A/N: Hello everyone. Welcome to what I imagine is going to be the last chapter for the Summer between years 4 and 5. Not much happens in this one, it's mostly just a character driven section. Hope you enjoy!
Harry was better equipped than most when it came to dealing with cabin fever. Years of living in the cupboard under the stairs had immunized him against the anxieties that came from being stuck inside for too long, and living at Hogwarts had allowed somewhat of an extension to that. Despite its large size, it was still largely one building you weren't allowed to leave except in small bursts, and during the Winter, you'd be hard pressed to leave at all given the frigid temperatures of the Scottish Highlands.
This was all in service of the fact that despite the fact that Harry had scarcely been allowed to leave Grimmauld Place all summer, he wasn't going stir crazy. He enjoyed the time to do some reading, play some board games, and get some exercise in the basement gym they'd made since Harry didn't want to ruin his physical conditioning by not exercising for an entire summer.
Padma, Daphne, Susan, and Luna however, were not faring well at all with this confinement, and even with the recent party to take their mind off of it, they were struggling. "Harry! How on Earth are you handling this so well?" Daphne asked, holding onto a muggle romance novel she seemed to be having difficulties focusing on.
Harry's first answer that came to his mind was his experience in worse situations. They HAD books and games and amusements for themselves. He hadn't had such things before Hogwarts, so even with the benefit of a few years of relative normalcy between him and the boy he had been before, it still wasn't something that bothered him. That answer, though, would only succeed in making Daphne, and the others who were struggling with the situation, feel worse about themselves for complaining, which is something Harry wanted to avoid at all costs. The second answer was much easier to swallow. "I get to spend my summer surrounded by the loves of my life, why would I complain about a little boredom when I'm in such good company?"
"Flatterer, but that's not an answer, if it was we wouldn't be complaining!" Susan called out, gently punching Harry's shoulder before leaning over on it.
"You only have one of me to take your mind off of it. I have six of you." Harry said, gesturing to his girlfriends as they lounged around the sitting room. Hermione was nose deep in a book as usual, some high level arithmancy book that Harry had taken one look at and realized he was out of his depth with. Susan had been doing some doodling in a sketchbook he'd bought her near the beginning of the summer, while she was no artist by any means, she had improved a lot, and enjoyed letting her imagination guide her pencil strokes. Daphne's romance novel was part of a series of cheap paperback romances she had found herself enamored with when she could bother to focus on them, if the cover for this one was anything to go by, there were cowboys who didn't wear shirts. Harry elected not to think any further about that. Luna had taken to studying a muggle book as well, a basic zoology primer that had her attention raptured. He wasn't surprised by that, Luna had a deep love and fascination with all living things, and the muggle world having a deep understanding of biology had fascinated her. Padma simply strummed and practiced on her, or technically Harry's, sitar, refamiliarizing herself with the instrument and filling the room with a warm sound that brought a smile to Harry's face.
Harry briefly wondered if perhaps he should grab his flute to play with her. With the extra time they'd had this Summer, he'd picked it back up after not playing it at all during his fourth year at Hogwarts and had managed to shake the rust off decently quickly. He wasn't anywhere near as good with the instrument as Padma was with hers, but the mere act of making music together was something that warmed his heart.
Fleur was happily working away on some embroidery project she'd brought from her home in France. Apparently it had been a skill her mother Appoline had taught her that she had learned from her own mother, and Fleur claimed she found it therapeutic. She wasn't going nearly as stir crazy as the other girls, largely because she'd been free to move around up until her arrival at Grimmauld a week ago. The others had been there much longer.
"What about you, Hermione? You seem to be taking this awfully well." Luna asked, her tone much softer and less demanding than Daphne's similar inquiry had been.
Hermione looked up from her book smiling a bit before speaking. "I have so many books to read from the library, I haven't had the time to be bored."
Harry laughed at that. It was such a Hermione answer. "Hermione, you have the rest of our lives to go through that library, it's not going anywhere." Harry said, smiling at his oldest friend.
"Perhaps, but I cannot read it while at Hogwarts. I must take this opportunity while I can." She responded, her tone not inviting any argument about her course of action. Harry laughed quite deeply at that.
"Only you, Hermione." Harry chuckled, as the fwoomsh of the floo indicated someone arriving. Harry got up from his place on the couch to see who had arrived. Sirius, Andromeda, McGongall and Dumbledore made their way through the floo, Sirius shooting Harry a smile.
"Hey pup. Just finished up you and the girls shopping for the new year. Benefit of working with the teachers is getting the requirement list early." Sirius said as he pulled a selection of shrunken trunks from a bag on his shoulder. They stacked up in the foyer as they grew to normal size, each one labeled with the name of their owner. "So what have you all been doing all day?"
"Not much, reading some books and working on some projects." Harry said. "The girls are going a bit stir crazy, I think we're just ready to be able to leave."
"Don't blame you a bit. I know what it's like being trapped somewhere." Sirius said as his gaze sort of settled in the middle distance for a bit, before he shook his head and refocused himself. "Nevermind that. We've got your letters from Hogwarts this year."
"Quite." McGonagall said as she reached into her pockets and pulled out a stack of letters. "While you don't need the materials list, this does still have your schedule and such inside. Let us head into the sitting room so I may disperse these amongst you all."
Harry led McGonagall to the sitting room, as she handed out the letters for the year. The students opened them up, and were pleasantly, though not completely, surprised when three prefect badges appeared from within the envelopes.
"Hey! Looks like you two made Ravenclaw Prefects." Padma said as she looked to the paired badges Harry and Hermione held. "Lucky."
"While it is unsurprising that Mr. Potter was the male Prefect, I was informed that Professor Flitwick had incredibly difficulties deciding between you and Ms. Granger for the female position. I believe he flipped a galleon to decide." McGonagall said with a small chuckle. "While Ms. Granger is officially the prefect, I should remind you that there is no reason you could not assist her with her duties. It is exceedingly common for prefects who have very close friends to have them assist in patrols and the like, provided the responsibilities are not abused."
"Oh, so they are allowed to share the prefect's bath?" Harry asked, looking to McGonagall.
"Yes, that is one of the perks as it were, I must ask how you know about such a thing. Did Ms. Chang invite the girls last year?" McGonagall asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No, the egg clue for the second task needed to be underwater. Cedric told us to use that bathroom since it had an actual tub you could submerge yourself in." Harry explained.
"I suppose that makes sense. Mr. Diggory was a prefect, so he was well within his rights to allow you access to the bathroom. Do remember when you go to use it though, that it is a privilege to have it, and that privilege can be taken away if you abuse it." McGonagall said with a glare.
"Understood Professor." Harry said with a nervous chuckle as he looked to Susan and Daphne. "Go ahead and open yours, I bet you guys made prefect for sure."
Susan opened her letter, and a prefect badge fell out. "Seems like it. Looks like the male prefect is Justin. That's fine, we can work together well." She said with a smile as she fiddled with the badge. "Guess that means Hannah gets to help me!"
Daphne opened hers, and pulled everything out, and no prefect badge appeared. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised."
"Wait, why aren't you a prefect? You have the highest grades of any girl in Slytherin." Harry asked, looking to Daphne with a raised eyebrow.
"Which boy has the highest grades?" Daphne posited to Harry.
"Draco, I suppose." Harry said, looking at her. "Why would he being the male prefect make you not be chosen as the female one though?"
"Prefects have to be able to work together and put on a united front in regards to their house. Getting Draco and I to agree on much of anything is a tall order. I'm not surprised I wouldn't be chosen, especially since the only one of the boys I MIGHT have been able to tolerate is Nott, and even then I'm not a fan." Daphne said with an eyeroll. "I'll be quite happy not dealing with him for the year."
"What's wrong with Nott? I met him at your debut. He seemed nice enough, better impression than I got from Malfoy at the very least." Harry asked.
"Aside from the fact he's been trying to get me to cheat on you or leave you for him? He's just full of himself. He's not actually THAT bad. Maybe if I didn't have you I'd have a better opinion of him, but I do, so I don't." Daphne said.
"Should I talk to him?" Harry asked, he didn't like the idea of Nott taking Daphne from him.
"It's probably not ACTUALLY him pushing very hard for it. He's probably under family pressure because I'm a pureblood girl of high standing. Pansy's all but engaged to Draco, Tracey's a half-blood so her family isn't as well liked, Alice's family isn't as rich as mine, and Millicent… well no one really wants to think about marrying Millicent." Daphne said. "I happen to know he actually does have feelings for Tracey, but publicly can't do much about it because attempting to date a half-blood when I'm still available is not something his grandfather would allow."
"Nott's got a thing for Tracey?" Harry asked in shock.
"He does. We can discuss it at another time if you wish. I think Professor McGonagall isn't interested in hearing about the love lives of some of her students." Daphne said, trying to steer the conversation somewhere else.
"Who do you think the female prefect is, then? Surely it wouldn't be Tracey then." Harry asked, pondering.
"Pansy. She's not a bad choice in the grand scheme of things. Gets along better with Draco than Tracey and I, but also willing to put in the work. Alice and Millicent wouldn't do that latter part." Daphne explained. "Alice is a bit… flighty at best. Millicent thinks all problems are solved best with her fists. Neither are people I'd want as a prefect. I trust Pansy to at least take someone's concerns seriously, more so than Draco honestly."
"You are correct in your guesses on both counts I can confirm." McGonagall said. "Admittedly, I believe Mr. Nott would have been a better choice for the prefect position, but Mr. Malfoy is on paper a better option due to his grades."
"Who are the Gryffindor prefects then? I guess Neville would be the male one, but who would the girl be? Lavender or Parvati?" Harry wondered.
"Mr. Longbottom is the male prefect, yes. I had the same issue with choosing between Ms. Brown and Ms. Patil that Flitwick had with Ms. Granger and Ms. Patil. I chose Ms. Brown, but I fully believe they'll be doing their rounds together anyway." McGonagall said. "I'll leave you all to your evening."
"Wait, Professor, there is something I'd like to ask about." Harry said, stopping McGonagall before she walked out the door.
"Yes, Mr. Potter?"
"How will Fleur be sorted? Is she going to have to ride the boats with the first years?" Harry asked, glancing over to his eldest girlfriend as she worked on her embroidery.
"That is up to the discretion of the Headmaster, although I imagine he would be willing to answer that for you. I shall ask him to come and explain to Ms. Delacour, it will be up to her if she wants you to hear." The professor said, looking to the veela girl.
"I 'old no secrets from them. Something like this is trivial." Fleur said with a dismissive wave.
"I shall ask the Headmaster to come speak with you then." McGonagall said as she left the room.
Professor Dumbledore entered a few moments later, the older man dressed in what Harry thought were a new set of robes in a very avant-garde orange colour. "Minerva has informed me that Miss Delacour wishes to know how she will be sorted?" The aged wizard asked, his eyes twinkling as he gazed about the room.
"Oui, well, I suppose 'Arry was interested, I would 'ave not thought to ask. I do wish to know though." Fleur said, shooting a smile towards Harry.
"Well, in large part, that decision will be up to you. You could be sorted alongside all the other first years, but I imagine such an action would be undesirable for you. You could also have a private sorting before the feast, either in my office, or, given the fact I believe you would have several who wish to see your sorting, in the Sphinx Club room." Dumbledore said. "I imagine all present here would be interested in supporting you during your sorting."
"If they would be allowed, I would 'ave them be there." Fleur said with a smile. "They are my dearest friends, I would want them present."
"Then the Sphinx Club room before the feast. You may invite anyone you wish, the ceremony is not private except by request. If you wish to be surrounded by all your friends, then by all means do so. I'm afraid I haven't the time to answer any more questions. I doubt I will see you all again before Ms. Delacour's sorting. Please have a joyous rest of your summer." Dumbledore said with a smile before leaving the room.
Fleur sat idly for a bit, thinking on her sorting. "What is sorting like? We 'ad no such thing at Beauxbatons."
"Largely you have a magical talking hat put on your head, which reads your personality and assigns one of four houses depending on your personality." Hermione spoke, looking to Fleur.
"Do I receive any say in the matter?" Fleur asked, her face scrunched in concern.
"No." Susan called out.
"Yes." Harry called out, causing the two of them to look at each other.
"I had asked the hat to put me in Gryffindor and it didn't do it." Susan said, looking to Harry. "It told me in my mind I wouldn't do well there and decided on Hufflepuff for me."
"The hat had all but decided on Slytherin for me, although it considered Gryffindor as well. I'd had such a bad experience with Draco I didn't want to be in Slytherin, and since Ron Weasley had all but said he would be in Gryffindor like the rest of his family, and he'd made a bad impression on me, I didn't want to be there either. I had wanted to be with Hermione, I'd promised her parents that I'd stick with her, and I always keep my promises. The Hat said such loyalty belonged in Hufflepuff, and we went round and round on deciding a house. I think the end result was that it was more cunning for me to hide in a house that wasn't the house of the cunning, more loyal for me to stick by a friend than be in the house of the loyal, and braver to face the new world I found myself in without the house of the brave." Harry said, shrugging.
"No wonder it took you so long to get sorted." Susan said idly, thinking back to their first day at Hogwarts.
"I had no such difficulty when I was sorted. There was perhaps a mild debate between if Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff would suit me more, but Ravenclaw won out quickly. I'm rather glad it did, I worry that if I hadn't been in the same house as Harry, I wouldn't have gotten to fall in love with him." Luna said, smiling at Harry.
"I suppose that implies that while you do not have the final say, your opinion on the matter is taken into effect. I imagine it wouldn't put you somewhere you really didn't want to go, so I suppose Fleur won't have to worry too much about ending up in Slytherin." Hermione said.
"And what's wrong with being in Slytherin?" Daphne asked in faux annoyance.
"Sharing a house with Draco Malfoy." Padma said.
"An acceptable answer." Daphne nodded. "I have pride in my house, but I agree that it would not be an ideal place for Fleur. Bigotry is rampant, and despite the fact that we view Fleur as no less human than any of us, they will view her as a creature, not a person."
"Such was an issue in Beauxbatons as well, despite the not insignificant Veela population." Fleur said with a resigned sigh.
"How many Veela were there? Out of how many students?" Harry asked, curious.
"Eight of us total, out of 500 students, I believe." Fleur said after a moment. "That was a very high number for Veela at once, normally there would perhaps only be four, but there were more Veela births than normal this generation. It is rare for any Veela woman to have more than one child. Mother had two, and we even know of a woman who has had 3, and they were closer together than myself and Gabrielle."
"That seems so low… why are Veela births so hard?" Hermione asked, looking to gain more knowledge on the subject.
"While we are no less sapient than 'umans, we are a different species that can mate with humans sucessfully. Our children are not infertile, but they are always Veela. It is difficult for us to conceive because our egg cells are not quite as compatible with human sperm as a human's are." Fleur added.
"Were there male Veela at one point that used to be able to more easily fertilize Veela females?" Susan asked.
"Not as far as I know." Fleur said with a shrug. "The origins of Veela are unclear at best, given that we have often hidden ourselves among 'umans and never spoke of our 'eritage."
"There was a theory proposed a number of years ago that there was once another species like Veela, that was instead all male that would have been able to more easily fertilize Veela women, but it is only a theory, with no evidence to prove it." Luna said, speaking up. "Father made a joke once that that species eventually turned into the Weasley family, and that is why they have so many kids."
The group laughed a bit at that. "Let's hope that that isn't the case. I'd hate to lose Fleur to Ron Weasley of all people." Harry said, wiping a tear from his eye.
"Mon amore, I have better taste than that. I would go for Bill. He's single and handsome from what I have seen." Fleur said, smirking. "Although I believe even with these issues, I will still choose my dearest 'Arry above all others."
Harry could only smile.
