almost deliriously. He couldn't barely believe how good it felt.
The statement seemed to encourage Fleur, as her speed suddenly picked up, and before he knew it, the tip of her nose was touching his pubis.
"Sweet Merlin," groaned Harry as the kneeling Veela started to use her tongue once again, this time all over the underside of his cock. This, combined with the sensation of Fleur starting to suck like a vacuum was almost enough for him to explode then and there.
Still, he suddenly heard Fleur gurgling a bit before she quickly withdrew in order to take a deep breath of air, leaving his member feeling relatively cold now that it was no longer engulfed by the witch's warm mouth.
That did not last for long though. As soon as she had regained her breath, Fleur opened her mouth again and inserted his cock back inside, this time going deep. She began to bob her head back and forth, using her tongue much more eagerly than before.
Harry almost didn't notice that he had now firmly grasped the French Veela's silver hair and was gently forcing her head to take more and more of him with each push. Finally, the overwhelming pleasure became too much to handle and he quickly let out a warning.
"I'm… I'm going to –" He could not finish the sentence but Fleur seemed to understand all the same. She stopped her ministrations and withdrew until only the head stayed in her mouth.
The restrained excitement of the previous days was relieved in one single, long moment. He felt his essence burst out of the tip of his cock and directly into Fleur's mouth.
The silver-haired champion did not budge in the least, taking his entire release without any complaint. When he was sure that it was over, he finally let go of her hair, signaling to the kneeling witch that it was done.
Fleur seemed did not say anything for the next few moments, her mouth still housing his seed, as if debating what to do with it.
It did not take long for her to make a decision. Harry soon saw that she started to slowly swallow, her eyes closed as she breathed calmly.
She opened her sapphire orbs for a few seconds to look at the dark-haired wizard. Harry could immediately see the small smile reach those beautiful blue eyes before she laid her head down on his lap.
The Potter heir immediately picked up the kneeling witch and laid her on the couch. Sitting down beside her and laying her head back on his lap again. He did not say anything, but expressed his thanks by caressing her silver hair.
He spent the next few hours like that, letting his beautiful submissive rest while he forgot all his worries. In the back of his mind, he tried to remember the book that was now at his side; vaguely recalling that he was on the brink of getting to some pretty interesting information but Harry chose to leave it for the moment.
Talks of marriage could wait. After all, it wasn't like there was some mind-blowing revelation awaiting him.
Certainly not.
He was too young to think of such things.
Sometimes, Harry Potter believed that mother nature (or whatever deity ruled the weather) mad its presence known as if to protest a particular event. In this case, it seemed like that omnipresent presence seemed to protest the existence of the Triwizard Tournament by reserving one of the coldest temperatures in the past two months to the day of the Second Task.
Fleur had been the first to notice, complaining even more than usual about how unbearably cold it was after they met for one last time before going to prepare for the upcoming event.
After Valentine's Day, Fleur had to return once again to the carriage. As before, Madame Maxime had been more demanding and the fear that one night the Beauxbatons Headmistress might open the door to her prize student's room and find an empty bed was too much of a risk for the Veela.
Luna had been pretty busy as well, and if Harry was being honest with himself, he was still uncomfortable with the idea of being alone with the blonde Ravenclaw.
Despite Fleur knowing – and being the main instigator – of their relationship, Harry still felt like he would be cheating on his French girlfriend if he spent some time alone with Luna Lovegood. It's something that he would need to get used to if the three of them were to keep their current relationship.
He really did not wish to hurt Luna in any way.
"You're prepared, then?" asked Hermione. There was definitely nervousness in her voice. There had always been a hint since their first year but this was the first time that the bright witch could do nothing to stop what was about to come.
"I'm fine, Hermione. You know I always come back," he responded with a slight bit of arrogance.
Hermione furrowed her brows. "Don't get cocky Harry. Just because you're in first place does not mean that –"
"Hermione," he said a little bit more forcefully this time, "I'm going to be fine. You know that I'm going to be fine."
The brown-eyed witch looked at the floor and for a moment it seemed like she was going to reply before she was interrupted by a new presence.
"Ms. Granger?" came the voice of Professor McGonagall, who was standing right behind both of them.
Hermione immediately turned around to face the Deputy Headmistress. "Yes, Professor?" she declared respectfully.
"We require your presence now, Ms. Granger for… that thing we discussed earlier. Are you still willing to go forward with your decision?"
The Gryffindor witch nodded quickly, with a little blush tinting her cheeks. "I do… just give me a minute."
Professor McGonagall nodded and started to walk confidently over to the Hufflepuff table.
Harry looked back at Hermione. "What was that about?"
Hermione's cheeks reddened just a little bit more before she quickly hugged him tightly. Harry was a little surprised but he returned the embrace, matching the brown-haired girl's strength with his own.
"If you die out there," Hermione whispered into his ear, "I'll kill you."
Harry let out a chortle. "Well I wouldn't want that. Better make sure I come back safe and sound."
"You better," responded Hermione, her tone almost a mixture between demanding and pleading.
Once the hug ended, Hermione picked up her bag and strode over to where the Professor's table was set, eventually entering through the same door Harry had gone through the day when he was picked out to be a champion by the goblet.
The green-eyed wizard bit his lip and sat back down to the table to finish the food on his plate. His attention was now focused entirely on Fleur, who was still eating a light breakfast. Oddly enough, her friends were nowhere to be seen, there was only Cho Chang; at her other side, however, was Luna.
Taking one last glance, he stood up and was about to leave the hallway when a rough sounding voice interrupted him.
"Potter!"
Harry turned around to see Viktor Krum marching towards him, along with a pretty, dark-haired woman that was holding hands with the Bulgarian seeker.
"Krum," he greeted back. "Ready for the task?"
"Da. I vill be beating you today. I hope you liked being number one," responded the Durmstrang champion before he introduced the witch at his side.
"This is girlfriend, Lena," declared Krum. "She came by to see me beat you."
Lena gave a cool smile before greeting Harry. "Pleased to meet you. Viktor has been talking about beating you in Quidditch. I never understood the sport myself," she said. Unlike Krum, she barely had an accent.
"You and Hermione would get along fine," said Harry. "She's Muggleborn, so she's not that much into Wizarding sports."
Lena nodded. "Seems your friend and I share something in common – I'm also Muggleborn."
"You'd really get along well then," joked the Gryffindor champion.
"Yes," she mused before taking a glance to her watch. "Sorry, but I have to go."
Harry nodded; both he and Krum watched Lena quickly walk back to the Great Hall.
"I told you I would only borrow Hermy-own-ninny for one night," said Krum, his eyes never leaving the sight of his girlfriend.
"Hermione's not…" he protested. "I have a girlfriend already. You know that."
Krum gave him an amused look before he muttered something in Bulgarian and walked towards the main entrance. He'd most likely go to prepare.
'I must go prepare as well.'
The first task was meant to be a surprise. Not that it mattered since almost all of the champions knew what they were going to be facing but the fact of the matter was that the unwritten rule was that none of them were aware of the fact that they'd be going up against dragons.
This upcoming task was different. Not only were they given a tool that would assist them in knowing their next challenge, but Ludo Bagman himself mentioned that the egg held a clue.
In short, proper preparation for the first task was more than likely against the rule. If one champion were to show up ready to face a dragon then it'd go against the rules. For the second task, they were more than likely supposed to show up prepared.
The fact that he'd be expected to swim under the Black Lake in mid-February further cemented that.
Despite the colder than average day, the signs of thawing were visible on the ground. Where it was once covered by white snow, it was now slightly slippery with dark, cold mud. Harry was thankful that he chose to wear boots.
By the time he arrived, both Krum and Cedric were already inside the champions' tent. He nodded at them before sitting on one of the chairs, awaiting the arrival of Ludo Bagman.
It didn't take long for Fleur to arrive; cursing what Harry assumed to be either the mud, the cold, or the fact that he'd ordered her not to orgasm until they met once again. Maybe there was another reason, but he was not familiar enough with the French language to know exactly what.
Nevertheless, she seemed to compose herself once inside and sent Harry a quick smile before sitting beside him.
Harry didn't even have time to talk to Fleur they were called outside, where Ludo Bagman awaited alongside Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, and Professor Dumbledore.
The seats had been slowly filled throughout the morning and were now almost completely occupied by Hogwarts students, with the darker uniforms of Durmstrang taking one side and the light blue of Beauxbatons taking another.
The crowd cheered loudly once the champions appeared, but the names where sometimes mixed up. Harry could not help but get quite an ego boost once he saw that the black dragon of the Potters was far more prominent than it had been in the previous task. Most of Gryffindor sported it, and even a few Ravenclaws.
Almost all of Hufflepuff still cheered for Cedric of course.
Slytherin cheered for no one.
"Right then!" exclaimed Bagman in his usual excited tone. "I believe that everyone has prepared efficiently?"
All of the champions nodded, Harry included.
"Good-o! Very well then! Take your positions at the edge of the pier and wait for the signal!" ordered Bagman.
Harry and the rest of the champions did as they've been instructed. Most of them shed their outer clothing on the way, something that probably explained why their audience had suddenly gone silent for just a moment.
The crowd's attention – the male half, at least – was fixed entirely on one part of the proceedings: the sight of Fleur Delacour wearing a bathing suit.
The term "bathing suit" may have been a misnomer. It was a swimming garment that covered her entire body with the exception of her feet, hands, and everything above her neck. Made out of neoprene, Fleur had been busy last week in enchanting it with warming charms. Something Harry made sure to emulate.
Judging by their looks, the crowed was definitely disappointed, at least a little. When they'd been told that the second task involved water, they had doubtlessly envisioned the sight of Fleur Delacour wearing a revealing outfit, and were instead greeted with the sight of her covered from ankle to neck in the admittedly tight suit.
Still, he was at least satisfied that it would probably be the closest thing his classmates would see to a revealed Fleur – a sight that he was now enjoying in private almost daily.
'Enjoy it while you can. She's mine… not yours… never yours.'
Harry took off his own clothes until he was only in a similar neoprene swimsuit. Unlike Fleur's, which was a combination of dark and light blue, his was black and red.
Looking at his side, Harry saw that Krum and Cedric were not as well equipped as he and Fleur. That did not mean that they came unprepared, however. He was pretty sure that the Hufflepuff champion and the Bulgarian seeker had something up their sleeve to prevent some life-threatening hypothermia.
The Gryffindor champion only had a few seconds to look at his competition before Ludo Bagman raised his Sonorus enhanced voice.
"Well, all our champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle. They have precisely an hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the count of three, then. One… two… three!
Upon hearing the shrill sound of Bagman's whistle, Harry immediately plunged into the Black Lake. The water was indeed cold, as would be expected from the Scottish Highlands near the end of February.
Still, Fleur's charms worked like… well like a charm, and his body kept relatively warm.
Keeping his body warm was one thing, but he still needed to find a way to breathe underwater. Luckily for him, he managed to spend the last few days taking Ancient Runes teachings quite seriously.
Especially when you always could break into the forbidden section and check out some of the more advanced books.
Harry dug his fingers inside a little utility belt that came along with the suit. Along with fishing out his wand he took out a small, brass tube.
It was an odd little thing that one might bring to a life or death situation, yet Harry knew that it was perfect for his purposes. On the side of the cylindrical metal object was a small hole, big enough to for the tip of thumb to enter with some difficulty.
Quickly, the Potter heir bit into the brass tube, with the orifice firmly inside his mouth and took a deep breath of clean air.
If one were to take a closer look at the insignificant tube, they would find out that it had been inscribed with air runes. Even with all his efforts, Harry had only managed to fit in thirty minutes worth of oxygen into the small tube.
He made sure to pack three, just in case.
With the respiratory situation finally solved, he pointed his wand in front of him and quickly thought of the words for the other secret he'd hidden under his sleeve.
'Echolos!' he chanted internally, and his senses were suddenly assaulted with odd noises all around him.
The purpose of the spell had been quite simple: echolocation.
Sirius had mentioned how a Muggleborn acquaintance of his was deeply entranced by dolphins and their uncanny ability to detect things underwater. So much so that she had managed to create a spell that did it's best to mimic the way those underwater creatures used their senses to see.
Once Harry had gotten used to the slight sensory overload, he started to detect the most important things. In front of him were three figures, one of which was trailing slower than others, as if unwilling to leave something behind.
'Fleur.'
Steeling himself, the youngest champion used all of his strength to propel himself towards the presence. Every few seconds he'd cast the spell again to see if he could detect any more details that would help him complete the task.
It wasn't long until he manages to detect a new presence.
A lot of presences, in fact.
All of them headed straight for Fleur.
If he'd left some energy in reserve, it was certainly being used now. Harry strained the muscles of his arms and legs until he finally reached the French Veela.
Once he did manage to get around the overgrown reeds his eyes were greeted by the image of Fleur being assaulted from all sides by grindylows – tiny horned water demos known for their mischievous cruelty.
Fleur herself was fighting as best she could, trying to prevent the grindylows from tearing at her Bubblehead Charm. Even with the speed she was throwing spells, however; they were too many to handle.
Angered, Harry immediately took out his own wand and cast a cutting charm towards one of the loathsome water creatures, killing it instantly.
Fleur immediately looked back at the source of the spell and their eyes met for a brief, blurry second before the both of them started to cast almost all of their repertoire of offensive spells at the horned pests.
By the end, Harry did not know just how many minutes had passed. It was all just so fast that the ability to detect the passage of time was gone. The grindylows seemed to have had enough after seeing many of their own either injured or killed and decided to finally leave and pester something else.
Turning around, Harry finally took his time to watch Fleur, who was breathing deeply after the ordeal. Briefly, he remembered the day when she was attacked… she looked just as defiant now as she did back then.
Slowly, she turned around to face him… and after seemingly floating towards Harry, she finally let go of her defensive posture and embraced him.
'She never surrenders to any challenge,' Harry thought to himself. 'Only to me.'
The dark-haired wizard momentarily forgot what was happening around him. All that mattered was the fact that Fleur was alive and well, no longer in danger from whatever man or beast wanted to harm his lovely French witch.
After spending a few seconds finding comfort in one another, he gently started to let go. Fortunately, Fleur seemed to understand the need to continue on with the task.
Raising his wand, he cast the echolocation charm once again and paid close attention to whatever he could perceive around him.
The grindylows seemed to be disappearing in the distance, the beats of their hearts were quite easy to detect. Sensing further, he finally found what he was looking for.
One of the presences was far more aggressive than the other, and was quickly and short-temperedly looking around almost all around. The other was far calmer, and swiftly approaching towards a place where more activity was clearly evident.
'Krum, without a doubt. The other one must be Cedric.'
Gazing back at Fleur, he nodded towards the direction where he sensed the older Hogwarts champion and they both started to advance together, making sure to not separate this time around.
Harry did not care if he lost this task anymore as long; as long as Fleur was safe, he didn't care if he came dead last.
Just before he managed to reach the place where the number of presences peaked, Harry noticed that it was getting harder to draw oxygen from the tube. Thinking fast, he took it out of his mouth and fished inside his utility belt in order to find another of the cylindrical brass objects and took a deep breath before continuing towards the destination.
He was about to reach through the overgrown algae when he heard a what sounded almost whispers. Upon further inspection, it was a haunting mersong.
"An hour long you'll have to look,
And to recover what we took…
… your time's half gone, so tarry not
Lest what you seek stays here to rot…"
Immediately after the vaguely threatening verse ended, both Harry and Fleur were treated to the sight of dozens of merpeople that seemed to in and out of their caves to leer at the couple. At his side, the wizard felt his girlfriend grab his hand tightly while they both swam further inside the colony.
The underwater onlookers seemed to increase in number as they swam towards the center of the subterranean city, until there were so many that any place one was to look at would be filled with the gray-skinned creatures.
Eventually, Harry noticed that the haunting song was being chanted by a choir of merpeople that were situated around a giant statue of a merman. Attached to its tail, were four figures that were instantly recognizable.
At the far left was a figure that he recognized as Lena – Viktor Krum's girlfriend. At her right was Cho Chang, more than likely Cedric was meant to retrieve her.
Despite the cold water, Harry could feel himself burning up in anger once he saw the final two figures that were bound to the stone tail.
Short, crimson hair was the first thing he noticed, along with a pretty heart-shaped face. Susan Bones looked awfully pale, a far cry from her usually red-tinted cheeks.
She looked like she was dead; the little air bubbles leaving her mouth were the only evidence of life.
Harry felt Fleur's hand tighten around his, at first it seemed like a plea so that he didn't take out his wand and immediately throw a curse towards the merpeople but upon looking at her face, he saw that the French Veela was also looking in anger at the sight.
Once he fully noticed the final figure, he was pretty sure that if Fleur were not there to calm him down, he would have gone to Azkaban for murdering an entire merfolk colony.
Hermione looked almost peaceful, like she was sleeping, but deep-down Harry could not shake the image of the dark days when his brown-haired friend was petrified by the basilisk in their second year.
Deep down, he did take comfort at the fact that Hermione looked a bit more serene than the horrified expression she had when she'd almost been murdered by Salazar Slytherin's legacy.
After a few seconds of staring, Harry saw Fleur swimming swiftly towards the bound hostages. He soon followed her, his eyes almost never leaving Hermione's form.
Looking closer, the bright witch looked almost peaceful as she lay tied to the rock. Deep down, Harry knew that very few people would have believed that the usually strict and uptight Hermione Granger could look so calm and peaceful. Even less could imagine that she'd been bound with what looked like green rope made out of strong underwater flora.
'I think I'm the only one who has ever seen her like this. She looks so…' His mind couldn't come up with an appropriate word. Perhaps there was no word to describe the way Hermione was at the moment.
Ignoring any more thoughts, Harry's attention turned towards Fleur and Susan. The silver-haired witch was clearly concerned about the Hufflepuff, bound just like Hermione was with the green, rope-like restraints. As if in unison, both champions aimed their wands at the ropes – making sure that the hostages themselves were outside the line of fire – and shot a weak severing charm in order to cut them.
It took several tries with the charm until both Hermione and Susan were free, and once they were, Harry and Fleur both took hold of them and prepared to rise to the surface.
The dark-haired wizard hesitated at the last moment, realizing that if both of them left now, they'd be leaving both Lena and Cho behind.
Despite knowing that both Cedric and Krum were capable enough to of arriving soon – a quick casting of the echolocation charm was enough to confirm that – Harry did not have inside him to leave the remaining two hostages behind with the merpeople.
'Lest what you seek stays here to rot…'
He noticed Fleur pointing upwards, turned his gaze towards the bound figures and shook his head.
The Veela looked conflicted for just a moment, looking at Susan for a few seconds as if to check if there was anything wrong aside before sighing closing her eyes and nodding.
Harry looked back appreciatively at Fleur, knowing that she wanted nothing more than to leave the cold lake as quickly as possible not only to win the match, but also to escape the cold.
Suddenly, there was a small disturbance happening behind them. Harry turned around to see some of the mermen holding spears against him and Fleur.
"Leave!" one of them hissed. "You take your hostage and leave!"
The Potter heir shook his head and pointed at the two remaining hostages.
"They are not for you to take, earth dweller!" snarled another merman who had joined the first two. "You will leave!"
Harry shook his head slowly, staying as put as he could and keeping a tight grip on Hermione.
More and more mermen were slowly surrounding the pair of champions, holding their weapons tightly, looking like they were just waiting for an excuse to use them against the outsiders.
From the corner of his eye, he peered at Fleur and saw that she too was holding steady, keeping a strong hold of Susan while her other hand clutched the elegant wand. Harry knew that she was at a disadvantage underwater but that did not seem to deter the French witch even slightly.
Just as the situation was reaching its fever pitch, Cedric approached through the same way that Harry and Fleur had come through.
The Hufflepuff champion did not even afford a glance at either Harry or Fleur; he was too concentrated on Cho. Once he arrived, he took out a knife, cut away at the ropes with a delicate swiftness, and pulled her upward out of sight.
Once the distraction was gone, the previous tension between earth and water dwellers slowly began to resume. It would have continued if some of the younger ones didn't start to panic slightly once a new figure came into view.
It was an oddly monstrous sight at first – like it came from the pages of a really bad Silver Age comic book: a human body in swimming trunks with the head of a shark… and with the temper to match the latter as well once it saw the last hostage.
'Krum,' realized Harry. 'Guess he's also none too pleased to his girlfriend strapped to an underground rock in the middle of the lake.'
The partially transfigured Bulgarian dashed at Lena and tried to free her from the ropes with his new, razor-sharp teeth unsuccessfully.
'He's going to rip her in half if he doesn't stop!'
Suddenly, Fleur raised her wand and pointed it at the ropes. She cast one last severing charm, freeing the dark-haired witch from the rock.
Just like Cedric as before him, Krum quickly snatched Lena and raced towards the surface, leaving the last two champions alone without a second glance.
Now that the everyone was gone, Harry took one last glance at the underwater colony. 'Time to leave.' His gaze turned towards Fleur and gave her an enthusiastic thumbs-up. Despite the situation, she looked like she was giggling.
'I must teach her to not diss the classics,' Harry mentally grumbled.
Swimming was a little more difficult while having to hold on to Hermione but his training had made sure that carrying the additional weight didn't give him much trouble.
"Never tell her that," Harry could imagine Sirius saying. "If there is one universal touchy subject with women from all walks of life, it's weight."
The light started to get brighter and brighter. Before he knew it, the surface seemed to be just twenty meters away… fifteen… ten. The water got slightly warmer as well, yet even then it was extremely cold.
As soon as Harry broke through the last wall of water, he almost spit out the tube in order to breathe in fresh, cold air. Less than a second later, Fleur emerged as well, sputtering out any droplets that clung to her face.
Whatever spell had been set on Hermione and Susan dispelled as soon as they came into contact with oxygen.
Harry felt Hermione gasp desperately, clinging onto him tightly. Oddly enough, she didn't seem to notice the cold water. Perhaps the work of an extremely powerful heating charm?
Susan was also clinging onto Fleur, her previously pale face now returned to its usual healthy tone. In fact, as she was taking comfort in the arms of the French Veela, the red-haired Hufflepuff was even redder than usual.
"You're alive!" Hermione interrupted, apparently forgetting their predicament and hugging him just as tightly as she did during breakfast.
"I was afraid that you'd kill me," joked Harry, "and I wouldn't let you rot down there. I'm pretty sure your parents would kill me."
"Oh, Harry," said Hermione. "You didn't really believe that song, did you? You really think Dumbledore would let us drown? The threat was only meant to urge to complete the task as swiftly as possible."
"This is a school that has thrown mountain trolls, dementors, dragons, and basilisks at us," deadpanned Harry. "I think a healthy dose of paranoia is more than warranted."
Hermione grumbled. "Point taken."
"As much as I would love to 'ear about your adventures," interjected Fleur, still holding onto an embarrassed Susan, "I believe zat we 'ave a task to complete, mon chéri."
"Right," Harry responded sheepishly.
"Ah!" gasped Susan, as if suddenly snapping out of a dream. "Thank you, Fleur… Harry."
"Eet was nozzing. I couldn't let a pretty girl down zere all alone. Belisama knows zat beauty and grace are rare enough in zis forsaken island," said Fleur while swimming towards the shore, unaware of the way her words made Susan turn an even deeper red.
Hermione looked like she wanted to respond but a small nudge from Harry prevented that. Sighing, she too began to swim towards the shore, where the crowd was waiting… along with some twenty or so merfolk.
Once they reached land, they were beset by the familiar sight of a fussy Madam Pomfrey.
"Come here – all of you," she commanded before wrapping them in tight blankets and giving them a hot potion.
They sat in silence for a few seconds, none of them seemed to want to speak either out of exhaustion or embarrassment until – to Harry's utter amazement – it was Susan who broke the silence.
"Erm… I'm sorry F-Fleur," stuttered the redhead. "They told me your sister got sick and… well." She looked like she was trying to find the right words to say, but her blush just kept on intensifying with every second.
"They didn't have anyone to be your hostage – except for Harry – but he was going to be competing as well… since you danced with me at the ball…"
"Non. Don't be ashamed," responded Fleur. "I am zankful zat you decided to go participate. At least I know you. Alzough… I am surprised zat zey didn't ask my friends."
"There was no time. I was a last-minute replacement," muttered Susan. "They only found out about your sister yesterday night… and your friends were nowhere to be found this morning."
"Ahh… zey 'ave been sneaking in ze morning to zat leetle town. Zey say ze food is better zere." Fleur looked at Harry. "By ze way, mon chéri. You still 'ave not taken me zere for a date."
"I'll take you there soon. It's a promise," said Harry.
"Yes… well… that's why I was there," finished Susan.
"I was lucky. You are easier to carry around zan Monique, Amelie or Clemence."
Harry couldn't help grin a bit at seeing Susan sputter a bit before looking at the ground.
He looked at his side to meet Hermione's eyes. She tore her gaze away almost immediately, as if she were surveying the area behind him.
"I guess I should thank you as well," said Harry. "I… well… if it really was voluntary, I'd never imagine you'd accept to go down there."
"They were going to ask Ron after me," informed Hermione. "If that prat qualifies then so do I."
Harry snorted a laugh. "Thanks for that," he said before swatting above her hair. Hermione sent him an odd look. "Water beetle," he responded.
For some odd reason, both of them started to giggle… then it turned to chuckles so infectious that Fleur couldn't help but add her own musical laughter to the mix. Even Susan surrendered to the atmosphere by smiling.
"Harry? Ms. Delacour?" interrupted Bagman, who chose that moment to appear before the participants. "They will be giving the score in a few minutes! Please come along!"
Harry nodded and stood up. "I'll see you when this is done," he said to Hermione before leaving with Fleur.
"You 'ave great friends," commented Fleur.
"I do," responded Harry. "Sorry."
"For what, mon chéri?"
"I… it was dumb," said Harry. "I should have known that nothing would happen. I dragged us both down."
Fleur hand grabbed his and they looked at each other's eyes. "Non… I will not 'ave you blaming yourself for zat. Eet was a noble zing to do."
"But…" protested Harry. "I've sunk your chances of winning now. We came in last!"
Fleur let out a dignified giggle "Oh, silly Maître," she said. "I joined zis tournament because I wanted to be seen as somezing more zan a pretty face. I know zat I cannot change the opinons of everyone, but I 'oped zat I would be able to find some meaning in 'ere." She looked at him. "I already found somezing else… somezing more zan a silly tournament."
"Fleur?"
"You mean more to me zan any tournament, mon amour. Ze fact zat you chose to stay until everyone was safe makes me glad zat I picked you. Eet means zat I made ze right choice."
Harry scratched the back of his head. "Well… that's something I guess."
"Just promise to reward your Fleur later, Maître. I'm so cold zat ze leather sleepsack looks quite warm and comfortable now."
Harry subtly pinched her bum. "Naughty girl."
"Your naughty girl, Maître."
Ludo Bagman's voice suddenly erupted, silencing all other conversations.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision. Merchieftainess Murcus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore decided to award marks out of fifty for each of the champions, as follows…"
"Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-Head Charm, was first to return with his hostage, though he returned one minute outside the time limit of an hour." Enormous cheers from the Hufflepuffs in the crowd; Harry saw Cho give Cedric a glowing look. "We therefore award him forty-eight points."
'If Cedric came in after the time limit, that most certainly means all of us did as well. Even so, it seems that Diggory has this tournament in the bag now.'
At his side, Harry noticed Hermione opted to join the announcements rather than stay behind with Madam Pomfrey. She was dragging a still flustered Susan behind her… who herself was accompanied by…
"Daphne?!" Harry asked.
"Potter," drawled Daphne. "You live. Now I have to deal with Malfoy being even more insufferable until he assures us all of your impending demise in the third task."
"Sorry to disappoint," responded Harry.
"I've come to expect that out of Gryffindors," snarked Daphne.
"Oh, would keep quiet?!" snapped Hermione.
Daphne looked down at the brown-haired witch. "I'm not the one shouting like Knockturn Alley street vendor, Granger."
"You –"
"Calm down, both of you," said Harry.
Hermione and Daphne continued to glare at each other but said nothing as Bagman continued to reveal the scores.
"Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective, and was second to return with his hostage. We award him forty points."
The Durmstrang students roared their approval as Krum raised his hand triumphantly. Besides the famous seeker, Lena smiled while grabbing his arm.
"Harry Potter and Fleur Delacour were the last to arrive." Bagman continued. "Well outside the time limit… however," he interjected.
"Ms. Delacour must be commended with her masterful use of the Bubble-Head Charm. Mr. Potter on the other hand, employed his advanced knowledge of Ancient Runes to great effect. Such a feat is beyond his current year. He also used a quite odd charm that allowed him to detect life-forms underwater."
"The Merchieftaness also informs us that Mr. Potter and Ms. Delacour were the first to reach the hostages and the delay was due to their determination to see that all the hostages returned to safety, including Ms. Chang and Ms. Romanova," announced Bagman.
"That is not all! The Merchieftaness also mentions the fact that both Mr. Potter and Ms. Delacour came across a particularly nasty school of grindylows and with their combined forces, managed to repel them efficiently."
"Most of the judges," Bagman gave Karkaroff a disapproving glance, "feel that this shows moral fiber and merits full marks. Their final score is forty-five!"
Harry's supporters and the Beauxbatons delegation started to cheer loudly at the announcement. The crowd members wearing black and red were roaring unintelligibly but enthusiastically. Fleur's friends were chanting in French.
"Congratulations!" exclaimed Hermione giving him a third hug for the day. "Tied with Cedric… you're actually going to win!"
"Yes, yes… win eternal glory," mocked Daphne. "Eternal glory apparently means your name being marked on a book nobody ever reads and being mentioned by Professor Binns in a class nobody ever pays attention to… oh, there's that little money prize too! What is it? A thousand galleons? How quaint; just imagine how much knock-off jewelry you can purchase with that."
"Daphne, please," pleaded Susan and to Harry's surprise, the Slytherin witch huffed and stopped talking.
"Maitre?" whispered Fleur. "Next time you want to punish me, remember zat zere are witches zat deserve eet a lot more zan your lovely Fleur."
"Duly noted."
"The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June," continued Bagman. "The champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank you all for your support of the champions."
It was over, Harry thought, as they were herded back towards the castle… was only one task left. One last challenge before he could commit himself fully to his personal life.
"I guess you'll want the shower?" asked Harry.
"I see no reason you can't join, mon chéri," responded Fleur. "I do want a warm bed… and a collar on my neck… and a Maître to sleep wiz… ze release you promised me can wait for tomorrow."
Harry smirked. "I'm sure I can provide."
AN: Late chapter again, hope it was worth it.
I decided to come up with a spell called Echolos, which is meant to mimic a dolphin's ability of echolocation.
Belisama is a Gaulish goddess, her name meaning "brightest one". Gaul is the name given by the Romans to the geographic area that today is mostly compromised by modern day France. I thought that having Fleur invoke Merlin's name like many others do wouldn't really fit since Merlin or Myrddin is a native to the British Isles.
To any artist out there, you are welcome to do fanart if you're inspired to do so.
If you like the story, please leave a review, I love listening to some feedback. It's also great if you wanna have a conversation.
I have a Discord server where you can get into contact with me more directly. Be aware that it can be a bit NSFW compared to other servers.
Link: FEKnu79