"Ritual to spell, a race 'gainst time,
to shield his love he will, from watery clime."
~FakeViolinist
.
The library was more silent than ever.
The usual whispers and rustling of pages had given way to an eerie stillness, broken only by the occasional creak of ancient wood settling.
In this hushed atmosphere, Harry sat alone at a table in the transfiguration section, surrounded by stacks of books.
Fleur had taken her leave to return to her quarters as she was spent and night approached.
Harry, however, remained despite his girlfriend's protests, because he had stumbled upon a promising lead in a dusty tome about advanced human transfiguration.
The concept of partial self-transfiguration seemed like a good idea at the time, particularly the idea of transforming specific body parts to adapt to underwater conditions.
However, as he delved deeper, he realised that a partial transfiguration wouldn't do anything about Fleur's weakness in water.
Anyhow, that was two hours ago…
His eyes were starting to blur from the strain of reading for hours on end, yet Harry refused to give up.
He was tired of heading to bed without any progress on Fleur's disadvantage…
In the past weeks, they had learnt countless spells that could be used underwater and against thewater dwellers, but were unable to find a way to put Fleur on an equal footing with the other champions.
Harry's emerald eyes scanned the pages intently, searching and searching for any hint, or clue that might lead to a solution.
As he turned yet another page, a faint glimmer of hope sparked in his tired eyes.
There, on the yellowed page before him, was a detailed description of a ritual — he was in the restricted section — one that granted temporary resistance to water's adverse effects on creatures of fire.
'If only we can make a spell of this,' Harry thought to himself, afraid to dabble into rituals without Salazar's opinion.
Sadly, the old man was dead, and Harry wasn't proficient in the art, yet.
He made a mental note to discuss it with Fleur when he woke up and decided to call it a day.
With a weary sigh, the boy stood up and waved his hand, and as if on cue, the books around him began to float gently back to their shelves.
That was another little surprise that came from the ritual.
Harry acquired wandless magic capabilities, allowing him to perform simple spells with but a thought.
As the books settled silently into their proper places, Harry couldn't help but remember the previous week, when it first happened.
.
"Come on Fleur… I have to stop using the spell eventually, and my senses could provide us with an overwhelming advantage for the task," Harry said, his eyes fixed on his girlfriend.
Fleur gazed back, her brow furrowed with concern.
Her silvery-blonde hair was tied back in a practical ponytail and she wore a light blue training outfit that complemented her eyes.
Despite their rigorous training session, her skin remained flawless, the only evidence of her exertion being a light sheen of perspiration.
Her wand was still held loosely in her right hand, ready to fire a spell at a moment's notice.
"'Arry, I understand your point, but I'm afraid, okay?" she replied, her French accent thickening with concern, momentarily resurfacing despite her now perfect English.
She took a deep breath, her eyes steeling as she met Harry's determined gaze.
"What if somezing goes wrong and you can't control yourself again, huh? Do you know how much you scared me when it last happened?"
Harry felt a pang of guilt at her words and was momentarily stunned, unable to say anything.
Nodding slowly, he replied, "You're right. I'm sorry Fleur. However, it's been a month since that… and my control grew by leaps and bounds. I'm pretty sure I can manage now."
Fleur didn't look fully convinced but Harry knew he had her.
And just moments later, she let out a sigh of defeat, her shoulders easing a bit as she met his gaze.
"Okay, 'Arry. We can try. But if anything feels off, I'll immediately hit you withSensoria Minoraand I don't care if you have any problems with that," she said, her voice mixed with resignation, but also determination.
Harry nodded and raised his wand, pointing at himself — a familiar gesture in the weeks following the ritual.
"Finite," he murmured, his wand tracing a graceful arc in front of his face.
Instantly, a rush of sensations flooded his mind — the vibrant, swirling auras of magic became much more pronounced once more.
A glance told him that Fleur's form was surrounded by a mesmerising, silvery-red glow, pulsating with her Veela heritage.
Of course, he knew that, but the sight didn't fail to leave him awestruck.
Hogwarts' grounds themselves seemed to come alive with magical energy — streams of magic flowing through the air, moving with life and power.
In the distance, the ancient stones of the castle seemed to resonate with the world's magic, murmuring secrets that lay just beyond Harry's grasp.
The poor magical sensor took a deep breath, centring himself as he adjusted to the heightened awareness.
He focused on the magical energies he could feel before, slowly muting the new ones.
"I can control it now," he said with a slight smirk, yet his voice was taut with concentration.
Fleur penetrated him with a sceptical look, her eyes narrowing slightly as she looked him up and down.
Harry could feel her gaze probing, searching for any signs of loss of control.
After a moment, she nodded, seemingly satisfied with what she saw.
"Alright, let's continue then," Fleur said and, without warning, fired a spell towards him.
The new magical energy lightened like a beacon in Harry's unshackled senses.
He felt, before he saw, the stinging hex speeding towards him.
However, Fleur had come too close to him whilst he adjusted his senses, and he didn't have enough time to cast a spell.
He instinctively raised his hand, a shield charm materialising without a word or wand.
The spell dissipated harmlessly against the barrier, leaving both Harry and Fleur wide-eyed at this unexpected display of wandless magic.
Harry blinked, momentarily stunned by what he had just done.
He looked at his hand, then back at Fleur, who seemed equally astonished.
"Did I just...?"
.
Harry chuckled at the memory, pushing his occlumency to its limits, just to remember Fleur's exact expression.
"She was quite cute," he mumbled aloud, sporting a stupid smile.
Shaking his head, Harry scanned the area, ensuring he left no trace of his presence.
Nodding to himself, the boy-wonder flashed away…
He reappeared in Fleur's quarters and he stood still, letting his eyes slowly adjust to the dim light and his senses to acclimate to the new surroundings.
Harry had quickly, and painfully, learned that changing places instantaneously wasn't easy on his new abilities.
Even with his eyes closed, the magical energies around him shifted dramatically, causing his magical sense to go haywire.
The sudden shift was so disorienting and nauseating, that Harry had fainted once.
That's why he pushed his hard-earned control to the max and lowered his magical awareness to almost nothing.
With a quiet sigh of relief, Harry allowed his senses to gradually adjust, careful not to overwhelm himself.
"Phew," he breathed out and watched as the soft glow of moonlight filtered through the curtains, casting a gentle illumination across the room.
Harry moved quietly, careful not to disturb Fleur's slumber, and lay down next to her.
As he settled in, he felt the warmth of her body next to his, a constant comforting presence.
He also felt her magical signature, a gentle warm thing that seemed to envelop him.
It was a sensation he had grown accustomed to, yet it never failed to bring him a sense of peace and security.
Fleur stirred slightly, her silvery hair cascading over the pillow, and Harry felt a surge of affection wash over him.
"Wha-" he managed to say before he found himself engulfed in a hug.
With a sleepy murmur, Fleur nestled closer, her arms tightening around him.
Harry smiled softly, gently stroking her hair as he savoured the moment.
At that instant, he felt a profound sense of peace and belonging that he had never known before.
That's when it hit, and Harry realised with a startle that he was in love.
.
The next morning, Harry didn't get up with Fleur.
He murmured something incoherent and burrowed deeper into the blankets.
Fleur, who was already dressed and ready for the day, smiled fondly at her sleeping boyfriend and headed to Hogwarts.
'He must have stayed up late researching again,' she thought and decided to bring him breakfast as she returned.
Little did she know that Harry didn't sleep at all last night…
He was first stuck in an endless loop of introspection, which was followed by an in-depth analysis of the plenitude he suddenly felt.
As the first rays of sunlight peeked through the curtains, Harry finally drifted off into slumber with dreams filled with silvery hair and blue eyes.
Whilst the boy who learned love tackled imaginary obstacles in his head, Fleur reached the great hall.
"Good morning Fleur. Did Harry finally decide to catch up on his sleep?" a friendly voice greeted her as she sat in her usual seat.
Hermione was already seated at the Gryffindor table, her bushy hair tied back and a book propped open beside her plate.
'Seasons shift and time moves on, yet Hermione will always be found reading a book,' Fleur thought to herself with amusement.
She nodded in greeting to Hermione and replied, "Yeah, he was up late researching again. He made such a cute sight while he slept, I decided to let him rest a bit longer. I'll bring him some breakfast later."
Hermione put a hand on her book and looked up, smiling knowingly.
"That's the first time he's working so hard… You two are quite the pair," she said while looking nowhere in particular with a faraway look in her eyes.
After a moment, she seemed to shake off the reverie and turned back to Fleur with a warm smile.
"I'm glad Harry's found someone who cares for him so deeply. It's about time his fortune turned around," Hermione continued.
"And I'm glad that I found him too. He's so sweet, caring and thoughtful… I've never had anyone who ignored my looks and saw me for who I was," Fleur said, her voice carrying a vulnerability that she rarely showed.
It was the first time Hermione heard her talk like that, and that made her pause.
Not knowing Hermione's troubled thoughts, Fleur continued her passionate talk, "He makes me feel valued for my intelligence and personality, not just my appearance. With Harry, I can truly be myself."
Hermione nodded, knowing that Harry was just as her French senior described him.
In the start, she was somewhat wary of the champion who seemed to be enamoured with Harry, but after being in her company for so long, Hermione had no such fears whatsoever.
'And Harry, Harry has become so much more lately. His magical abilities have grown exponentially, his emotional maturity has deepened, and his ability to handle stress and challenges is nothing short of admirable,' Hermione thought to herself with pride.
She was extremely happy to see her first friend's metamorphosis.
She briefly found herself wondering what heights Harry might reach in the future, before getting distracted by her boyfriend.
That was another recent development, albeit less shocking than Harry and Fleur's relationship, Hermione and Neville fueled the Hogwarts rumour mill for days…
"'mione, you've not eaten at all," Neville said, his voice tinged with exasperation as he gestured towards her untouched plate.
Hermione blinked towards her plate, and just as Neville said, her food remained untouched.
"Sorry, I got caught up in conversation," she said, taking a bite of her breakfast.
As she ate, she started reading her book again.
However, Neville was having none of that.
With a swift motion, he gently took the book, marking the page Hermione was on and closed the book before moving it aside.
Needless to say, that earned him a glare from Hermione.
Her eyes narrowed as she looked at Neville, a mixture of annoyance and fondness in her expression. Neville, however, remained unfazed, meeting her gaze with a gentle smile.
"You need to eat, and before you say anything else, remember last time. You nearly fainted from hunger during transfiguration class. Professor McGonagall had almost sent you to the infirmary," Neville reminded her gently.
The girl nodded with a sigh and turned her attention back to her plate.
As she ate, Hermione couldn't help but reflect on how much things had changed in recent months.
Not only had Harry become a completely different person, improved in all regards, and found happiness with Fleur, but she too had made unexpected changes.
Their falling out with Ron being the most significant change.
It had been a gradual process, starting with small disagreements that cropped up over the years and crescendoed at the tournament's selection.
Ron's jealousy and inability to understand Harry's struggles had driven a wedge between them, and Hermione found herself caught in the middle.
Eventually, she had to make a choice, and she chose to stand by Harry.
The other big change, was, of course, Neville.
Neville had always been a quiet, unassuming presence in the Gryffindor tower, often overshadowed by Harry's fame and Ron's boisterous personality.
But as her friendship with Ron all but evaporated and Harry disappeared to who knew where Hermione found herself spending more time with Neville.
His gentle encouragement and support of Hermione's pursuits, bundled with his growing confidence and improvement in all classes, except potions, gradually evolved into something more.
'And now here we are,' she thought, a small smile playing on her lips.
She glanced at Neville, who was now engaged in conversation with an odd Ravenclaw that was sitting at their table.
"Michael, that's an amazing idea," Neville exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with enthusiasm.
Hermione watched with amusement as Neville's passion for herbology shone through.
Unbeknownst to her, Fleur watched her in return, a knowing smile playing on her lips.
"I never thought about using Mimbulus Mimbletonia sap as a natural fertilizer for other magical plants. Have you tested it on any specific species yet?"
The Ravenclaw boy, Michael, laughed and began to explain his experiments in detail.
"Of course, it's an amazing idea mate, who do you think am I?" Michael replied with a grin, drawing a snort from the boy.
"I've been working on this for the past week and, I've gotta say, the results are quite promising, especially with some of the more temperamental magical plants."
Hermione watched as the boys went back and forth, discussing the intricacies of their experiment.
Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to her plate, intent on finishing it.
.
Harry stirred hours later, waking up with the sensation of sunlight streaming through the curtains.
'Damn sun,' he cursed and shielded his eyes from the offending rays.
The curtains had shifted sometime during his sleep.
'Probably when Fleur got up,' he thought and despite his initial annoyance, Harry couldn't help but feel a sense of renewed energy as the warmth of the star caressed his skin.
Stretching, Harry sat up, running a hand through his tousled hair, making it even more messy than before.
His mind slowly returned to the ritual he had discovered the night before.
'We need to approach this carefully. I'll have to go over Salazar's tomes on spellcrafting and rituals, but we'll manage it in the end,' Harry mused, his determination growing stronger as a plan took form inside his mind.
Fleur needed his help, and Harry wasn't going to rest until he found the solution.
'No matter what, Fleur isn't going inside that lake without the protection.'
Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he stood and was about to gather his things, when he spotted a plate with a note on its side.
Curious, Harry picked up the note and read it.
"Good morning, mon amour! I hope you slept well. I've brought you some breakfast. Eat up! I'll be back after classes. Love, Fleur."
A warm smile spread across Harry's face as he finished reading Fleur's message.
'She even drew a small heart,' he noted, feeling warm inside.
He set the scrap of paper down and reached for the plate of food, which turned out to be warm—courtesy of a warming charm no doubt.
He picked up a piece of toast, savouring the warmth and flavour as he bit into it.
Just as he was about to take another bite, he heard a sharp knock at the door.
"Fleur?" Madame Maxime's voice called out and Harry almost choked on his toast.
There was a brief pause as the headmistress waited for a reply.
'Oh shit,' Harry thought, his heart racing.
The last thing he needed was to be found in Fleur's room.
Although rumours circulated about him staying in the Veelas' room, getting caught—especially by the Beauxbatons headmistress herself—wouldn't do good for his girlfriend's reputation.
After a few moments of not getting an answer though, she departed, her footsteps echoing down the hallway.
Harry let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
'I'm sure she would have felt it if I had flashed away,' Harry thought to himself.
He was pretty sure that Madame Maxime would likely have sensed any magical disturbance caused by his teleportation.
'While the woman no doubt is leagues bellow me in magical sensing, I can't simply discard her abilities,' Harry thought.
He made a quick work of his breakfast, wondering what that was about and gathered his things.
'Oh. I know her magical signature now,' Harry belatedly realised and flexed his senses to make sure that the witch wasn't nearby.
Satisfied that the coast was clear, Harry decided it was time to leave.
If Fleur returned before him, she knew where to find him and how to contact him.
With a quick glance around the room to ensure he hadn't left anything important behind, he concentrated on his destination.
In a blink, he was engulfed by flames and vanished from Fleur's quarters, reappearing moments later in a damp room.
Unsurprisingly enough, a heavy cursing in parseltongue followed his arrival.
The hissing echoed off the stone walls, filling the room with an eerie cacophony.
"Respectless little brat. Flashing around little the proud peacock. You think you're so funny, don't you? Well, let me tell you, Hairy, in my day we had proper respect for our elders and superior species. But I suppose times have changed, haven't they?" Ash hissed, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Harry, unfazed by the snake's irritation, merely smirked and offered a mock bow.
"My apologies, oh great Asmodeus. I'll be sure to send Hedwig the next time before I drop in."
Ash hissed in response, his forked tongue flicking out in annoyance.
'Ah, I see the snake is prattling on again. How generous of it to flaunt its ignorance so openly. Wouldn't you agree, Harry?' Fawkes mocked Ash telepathically, perched regally on his stand and looking down on the snake.
Harry couldn't help but chuckle at the phoenix's dry wit.
'If only I could conjure some popcorn,' he thought dejectedly.
The constant banter between Ash and Fawkes never failed to entertain him, even in the most serious of moments.
A faint shimmer of magic pulsed in the air, sending a ripple across the room, as if reality itself wavered for a split second.
His reflexes kicked in instantly and Harry immediately snapped towards the point of apparition with his wand in his hand, ready to face any potential threat.
Crack.
The tension in his muscles eased when he recognized the familiar figure of Dobby materialising before him.
The house-elf's large, tennis-ball-like eyes widened at the sight of Harry's raised wand.
"Master Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby squeaked, his ears flapping as he bowed low. "Dobby brought popcorn!"
Ash and Fawkes' bickering and Dobby's sudden appearance with popcorn proved too much for Harry.
He burst into laughter, unable to contain his amusement at the absurdity of the situation.
"P-Perfect timing, Dobby," Harry managed to say amidst his laughter and accepted the popcorn with a grin. "You wouldn't believe how much I was just thinking about this."
Dobby beamed at Harry's words, his chest puffing out with pride.
"Dobby is happy to serve the great Harry Potter!" the elf exclaimed and popped away.
Harry munched on the popcorn, watching the ongoing banter between Ash and Fawkes.
'What is it that you don't understand lizard?' Fawkes continued, his mental voice dripping with disdain.
'Your primitive reptilian brain simply can't comprehend the complexities of phoenixes, can it? You are just jealous you can't flash around yourself,' the magical bird stated and ruffled his feathers, looking quite pleased with his conclusion.
Ash, was not one to back down from a challenge and hissed back with renewed vigor. "At least I don't need to burst into flames every time I want to go somewhere. Talk about being dramatic!"
That reminded Harry of his own dramatic arrival and reason for doing so—Fleur.
His merry mood took a dip and he vanished the tasty snack with a wave of his wand.
He also performed a cleaning spell, albeit this one wandlessly.
As his mind returned to the looming task ahead, the playful banter between Ash and Fawkes seemed like a distant memory, a luxury he couldn't afford.
Noticing the sudden change in Harry, the two magical creatures stopped their banter and turned their attention to him.
Fawkes trilled softly, a melodious sound that seemed to echo with Harry's soul, and took off from his perch, landing gracefully on Harry's shoulder.
'What's up, little one?' Fawkes asked slowly through their bond.
As far as he knew, Harry was well, albeit anxious about the closing second task.
The boy sighed, his green eyes reflecting his concern.
'It's about Fleur and the second task. You know the effect water has on her…' he explained.
'I've found a ritual that might help protect her from the lake, but it's complex and my only hope of getting any use from it, is converting it into a spell,' Harry paused, running a hand through his messy hair.
'The problem is, I'm not sure if I have enough time to master the intricacies of spell creation before the task. And even if I do, there's no guarantee it'll work as effectively as the ritual.'
Ash, who was silent until now, slithered closer, his scales gleaming in the dim light of the chamber.
He swiftly made his way onto his favourite spot, Harry's arm, and hissed softly.
"You worry too much, young speaker. The ancient magics of Salazar Slytherin flow through your veins. If you can't succeed with this, then I doubt anyone can," Ash said in a surprisingly harsh tone, it wasn't often that the snake got serious.
Oddly enough, that managed to reassure Harry and he nodded, grateful for the unexpected support.
Fawkes trilled softly, his soothing melody calming Harry's nerves.
The phoenix then took flight, gracefully alighting on the chamber's longest desk.
Shaking off any doubts, Harry quickly made up his mind.
He had work to do, and Ash was right.
He could it.
He stepped over to the table where Fawkes had landed and concentrated.
"Alright," he murmured under his breath, "let's see what you've got for me, Salazar."
Closing his eyes, Harry focused intently on the specific books he needed, then waved his hands.
In response to his mental command, several ancient tomes flew from the shelves, landing neatly on the desk before him.
Their leather-bound covers were worn with age, but the golden lettering still gleamed in the dim light of the chamber.
Harry opened the first of the tomes, careful not to tear the fragile paper as he sifted through it.
Hours passed, book after book, yet Harry found nothing.
The boy was nothing if not tenacious though, and his focus remained sharp.
There were a lot of times when he thought he might have found a lead, a way to convert the ritual into a spell, but nothing.
It was whilst he was following a lead like that something tugged in his senses.
It didn't feel in any kind malicious, instead, it felt warm and comforting, and he didn't react immediately.
However, before Harry could fully process this new sensation, a bright flash illuminated the chamber.
'A patronus,' Harry thought, recognizing the familiar magical signature.
The silvery form of Fleur's hummingbird materialised before him, its wings beating rapidly as it hovered in the air.
§ - § - § - § - § - § - § - § - § - § - § - §
[p=a=t=r=e=o=n=.=c=o=m/Mr_0ne] : Chapter 23 - The second task
Or do a Google search of 'p=a=t=r=e=o=n= Fake Violinist'.
[d=i=s=c=o=r=d=.=g=g/NJ3WV9RVgR]