A/N: A lot of people claim that Cho Chang is a racist name. while I'm not sure I fall into that camp, I don't exactly love the name. Lots of Asians will take a new name when they move to the West. In my head canon, Cho took the name Tina. She's still Cho, but no one calls her that except her parents.
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Chapter Eight:
"Pst… Fleur! Fleur!" Harry hissed from just outside the competitors tent. Fleur heard her friend and casually snuck over to where Harry was standing just on the other side of the fabric.
"Yes, 'arry, it's me," she responded discreetly.
"How are you feeling… okay?" Harry asked. Harry wanted to also say 'I'm worried about you' but knew that would not help Fleur's confidence if she was struggling with it. They had spoken about the dragons a few times since their initial talk. Fleur had seemed less and less confident each time they spoke. By this morning at breakfast she looked completely frazzled.
"Try to concentrate," Harry encouraged. "A…and after that, you just have to…" Harry balked.
"...battle a dragon." Fleur finished timidly.
Overwhelmed with fear for his friend, Harry threw the tent flap aside and lunged at Fleur for a hug. She caught him in her arms and the very next moment, there was a flash and a puff of smoke. Rita Skeeter and her photographer had just entered the tent through the main entrance, without authorization of course.
It didn't take long for Krum to step in and, quite literally, throw Skeeter and her photographer out of the tent.
"Eet is okay, 'arry," Fleur said. "I know what I will do. Perhaps you should be more worried for your friend Zedrick."
"Alright, Harry?" Cedrick smiled, approaching the two friends. Harry was not fooled by his cool demeanor. He could see fear in the older Hufflepuff's eyes.
"Never better," Harry quipped back. It was a greeting the two shared every time they faced each other in quidditch.
"If Cedrick is half as fast on his feet as he is on a broom, he'll be just fine," Harry said to Fleur but loud enough for Cedrick to hear. "Anyway, I'll get out of your hair. Good luck you two… er, you as well Krum."
"Please, Mr. Potter," Krum said. "A friend of another champion is a friend of mine. You vill call me Victor."
"Right, then I'm just Harry," Harry smiled. " Good luck Victor." Harry then sucked out of the tent the same way he came in and rejoined Hermione, Ron, Tracey, and Daphne in the stands.
Cedric transformed a rock into a dog and distracted the dragon. Harry grimaced as Cedric got scorched by the dragon's flames. He had not been quick enough to avoid the dragon entirely and lost points as a result. Victor had hit his dragon in the eyes with a curse, causing the beast to flail about uncontrollably. He ended up loosing points due to the other, real eggs being damaged by the mother dragon's rampage. Fleur managed to put the dragon to sleep with her veela powers. She was on course to getting the highest marks of all three champions but got caught in a hot ball of smoke and ash as her dragon coughed in its sleep. As soon as she made it off the field, Harry ducked out again and sprinted to the medical tent.
"Fleur!" he called, pushing past Percy Weasley to get to his friend.
"Erm, Harry, this area is for champions only," Percy was quick to say.
"Please let him come to me Monsieur Weasley," Fleur begged. She was already lying on a bed being treated for the burns she received from the smoke and ash. Madam Pomfrey was dabbing her face and arms with a thick, yellow potion.
Harry ran to her bedside and took her hand. Once he'd gotten there he looked around and saw Cedrick sitting shirtless on another bed nearby. His back was covered in the same yellow potion. He'd been burned in the back by the flames. Victor was not in the medical tent as he had completed the task without injury.
"Alright, Cedrick?" Harry said.
"Never better," Cedrick laughed before wincing.
"Move, Weasley, I just saw you let Potter in," Harry heard a familiar voice say. Tina Chang came running in followed by Percy yet again.
"It's okay, Weasley," Cedrick said. "Let her stay. Please." Tina ran to her boyfriend and sat beside him holding his hands.
"'arry," Fleur said with a pathetic cough. Harry looked down on her with concern. They both ignored Pomfrey as she continued to work.
"You'll be okay, Fleur," Harry said. "You did amazing. How did you put the dragon to sleep?"
"Zee spell I used is veela magic," she informed. "Eet requires a very strong, happy memory to power zee sleeping effect."
"Like a patronus," Harry said.
"Oui, like a patronus," Fleur smiled. "Zat is seventh year knowledge. Very good 'arry." Harry held back a laugh. He thought Fleur was sounding a bit like Hermione.
"Come here 'arry and I will tell you zee memory I chose," she said with a whisper. Harry leaned in very close. "Eet was you, 'arry," she smiled before leaning up and planting a kiss on his cheek. "Eet was you in zee tent just an hour ago checking in on me. You are a very sweet leetle man," she smiled.
Fleur had called him a leetle boy several times, often in gest, when they spent time together. She had never called him a leetle man as of yet. The change in vocabulary was not lost on Harry.
"Mr. Diggory, I must ask that you turn around," said Pomfrey. "And Miss Chang…Mr. Potter, I'm afraid I need to ask the two of you to leave. I need to remove Miss Delecor's shirt to treat her burns.
"I will be alright, 'arry," Fleur coughed. "Come and find me after dinner. I should think I will be resting until zen."
Harry and Tina left together.
"So, you and Delecor?" the Ravenclaw former seeker turned chaser asked.
"No, Tina, we're not together, she's just a good friend," he smiled.
"Uh huh, sure," Tina said, clearly not believing him at all.
…
When Monday came around Harry introduced himself to Luna Lovegood. Luna seemed ecstatic to have someone actually acknowledging her presence. Harry had felt so out of place amongst the third years in this class that he'd hardly realized the cute Ravenclaw witch didn't seem to have any friends.
Tori had leaned in when she saw the two talking and introduced herself as well, taking the approach of 'a friend of Harry's is a friend of mine'.
About halfway through class, Harry took the note he'd been passing back and forth with Tori and handed it off to Luna, much like how he and Ron or he and Daphne would include Hermione occasionally. Luna beamed. Not knowing what to add to the note after reading it, she opted to draw a snorkak. She had to explain to Harry just what that creature was after class.
Harry talked with Luna and Tori as they walked from Arithmancy to the great hall for lunch. It didn't take long for Harry to see why Ron had called her Loony. Never-the-less, he really enjoyed hearing her funny little invisible creatures like humdingers and thestrals and wrackspurts. Tori said goodbye as soon as they entered the hall but Harry walked Luna all the way to her seat at the Ravenclas table. She was still mid story about nargles and wanted to hear the end of her tale.
Just as Luna was finishing up her story, she and Harry found themselves next to none other than Fleur.
"'arry!" Fleur said with some excitement. "'ow are you? I deed not know you knew Miss Lovegood. I eat wiz her as often as I can! She is full of many interesting stories!"
"Hi, Fleur!" Harry said, giving her a quick hug. "I'm glad to see you back on your feet. That burn cream fixed you right up. Do you think you will be ready for Gryffindor versus Beauxbatons.
"My breazing is steel a leetle strained," she said. "Zee smoke really 'urt to breaze in. But zee potion your potions master gave me is working to 'eal my lungs. I sink I will be better in a day or two. I would not miss a quidditch game for anysing!"
By now Luna had sat and begun eating. Harry had missed Fleur the past few days while she healed. They usually saw each other for a few hours on Sundays at the very least, but she had been in bed resting.
"Fleur, I know your schoolmates sit over here with the Ravenclaws, but would you like to join me at the Gryffindor table today? I would like it if you met my friends Hermione and Ron. You're welcome at our table for any meal actually."
"Not today I sink," she declined. "My ozer friends have missed me as well. Please be ready for me, however, tomorrow at lunch time. Zer is actually somesing I want to ask you, but now is not zee time."
"Yeah, sure," Harry grinned. "See you then."
That evening at dinner, the Yule Ball was announced and Harry's thoughts began to spin. Who should he ask to the ball? His first thought was Ginny, but was still too worried about Ron's reaction.
"So who are you asking to the ball?" Ron asked as the trio made their way back to the common room after dinner. "I'm asking Tracey obviously.
"Actually, I was hoping to go with you, Hermione," Harry grinned. Hermione's jaw dropped. "Er, as a friend of course,' he added awkwardly.
"Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry, I assumed you'd want to go with Daphne to keep Ron and Tracey company," Hermione apologized as the trio continued to walk towards the common room. "You see… I've already told someone else I'll go with them."
"Come off it, Hermione, when would you have had the time for someone to ask you to the ball?" Ron scoffed. "We only just found out about it."
"The person who asked me knew ahead of the announcement," Hermione said defensively. "If you were looking to have a bit of time together, Harry, maybe we can go to Hogsmeade together in a couple weeks since I can't go to the ball with you."
"Hermione, if you don't want to go with Harry, just say so," Ron said. "You don't have to invent some bloke and say you're already going."
"I do have a date, Ronald!" Hermione half shouted before stepping through the portrait hole into the common room.
"Ron, if Hermione says she's got a date, then she's got a date," Harry said. "And yeah, Hermione, let's do Hogsmeade. That sounds nice."
"Harry you wIll ask Daphne won't you? Tracey will want to hang out with the other Slytherins or at least with Daphne I'm sure. It would be nice to have you around."
"Yeah mate, that sounds good," Harry said quickly. With Ginny off limits and Hermione already having a date, Harry had considered asking Fleur. She of course could ask just about anyone she liked. Men were constantly stumbling over each other just to get a look at her after all. If the ball had been last year and he'd been allowed to go he'd have asked Tina Chang, but she's dating Cedric now so she's taken too.
The next day in Arithmancy, Daphne passed Harry a note asking him to the ball before he'd even gotten a chance to ask her. He was a little put out that she'd stolen his thunder. He had planned to ask her out loud right after class. Nevertheless told her in writing that yes, of course he would go with her.
With a smile plastered on her face, Daphne held their note until just before class ended. When she handed it back it simply said cupboard, though it was both underlined and circled.
Harry gave Hermione a hasty goodbye and the couple practically ran down the hall to the cupboard for a snog. Harry knew Ron and Tracey would not be meeting them in this hallway as they normally did. Ron had told him he'd find his own cupboard to take Tracey to after muggle studies and before dinner.
"Harry, I need to clarify with you," Daphne said a few minutes into snogging. Harry had her pushed against the wall of the cupboard by her upper arms and was biting and sucking on her neck. She and Tracey had learned the spell to remove hickeys so she wasn't concerned with what Harry was doing in the slightest. Harry had discovered last week that Daphne particularly enjoyed having her neck kisses considering just how much it made her moan.
"Yeah, Daphne, what is it?" Harry said between sucks. He switched sides and elicited yet another moan.
"Stop a minute," she requested. "Harry, I need to make sure we're on the same page about us… about the snogging and going to the ball and everything."
Harry pulled away. "Oh, er, Daph, you're not asking me to be your boyfriend are you? I thought our cupboard visits were a fun little game. When I said yes to go to the ball with you, I did so as a friend. I'm not ready for a relationship."
"Oh, thank goodness," Daphne replied. "I was worried there might have been a misunderstanding. This thing between us… it's a hell of a lot of fun, Harry, but that's just it… it's just for fun for me. Maybe I'll want more one day and I'll tell you if my feelings ever change, but that's not what I want right now. Thanks for understanding Harry. It's nice we're on the same page."
"There needs to be a word or phrase for friends who snog," Harry quipped, finding it funny there were three witches the nonexistent word would apply to in his life. "The phrase friends with benefits implies we get up to funny business."
Suddenly Daphne grabbed at Harry and spun them around, pushing his back up against the wall instead. "If you show me a good time at the ball on Christmas Harry, that phrase may apply just fine," she cooed before slamming her lips back into his once more.
Several minutes later Daphne and Harry came stumbling out of the cupboard and ran directly into none other than Fleur Delecor.
"Oh, goodness," Fleur exclaimed. Daphne was covered in hickeys on her neck as she hasn't removed them yet, not to mention both of their faces were quite red. There was no question what they'd been up to in the cupboard.
"'arry! I came to find you as we had agreed to sit wis one anozer at lunchtime today," Fleur became, her face growing red. "I was going to ask you to join me at… well, zis is neither her nor zee. 'arry, I 'ave changed my mind. Enjoy zis ozer girl zen." Fleur stormed off with a huff.
"What was that about?" Harry asked no one in particular. Daphne, who was removing a tiny mirror from her bag so she could see her neck, answered anyway.
"It seems the Beauxbatons champion has her eyes set on taking you to the ball," Daphne said, vanishing her hickeys with a tap of her wand.
"Oh… yeah, that seems kind of obvious now that you point it out," Harry said, scratching his head. Both teens began in the direction of the great hall. "I had thought of asking her as a friend but Ron said I should ask you," Harry offered. "You seemed like a good choice too so I told him I would. I'm sure at Fleur's age she's more interested in a romantic date than a platonic one. Besides, I figured it would be nice to spend the evening with you, Ron and Tracey… you know, so they don't feel like such fish out of water."
"I'm assuming Ron is making a big deal about Tracey being in Slytherin? Tracey certainly panics about him being in Gryffindor. I was going to ask Blaze but Tracey begged me to ask you. You're a fine choice as well, so I was happy to tell her I would ask you."
"Well hold on," Harry began. If you want to take Zabini and I want to take Fleur, shouldn't we do that? We can still hang out with Ron and Tracey at the ball..."
"I'll tell Tracey she's being ridiculous and then ask Blaze. You calm Weasley down and then go explain to Fleur that we're just friends," Daphne said.
Harry and Daphne made their way to lunch and parted ways. Harry didn't see Fleur even once the rest of the day despite even ditching Ginny after quidditch practice and looking around for her.