2 Meeting
It turned out that the Delacour villa was not very far from his hotel. Harry didn't mind the expenses of living at the hotel, knowing that he could easily afford it, yet having some friendly company was incentive enough to move. He only wondered if Gabbi would let him breathe there, yet he couldn't really complain about her company. If nothing else, just watching the three Delacour women was more than most boys his age could even dream of. Harry checked out of the hotel soon after coming back from the beach and took a taxi to the villa, so he wouldn't have to carry his luggage in the midday heat, nor use magic.
Claude opened the door for him, wearing only his swim trunks. "You can leave your luggage here. We shall assign a room for you after lunch. You may consider undressing, though. We normally stay nude while on vacation."
He joined the Delacour for lunch, still clothed, and was then given his own bedroom to enjoy an afternoon nap. Gabbi woke him up two hours later, wearing only her slippers, and dragged him on a crash tour of the villa, ending at the large outdoor swimming pool. "We don't wear clothes at home. Let's swim!"
She barely let him undress before dragging him into the pool, where she hugged him again, making sure to let him feel as much of her skin as possible. Harry wasn't sure what to make of it. He couldn't honestly say that he disliked feeling her so close — he was a horny teenage boy, after all — yet she was too clingy and she seemed to expect him to act with her in ways he felt uncomfortable about. He was starting to doubt his decision to stay with her family.
"Gabbi, let him breathe!" he heard after a short while. Turning around, he saw naked Fleur looking bemusedly at her sister.
"I only want him to be aware of me," the younger girl pouted.
"He's aware, alright," Fleur motioned at his very evident erection, "but he's also embarrassed. That's not a way to make a man interested in you."
Gabbi reluctantly moved a bit farther. Harry felt relieved just slightly. Seeing these two gorgeous girls naked, just a few paces away from him, was very nice, yet not quite relaxing. He still wondered about how quickly Gabbi had changed. He asked Fleur about it, not sure that the younger girl would know how to properly explain it.
Fleur smiled at his question. "You should know that Veelas mature differently than most human girls. Before we reach twelve, we look like small girls. That's why everybody thought Gabbi was only eight during the tournament, despite her being past eleven. We enter puberty close to our twelfth birthday. We then grow a few inches practically overnight, almost reaching our adult proportions. Along with the accelerated physical maturing, we also mature mentally and emotionally, only that comes at a slower rate, although faster than usual for other girls. As you can see, Gabbi is physically mature already, but she's still pubescent regarding her behaviour. She'll settle down in another month or two. At least I hope so."
Harry nodded. Gabbi was really a sight to behold, especially since she was hiding nothing, yet her behaviour left quite a bit to be desired. He really hoped it wouldn't ruin for him an otherwise nice vacation.
Claude joined them for a short swim a few minutes later. Harry could only admire his technique. Despite swimming during the second task, Harry had never really learned how to swim and felt extremely clumsy in the water. "Can you teach me proper swimming?" he asked.
"Won't you prefer to learn it with either Fleur or Gabbi?" The older man was certainly teasing him.
"Being a male teen, I like their company very much, but I think I could better learn from you," he answered truthfully.
Claude chuckled. "I'll teach you tomorrow. I'd like to continue our previous discussion, though, as you may need to act promptly on some issues if you want things to move your way."
–..–
It took more than a single afternoon for Claude to tell Harry about most of the implications of him being a lord of a Most Ancient and Noble House, as the Potter family was officially considered. Besides money and assets, which the Gringotts staff was quite helpful at explaining, it also meant control of a few seats in the Wizengamot, which Harry had to learn what to do with, as well as a traditional position at the top of the British magical social ladder. As such, he was expected to host a few charity events each year and to take part in even more, although he could be excused from most while at school.
"Who is your solicitor?" Claude asked.
Harry rubbed his chin. "I'm not sure." Seeing the questioning expression on Claude's face he explained. "There were two solicitors listed in Gringotts' documents. One has already died of old age a few years ago. I assume he was chosen by one of my ancestors. Then, there's Andromeda Tonks, who only started working with my parents a few weeks before they went into hiding. I'm not quite sure about her."
"And why is this?"
"I know nothing about her and she had no chance to do anything for my family until now, although it's evident that my parents trusted her."
"Well, I've heard a bit about her. She was born Black, sister to Narcissa and Bellatrix, yet she married a muggle-born, defying her birth family. She was removed from the Black family and her younger sister was forced to marry Malfoy in her stead. This didn't help the relations between the sisters. Since then, she'd studied both magical and muggle law and became a very well-known lawyer, along with her husband. I don't think she ever lost a case. You can do much worse than choosing her as your solicitor."
"What can she do for me?" Harry had no idea what he could even ask for.
"Quite a bit. She can help you regain control of your seats in the Wizengamot; she can use her connections to assure positive press, and she can also represent you in any trial you may need to face. Very few dare contradict her, you should know."
"But can I trust her?"
Claude smiled. "I think you can. She's fiercely against the bigotry that had almost ruined her life and she's firmly on the light side."
"Alright, I'll send her an owl."
–..–
Living with the Delacour family was very pleasant. He wasn't expected to do any chores and was treated very nicely by all. Gabbi was often too nice, though, making him wonder time and again if he had really made the right decision in joining the Delacour.
Claude gave him a few swimming lessons in the pool before considering him good enough for swimming in the sea. Fleur and Gabbi were trying to teach him some French, not quite successfully. Whenever in the naked company of one or the other, Harry would lose his focus very quickly.
Not wanting to be traced by owl, he hired the mail services offered by Gringotts, so that his whereabouts would not be easily disclosed. He had sent Hermione, Ron and Sirius mail the first day he arrived, and kept writing to Hermione every few days, just as she was doing. He had also contacted his solicitor and given her some specific orders, but had not yet set a meeting with her.
The adults usually left the villa early for the beach, where Claude liked to swim a bit before it became crowded. The youngsters used to sleep in a bit and join the adults about an hour later.
"I think we're going to meet someone you like," Fleur told him on their way to the beach, about a week after he joined them.
"How do you know? Are you a seer?"
She smiled. "Not a seer of the future, but I, like every Veela, can see halos. Your halo seemed to stretch towards England since we've met. Now it seems to stretch in the direction of our preferred beach, so it's just an educated guess that whoever your halo seems to seek is in that direction."
Harry blushed at the implications. He hadn't told his friends where he was staying or with whom. He had only told Hermione that he was with a friendly family, feeling well and safe and enjoying his vacation. Hermione had written that her parents were going on vacation to the French Riviera and were taking her along, since she didn't want to join the Weasleys at his godfather's home. Her first stop would be St. Tropez, so she told him. If she was at the nudist beach then…
He wasn't quite sure what he felt about his closest female friend. It wasn't just friendship, he was sure, yet it wasn't lust either, as staying near the Delacour sisters showed him. He felt anxious to meet Hermione and apprehensive of them seeing each other nude.
Harry couldn't dwell on that for long. They had barely passed the beach's limit when he heard "Harry!" and then was fiercely hugged by his brunette friend. This time, he returned the hug willingly, not really bothered by the nudity nor by his reaction to it. Hugging his best friend was just too good to let anything disturb him.
Hermione released the hug, eventually. She just grabbed his hand and took a step back, scanning him from head to toe, blushing nicely as she noticed his erection. "You look well, Harry. You've got a bit tanned and you seem to have grown taller as well. Maybe even a bit wider. And you've grown some muscles, as I can see."
He smiled at her. "Swimming does help in building more muscles. You also look well and happy." He was glad to see that his best friend had nothing to be ashamed of even when compared to the nude Veelas at his side. He felt proud of her.
"I'm happy I didn't let Dumbledore persuade me to stay. I would have missed meeting you here…"
With the enthusiasm of the meeting subsiding, both seemed to turn a bit shy. Hermione spoke first. "I've never known you liked going to nude beaches."
He shrugged, "I never did. When I first came here I didn't even know about this beach. Fleur happened to pass near me on the other beach and invited me to join her family here. I couldn't refuse."
Hermione swatted his arm playfully. "Of course you couldn't." She then looked for the first time at the people surrounding them and blushed again. "Sorry, I was so surprised to see Harry here that I forgot my manners."
Fleur smiled at her. "That's alright. I didn't expect you to act differently. I can now understand a few things that were baffling me about Harry."
"Like what?"
"No matter how high I set my allure, he seemed completely oblivious to it. Even when I acted to entice him, he only admired my body but did nothing else. I could see his halo stretching in a certain direction, but I didn't know what it meant, until now."
She smiled and added, "You two are deeply in love. Veela's allure can never overcome true love. Now, being together, your halos combine, becoming much stronger and wider than usual. I suspect you are soul mates."
"How can we find out?" Hermione inquired.
Fleur smiled mischievously. "Shag him. You won't regret it even if you don't turn out to be soul mates, I'm sure, yet I do believe that once you take that step, you'll become soul-bound."
This only made both Hermione and Harry blush some more, although they kept holding hands.
Fleur (re)introduced Gabbi and then led them to the tent that her parents had erected earlier and made the introductions. After some polite chat, Hermione took Harry a bit farther, to where her parents were lounging under a wide umbrella, wearing only sun lotion, to introduce them.
"Mum, Dad, this is my best friend — Harry Potter. Harry — my parents, Dave and Jean," Hermione said.
Harry was fascinated at seeing her mother. She seemed to be just an older version of Hermione, almost making his body respond to her the same way. Her father was unimpressive until one looked at his eyes. They were deep brown and seemed to see into one's soul. Dave looked at Harry, shook his hand and nodded approvingly. Harry felt as if he had just passed a very important test, although nobody said a single word.
Fleur came a few minutes later, inviting the Granger family to join her own. Dave seemed a bit overwhelmed by the radiant femininity of the young woman, but both accepted the invitation gladly. Harry was still unsure about the dynamics of the group. He wondered how Hermione would fit with Gabbi, who seemed determined to stay very close to him.
It turned out alright. Gabbi felt a bit put out when noticing how close Harry and Hermione were. Despite her evident crush, it was clear to her that these two belonged together, especially since she could see their halos. Both couples of parents quickly found some common interests and seemed to be forming a friendship, while Hermione was glad to become friends with the two girls. When surrounded by family, Fleur proved to be a very warm person, unlike the way she'd been acting at school.
Not unexpectedly, Claude invited the Grangers to join them at the villa. "We have more than ten bedrooms, so there's plenty of room for you to enjoy. We also have a private swimming pool, and it's all clothing optional."
Dave looked at Hermione and smiled at her pleading expression. It was evident that she liked nothing better than to accept that offer. Although he couldn't see halos, he felt quite sure that his daughter more than fancied the boy, and the boy liked her. Despite his protectiveness, there was no way he could stand in his daughter's way, especially since whatever he could try to prevent while on vacation, she could do as soon as she returned to school. He accepted the offer.
With Hermione at his side, Harry felt even happier than before. As much as he liked seeing the three Delacour women naked, being with Hermione gave him a very different feeling. He didn't know what it meant, but he liked it. He willingly accompanied the Grangers to their hotel and helped them repack, check out and ride the taxi.