A/N: Sorry this update took so long I've been working on a few other fanfics, and making a back log of chapters for others that will let me update comfortably frequently.

These slower parts of this series are always a bit of a slog for me and the only break of monotony is the occasional action scene like with Fleur's practice. I can't wait until we get into the more action oriented books so I can get a taste for that sort of writing.

Although, I can't wait for this version of my Harry and Tom Riddles younger self to interact with each other. I have an awesome duel scene in mind!!

Anyway that's enough babbling from me! I hope you enjoy!!!!

Harry's P.O.V

"I always knew Salazar Slytherin was a twisted old loony," Ron stormed away from History of Magic; Harry, Terry, and Hermione rushing to stay beside him. "But I never knew he started all this pure-blood stuff. I wouldn't be in his house if you paid me. Honestly, if the Sorting Hat had tried to put me in Slytherin, I'd've got the train straight back—"

"Shut up!" Everyone jerked in surprise at Harry's sudden outburst, their eyes wide and shocked.

"What'd you say, mate?" Ron was staring open-mouthed, clearly thinking he'd misheard.

"I said, shut up." Harry seethed, his head was throbbing and he could feel himself slipping. If he wasn't careful he could tell the fragment of Voldemort in him would take over; just like it did during the summer. But everything going on was so stress-inducing, and he wasn't having any luck reining in his emotions.

And to make it all worse he couldn't talk to Salazar, the one person who knew everything, and could undoubtedly help calm him down.

"Harry? What's the matter?" Hermione stepped forward gingerly, her hands were half raised to placate him as if he were a wild animal.

"You people, that's what's the matter! All everyone ever does around here is talk about things they don't know anything about!"

Terry stepped up, putting a steady hand on Harry's shoulder," Hey, we're all friends here, just calm down."

Harry rounded on him," Are we?! Because according to you there's a sixty percent chance I'm evil. So maybe, I'll make that a one hundred percent chance."

'No! Get out of my head! I won't let you take over, not again!"

'Be quiet! I've had my fill of you, boy. I intended to use you to kill that Veela, but making you kill your friends has just as sweet a ring to it.'

Harry's vision was blurring, red was creeping in at the edges, and he could feel his hand moving inch by inch to his holstered wand.

'Who should I make you kill first? Perhaps the Weasley?' The fragment of Voldemort laughed darkly, 'No if any of them should die first, it should be the filthy mud-blood. Perhaps, I will force you to subject her to a few things you yourself have experienced. And I have oh so many fond memories of yours to use as reference.'

Steel filled Harry's heart, and his rapidly spiraling emotions focused into a razor-sharp thought,' Get out!'

The grip Voldemort had on his body just a moment ago fell away, and Harry's mind slammed back firmly into place. Harry found himself doubled over on the ground, breathing heavily, and sweat beading his forehead.

Terry, Hermione, and Ron were staring open-mouthed down at him; their eyes so wide Harry was sure they would fall out at any moment.

"I-I'm sorry," Harry panted, not able to meet his gaze to all of theirs. It was one thing for Fleur to see him in such a state, but he had wished his friends would never have to.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Ron was as eloquent as ever.

Hermione shot him an annoyed look," despite Ron's crude way of asking, I think I have to agree with the sentiment. What's wrong Harry? That wasn't anything like you. We're all your friends, and we're worried about you."

'I don't think she would be half as understanding if she knew what I was about to be forced to do.' Bile rose in Harry's throat at the thought. Harry didn't want to know what particular memories Voldemort had been referring to, but he had a good idea.

"Oh god," Harry clamped his lips shut, slamming a hand over his mouth as he ran away from the others to find a bathroom.

Thankfully, there was a bathroom just around the corner and he was able to slam a stall door open in time. He heaved as the contents of his stomach stained the bowl, and his retching echoed terribly in the empty bathroom. Tears sprang to his eyes and he started to sob.

Harry sat back against the now-closed stall door, his cries of anguish his only company.

" 'Arry?"

"Oh god no. Not now of all times," he buried his face in his hands.

A gentle knock on the stall door let him know he wasn't hallucinating, "Terry sent for me. Zey told me what 'appened. I know zat zey were confused, but it was ze fragment of Voldemort wasn't it?"

"Yes," Harry whispered, feeling the creeping chill that always made him shiver after vomiting," it… said such horrible things. Told me it would make me do things. Fleur?"

"Yes?"

"If he takes over, and there is no way to bring me back in control… I want you to promise me something. I want you to promise that you'll stop me, no matter what it takes."

A sharp intake of breath hissed into the silence following his request," Oh, 'Arry. I would never dream of allowing you such an out."

"W-What!?"

The stall around him, the tile of the bathroom floor, and the walls melted away. Leaving him somewhere he both didn't recognize and remembered all too horribly well.

"Godrick's Hollow."

"Ah, so you remember this place. Do you Harry?"

The man in front of him was Voldemort all right, but instead of some twisted half-specter; he had his own body. A billowing black cloak wreathed the abominable thing in front of him, wide red snake-like eyes observed Harry with malicious glee, and his face was just as horrible as it had been a year ago. The horrible part was that Harry could see the ghost of features they had once had in common: prominent cheekbones, wide almond-shaped eyes, and a fake smile that Harry knew all too well when practicing it in the mirror.

"I must say, you are quite a bit more difficult to take over than you were. Perhaps your magic core has grown accustomed to pushing away outside sources of unwanted control. Or perhaps your mind has grown more resilient." Voldemort advanced on Harry, cupping his chin as if he were studying a fascinating creature," I suppose in the end it will not matter, after all, none can resist Lord Voldemort for long."

Harry had been wrong about the smile, while he could indeed see minute similarities, there was no smile; just a spread of fangs. And it enveloped Harry as he screamed.

Fleur's P.O.V

She stared unamused at the sorry excuse for a lesson in front of her,' What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite color? Ha, as if I would ever stoop to read this idiot's books enough to know such a thing.' Fleur stubbornly pushed the paper away, opting instead to work on her Arithmancy homework.

Harry may have an in with Professor Vector, but that did little for Fleur herself when it came to the woman's draconian teaching methods. In Arithmancy it was sink or swim, and she refused to sink.

"Ah, Ms. Delacour!" Lockhart's obsequiously bright smile hurt her eyes as he turned it toward her. Fleur didn't fail to see a few girls glaring at her around the room at the attention," Have you finished your assignment already? Quite eagerly studious, are you?"

"No," Fleur turned her nose up at the man," I just do not find any of zis drivel you 'ave composed to be of any import."

His smile faltered as she continued to ignore him in favor of her Arithmancy work.

"See here, young lady—" he seemed to be about to go on some sort of tirade about manners, but before he could continue, someone burst into the room.

"Fleur!" A dozen eyes went to the intruder, and another few went over to the girl they had come for.

Fleur turned to see Terry Boot of all people, sweat beading his forehead, and his robes were very disheveled; as if he had been running hard.

"Terry? What is ze matter? I am in class right—"

"It's Harry! He's gone nuts!" Fleur was out of her seat in moments.

Lockhart tried in vain to call her back to her seat, but she just ignored the useless idiot and made her way out of the room. She was allowing Terry to lead the way, but she was asking many questions as they ran.

"What 'appened?"

Terry wheezed as he struggled to keep pace with her," W-we were leaving H-History of Magic, Ron was talking about how crazy Salazar Slytherin seemed, and how he wouldn't want to be in his house. Then out of nowhere, Harry told him to shut up, and he started raving about how much everyone judged him and thought he was crazy. Then he just fell to the ground all of a sudden. It seemed like he was about to run away, but as soon as he got to his feet he just froze. He turned to us and—"

"And?" Fleur had an idea of what was happening, clearly the fragment of Voldemort in Harry was attempting to take over.

"H-His eyes, they were red. He started flinging spells, Hermione tried to stop him, but she got overpowered quickly."

"Is she alright?" By now they had gotten so close that Fleur could hear frantic yelling, the sound of spells impacting walls, and the loud chattering of students.

"She's fine, he just stunned her, but Ron had to drag her away. A few prefects came to help, but—"

As if to tell them how that was going, Percy Weasley went sailing down the hall past them and ended up in a heap in the middle of the hallway. Penelope Clearwater, the Ravenclaw prefect, was attempting to talk Harry down, but all she received in return was a stunner to the chest.

" 'Arry!" He turned to her, making Fleur gasp. His eyes were indeed red, but the minute he saw her he seemed to relax; until a snarl broke his features.

"Stop it! Stop using her face! Reducto!" Blue light shot toward her.

Fleur was nearly caught off guard, but she narrowly managed to bat the spell away and into the ceiling; fine dust fell from the now-destroyed masonry.

" 'Arry it is me." She approached gingerly, her hands held up soothingly, and her eyes trying to convey that he was safe.

The crowd of students hid behind armor, pillars, and corners, their whispers echoing in the hall.

"Crazy!"

"Evil!"

Harry grit his teeth, slamming a palm into his temple," Shut up! Shut up! I'm not crazy! I'm not evil!" Fleur drew closer, but his eyes snapped back to her and he raised his wand," Get back, I know what you're trying to do. You're trying to trick me again. Well, I won't let you!"

"I am not tricking you 'Arry. I am really 'ere. Zis is real, can't you tell?" Her heart was breaking, and his hateful stare made her chest hurt all the worse.

"I-I can't," he shook his head furiously," it's all so real, he keeps showing me things. Things I don't want to see, and sometimes he makes me… oh god."

His wand lowered enough that Fleur could come closer. He was an arm's length away, and she could see sobs racking his body as tears fell down his face. Fleur carefully closed the distance, taking his wand hand in hers as she gently took the dangerous implement from him.

His anguished face lifted to hers, and all the red in his eyes was gone, there were only his emerald pools; shimmering with tears," F-Fleur? Is it really you?"

She smiled sadly," Yes, Mon Amour. It's me."

He fell into her, sobbing so terribly that his wails echoed off the flagstone floors. Dozens of eyes watched them, and Fleur turned to glare at them.

"Leave!"

All of the students scattered: except for Ron, a now conscious Hermione, and Terry. Harry's crying seemed to have come to an end, and he was now fitfully unconscious in Fleur's arms.

"What the bloody hell was that!?"

Harry's P.O.V

White walls, white sheets, white floors, and white curtains; that was all Harry saw when he woke up. It was a very familiar sight for him at this point. He could hear a hurried conversation beside the bed, the curtains had been drawn shut; obscuring the speakers.

"I believe I am sounding more and more like a broken record, Ms. Delacour, but are you sure you do not know what caused Harry to lash out so violently?"

'Dumbledore?'

A long pause filled the air, Fleur seemed to be thinking about whether or not she should tell Dumbledore about the fragment of Voldemort in Harry. Honestly, he wouldn't blame her if she just spilled the proverbial beans now that Harry had gone off his rocker.

The worst part was, he couldn't bring himself to stop her. He knew that something like a Horcrux, keeping Voldemort alive, threatened the Wizarding World at large. He wouldn't blame Dumbledore if he just killed Harry on the spot when he learned it.

'Maybe I'll finally be able to rest for once.'

It had been a long time since he had wished he was dead. Harry's eyes felt so heavy, and his head hurt so terribly that he felt it might split open. It felt like the bit of soul in him was trying to pickaxe its way from behind his eyes, and his brains would leak out of his ears at any moment.

"I do not."

Fleur's voice came out, strong and sure. Harry had no idea how she could lie so effortlessly to the world's greatest wizard, but it seemed like she had been doing it her whole life.

"Well, perhaps young Harry will be able to shed some light on the incident. Once he wakes up that is."

"Perhaps," Fleur sighed, Harry could hear her making her way over to his bed and he couldn't bring himself to pretend he was asleep.

The curtain obscuring him from the entryway of the hospital wing was pulled aside. Fleur stood dumbstruck as Harry sat up and stared back at her.

"Er, hello." Harry waved awkwardly at the girl, but tensed when she sprang forward; her arms wrapping tightly around him.

Her scent washed over him, the smell of burnt holly helped him relax, and her hair tickled his nose as he inhaled.

"I thought you would never wake up," she whispered, through deep sniffles.

"What do you mean?"

" 'Arry!" She pulled back, her eyes red and puffy, her lip quivering," you 'ave been unconscious for three days."

Harry swallowed heavily," Three days?"

"Yes, Mr. Potter. Three days, and in those three does we have had no insight as to what happened for you to act in such a way. You stunned two prefects, Ms. Granger, and frightened a number of your fellow students. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured, but I am afraid I must insist upon an explanation."

Harry gulped, his head spun end over end as he tried to think," I-I don't know sir. It's just been very difficult for me since… Mrs. Norris." Harry already felt terrible about lying, but the moment he saw the headmaster's gaze soften, he knew he well and truly was an utter knobhead.

"I understand," Dumbledore ran long fingers through his beard, a thoughtful frown crinkling the bit of lip Harry could see," while you have been under very stressful circumstances, I must dole out appropriate punishments for attacking fellow students."

Harry hung his head," of course, sir."

"You will have detentions with Professor Lockhart for the rest of the month, and you will need to give a most convincing apology to the prefects that were assaulted." Madam Pomfrey rose from her desk, slowly approaching Harry's bed," In the meantime, I believe Madam Pomfrey is required to look you over now that you've woken up."

Dumbledore left Harry in Madam Pomfrey's care, all the while Fleur stood silently watching. Her face was a mask of neutral haughtiness, and she stood still as a statue.

Harry knew what that behavior portended, and although he didn't like having the nurse run dozens of diagnostic spells on him, he desperately thanked every second she was there to halt Fleur's fury. But the seconds turned into minutes, and with each moment they were not left alone to converse with one another, she seemed to grow all the more agitated.

Harry sighed and smiled at the nurse," Uh Madam Pomfrey?"

"Yes, what is it dear?" She snapped rather annoyedly. Clearly, she wasn't happy with how often Harry seemed to be finding himself in her care.

"I think I'm alright, but if you keep Fleur from releasing her tirade on me much longer, you may find me back in here with third-degree burns." Harry laughed, but it wasn't entirely a joke; Fleur did look extremely mad.

Even if her face didn't show it.

Madam Pomfrey huffed, looked between the pair, and nodded," Very well, but do not leave this bed. Am I clear?"

He saluted weakly with a small smile that faded as the nurse bustled back into her office.

Harry turned to Fleur," Hey, listen I—"

"No," Her voice was shaky, and it had an odd quavering distortion to it," you listen. I am entirely too upset with you right zis moment to listen to your excuse. Why did you not tell me your mental stability had waned so much that HE could take control? Did you think me so unreliable that you could not tell me? Or did you think you would be better served to keep more secrets to yourself?"

Fleur's emotions were on full display now, her shoulders shook, her eyes were pitch-black pits of fury, and her nose and mouth had curved together into a severe beak. Her hair was squirming in a furious fire of deep red, and feathers burst out into a large plume that framed her head. Taloned fingers ripped furrows into the bed sheets she twisted in hand, and trenches dug into the mattress as the razor-sharp nails pierced the material.

"I-I'm sorry, Fleur. It's just… everything has been so overwhelming, and it's like I'm being pulled in dozens of different directions. Like some overstretched piece of taffy." Fleur listened, her features didn't return to their human state, but she listened. "The truth is… the person I've been getting lessons from is Salazar Slytherin."

Her hair stopped squirming all at once, the fire turned the color of her silver hair and fell around her face. Her eyes, face, and hands were normal again.

"What?"

" I-I've been learning from my ancestor, Salazar Slytherin." Harry gulped a bit," Obviously it's not the real Salazar Slytherin, it's just a portrait of him, but it is him."

Fleur's mouth opened. Closed. And then opened again. She seemed lost for words, and what Harry had said seemed to be turning, end over end, in her mind.

"Ze ritual magic." She said it, not as a question, but as a simple realization. And then all at once, she seemed to realize another thing," You know more about ze piece of Voldemort inside of you zan you've said. Don't you?"

Her voice was small and hurt, it broke Harry's heart," just what it's called, and how to get rid of it."

Her hands cupped Harry's cheeks, and a fervent light glowed in her eyes," zen why 'ave we not dealt with it? Zis is wonderful news!"

Harry smiled sadly, this was exactly why he hadn't told her. She would be over the moon at the thought of curing him, but she would be devastated at what Salazar had told him months ago.

"You can only destroy a Horcrux with a few things: basilisk venom, a goblin-enchanted blade infused with the essence of the same venom, fiendfyre, and maybe the killing curse."

Fleur bit at her bottom lip," zese all sound very dangerous 'Arry."

It was Harry's turn to cup her cheek. Her skin was smooth, warm, and comforting, but he knew she would be upset after hearing the next part," the container for the Horcrux is destroyed in the process. To get rid of this fragment of Voldemort, I would have to die."

Fleur's P.O.V

She left the Hospital Wing. How could she not? He had said such an awful thing so matter-of-factly as if his life had no meaning, and Fleur would not stand for that.

Maybe it was the wrong thing to do, leaving Harry alone like that, but he should have understood how upset she would be after keeping it to himself for so long.

On some level she understood why he would hide it, even if she didn't want to admit it, he had a valid reason. But that didn't mean she wasn't pissed off right now. She wasn't some helpless little girl.

'I need the training room.'

Fleur made her way from the hospital wing and ventured to the third-floor corridor. It was empty as always, but then again it was two in the morning.

The inside of the Dueling Club's classroom was bare, except for the dueling platform, house banners that lined the walls, and a trophy case that Fleur had conjured in hopes that they would participate in dueling competitions eventually. But now, all that hope for competition and glory won in such endeavors seemed empty and pointless.

All Fleur felt was powerless. What did it matter that she was at the top of her classes in both Hogwarts and Beauxbatons? It was all meaningless if she couldn't share such accomplishments with the person she loved.

Fleur glowered at her training dummies, their names matching the bastards who had treated Harry like a slave most of his life, didn't help her mood. Fleur flicked her wand, activated each dummy, and sent the command for them to all attack at once.

The beginner-level dummy, Dudley, sloppily sent a disarming charm Fleur's way, she batted the spell into the intermediate dummy, Vernon, and then she returned fire," Depulso!"

The purple spell impacted Dudley, sending him end over end to smash into the wall in a crumpled heap. The force of her spell probably would have shattered a normal person's spine, but Dudley slowly started to recover. Meanwhile, the near Auror-level dummy, Petunia, advanced with its guard up.

Fleur vaguely registered the Vernon dummy still trying to recover its lost wand, so she engaged Petunia.

"Aguamenti!" The conjured water shot from Fleur's wand in a small torrent. The water accumulated at Petunia's feet, but the dummy seemed to remember how Fleur had used such a tactic before. The dummy quickly cleared itself of the puddle.

Fleur circled the water, slowly positioning all three dummies to the same side as she and Petunia paced.

Three quick stinging hexes shot from Petunia.

Fleur sidestepped the first, twirled to avoid the second, and lazily batted the third toward the almost recovered Dudley.

"Chorus Flamma," this spell was a particular favorite of Harry's, it was one of the first he had ever learned. That thought made Fleur pause for a moment, and that second of hesitance allowed Vernon to join Petunia in an assault.

Fleur narrowly dodged a spell from Vernon and sent her dancing flame spell to pirouette in an arc that seemed like it would target Vernon but changed trajectory at the last moment to target Petunia. The dummy was nearly caught off guard, but it clumsily dodged to the side falling to one knee.

"Ascendio!" Fleur sent the Vernon dummy shooting up into the wooden rafters of the room, and just as it was coming back down she cast another spell that impacted the dummy's chest," Arresto Momentum!"

Now that Vernon was falling in slow motion, Fleur could see Dudley had recovered and made his way to stand in the conjured puddle of water.

Fleur smirked," Glacius!"

Spikes of frozen water shot through the dummies feet, nailing it in place. The simulated look of pain on the dummy's face made Fleur feel quite good about using the environment to her advantage.

Three stinging hexes shot toward Fleur, Petunia had recovered, but this time she stood her ground. The first spell was batted away, then the second was sent upward to hit Vernon in the face, but Fleur wasn't quite fast enough to stop the third. Fleur's shoulder stung, and the simulated smug look on Petunia's face filled her with seething hatred.

"Obscuro!" A blindfold covered the dummy's eyes, it fumbled with its free hand to remove the obstruction, but Fleur was ruthless," Deprimo."

A red force came from above Petunia's head and impacted through the dummy's skull, and torso, exiting to crack the floor beneath. The dummy fell limp and lifeless to the ground.

The dummy in the air was quickly hit with a stupefy charm that rendered it unconscious in the air. Dudley was courageously preparing himself to attack Fleur from where he was still impaled with ice, but she had positioned Vernon so that when she canceled her spell, the dummy crashed into Dudley.

"Glacius," the remaining water on the floor turned to empaling ice shards that skewered the dummies.

Fleur surveyed her work and sighed irritably. The stupid Petunia dummy would need to be repaired and re-enchanted, thankfully the others would just need a simple reparo, but that didn't improve her mood. If anything Fleur just felt more frustrated, the dummies had provided a nice reprieve, but they had barely been a challenge.

Although, Fleur had lost her cool and taken a stinging hex to the shoulder.

'Maybe I should make more near Auror-level dummies. If Harry is serious about facing Voldemort he will need to train to fight against multiple high-level duelists. Maybe I could study known Death Eaters and try to recreate their fighting styles. I wonder if Dumbledore would be willing to describe Voldemort's techniques?'

Fleur set to work repairing each dummy, her thoughts once again filled with a certain emerald-eyed troublemaker.

Harry's P.O.V

November, 8th

2:30 p.m.

"And don't forget to pace yourself, Mr. Potter! I don't want to see you in here again. Am I understood?"

Harry laughed, scratching the back of his head," Yeah, but I don't exactly have much of a say in when I usually end up in your care ma'am."

Madam Pomfrey glared down at Harry, and he cringed at the look she was giving him.

"I-I'll try my best." Madam Pomfrey surveyed his face and turned without saying another word," Oh thank god she bought it."

Harry wasn't exactly sure he could avoid such injury with Rina and a student who was probably possessed by Voldemort on the loose. Oh, and he also needed to worry about homework and exams.

Yay.

Harry turned ideas over in his head about how he could suss out the potentially possessed student, but before he could get his thoughts collected something sent him tumbling to the ground. Harry's glasses had been knocked askew, and he could barely make out the form of another person across from him on the ground.

"Sorry about that," Harry stood to his feet, stretched one hand out to help the person up, and fixed his glasses with the other. But when he caught sight of the person, he was shocked to find a small first-year girl on the ground, her eyes were watery and terrified.

"Look, he's going mental again."

Harry's head snapped up, and he realized for the first time that he wasn't alone in the hall. A few dozen students were watching him as if he were a rabid animal. They too were wide-eyed and terrified like the younger girl.

"I-I'm not— I mean, I didn't mean to—"

Harry looked back down at the girl, motioned as if he was going to help her after all, and grimaced when her look of fear just intensified.

"Right, sorry." Harry hurried past the girl and the crowd of students, then made his way to the relative safety of Ravenclaw Tower.

'And I have to deal with everyone thinking I'm insane. Perfect.'

The Ravenclaw Common Room was as hushed and reverent as ever as if he had just stepped into a library, but all murmurs stopped when his housemates caught sight of him. All of the first-years were staring, horrified, and trembling as if he were the creature running around killing cats. The only younger student not completely terrified was Luna Lovegood, but she wasn't exactly what Harry would call normal.

The other second-years weren't terrified exactly, but they sure were keeping their distance. They were looking at him more like a regular-sized venomous snake, rather than the fifty-foot basilisk that was wandering around.

The upper years were just looking at him like he was a freshly released lunatic, dangerous, but not so dangerous that they'd need to call the authorities on him… yet.

"Hey, mate!" Terry made his way over to Harry, and he looked for all the world like the regular kid Harry had come to know. For a second he stared at Harry's perplexed and awestruck expression, but then he laughed," What? Surprised I'm not cowering in fear at the crazy Boy Who Lived? Mate, I already told you I thought you were loony."

"That's quite rude," Luna Lovegood piped up, her dreamy far far-off expression in place," he merely has a bad case of Wrackspurts. Nothing to make a fuss about."

Terry clapped his hands together in mock excitement," Oh, oh! You've got a loony friend!"

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose, opened his mouth, sighed heavily, and then just walked away toward their room; Terry hot on his heels.

"I mean not to say it's bad. Maybe we could make a few knuts off of you two. Imagine it," Terry stopped Harry outside their door and raised his hands, gesturing grandly," The Amazing Wild Man and The Blonde Babbler! People would come for miles."

"I hate you," Harry opened the door and slammed down face-first onto his bed.

Terry laughed, and sat heavily on the bed beside him," jokes aside are you alright? You kinda… went berserk."

Harry sighed heavily into his pillow," I think I am."

"Did you see that Gryffindor kid who was taking pictures of you a while back when you left the Hospital Wing?"

"Colin Creevey? No, why would I?"

Terry's face went white, and for the first time since Harry had seen him, he looked genuinely put out.

"H-He got petrified. Neville Longbottom and Oliver Wood found him outside the Great Hall, he had his camera up like he was trying to take a picture of something, but no one knows what. Everyone thought he was dead like Filtch's cat, but then we heard from Dumbledore he was still alive," Terry looked around conspiratorial and leaned closer," everyone is saying he was trying to take a picture of whoever did it, they've all got one person in mind too, but what they think can't be true because—"

Terry trailed off, puzzling Harry for a moment before he got the meaning," They think it was me."

"Not everyone thinks it was you," Terry quickly added.

"Just most of them." Harry laughed, it was a dry, disappointed sound that echoed dully in the room.

Terry just nodded defeatedly," Sorry mate. Me and those Gryffindor friends of yours have tried telling people to cut it out, and that it couldn't possibly have been you because you were in the Hospital Wing yourself. But they wouldn't believe us, and before long the Slytherins had everyone worked up into a frenzy trying to get at you while you were out." Terry suddenly laughed and gave Harry a large grin," But that girlfriend of yours came out anytime things got too loud, and more than once she put a few students on their arses when they thought they could push past her. That's including Malfoy and his lackeys."

Harry laughed and for the first time, he felt his heart lighten. That was Fleur for you, she could be worried and sad one minute, but if you pissed her off just the wrong way she'd stomp you into the ground the next. The worst part was, she hadn't even had to do any stomping, and Harry felt like he was in the ground already.

When he'd decided to keep the way to remove the Horcrux from her it had been with good intentions, but he should've known Fleur wasn't someone to be coddled. She was a girl who wanted all the facts with no sugarcoating, and she wanted the truth for all its bitter taste.

"I screwed up." Harry sighed again, and it felt like that was all he ever did these days.

"You're telling me, mate," Terry laughed," you went bonkers, attacked a few kids, went unconscious for a few days, and then you somehow managed to piss off your girlfriend who stayed by you the whole time you were out. If that isn't the definition of screwing up, I don't know what is."

"H-How'd you know I pissed Fleur off?" Harry stared, his eyes wide in wonder.

"Really?" Terry turned his gaze up to the rafters as if he were lamenting the fact he had such an idiot for a friend," that girl hardly ever leaves your side except for classes, sleep, and a few holidays. You came back to the Common Room, by yourself I might add, and it was without her after you'd been unconscious for a few days. I think you can fill in the blanks from there."

Harry grimaced, turned over a plan to make up for his idiocy to Fleur in his head, and got to work jotting down notes on a piece of parchment," right. Well, if it's all the same to you I'm going to get to work on an apology for a very angry Veela, so if you'd kindly go somewhere else that would be greatly appreciated."

Terry just guffawed and left the room. Leaving Harry to his thoughts.

'I really need to make this apology to Fleur good, but first I need to find out how Colin Creevey is still alive after seeing Rina,' Harry sighed,' I wish I could visit Salazar to find out if he has any ideas.'

But that thought would get him nowhere, so Harry set about thinking of ideas. Some for the angry girl who threw fire at things she didn't like, and others to try and work out how Colin had managed to stay alive; even if he was paralyzed.

It was to thoughts like those, that he settled in for a long day of most likely fruitless contemplation.