CHAPTER 47: A SPELL ALONE IN THE CHAMBER

The Great Hall was graced by a pristine, azure sky, the winter clouds gently meandering overhead, casting ethereal shadows over the assembly of students and educators. Harry meticulously divided his chicken and leek pie into bite-sized morsels, arranging them with precision on his plate.

Katie eased herself onto the bench beside him with an amiable greeting, dispelling any notion of avoidance. "Heya, Harry!"

Harry inquired, "I thought you were meant to be spending Christmas at home?"

Her response held a mixture of determination and humor. "I did go home initially, but Angelina and Alicia seemed to be overly concerned about my well-being. So, I decided to return when they did. During my time at home, I engaged in a truly captivating conversation with my parents and returned today."

Harry's expression turned sympathetic, though he couldn't help but notice her contentment. "What did your parents have to say?"

Katie's eyes twinkled with delight. "They canceled their subscription to the Daily Prophet. My dad told me that I could date anyone I pleased, as long as he possessed kindness, good looks, wealth, and politeness."

Harry responded with a hint of self-assuredness, "Well, it's high time people recognized my qualities – kindness, good looks, and politeness."

Katie giggled, her amusement apparent. "And are you rich? Should I forewarn Daddy that I may have found someone who meets his criteria and has an eye on his beloved daughter?"

Harry pondered for a moment. "I do have a trust fund. My family is considered old and pure-blooded, but I admit I'm not entirely sure about the extent of my wealth."

Katie mused, "I suppose it won't be a concern until you turn seventeen and become emancipated."

Harry's reply carried a hint of fatalism. "Voldemort will have disposed of me long before that. It's unlikely to become a problem."

Katie couldn't suppress her worry, giving him a playful thump on the arm while scolding him gently. "Don't jest about such things."

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Harry playfully executed a mock bow. "Yes, Dark Mistress."

Katie rewarded him with a playful pat on the cheek before scanning the table. "How's Frenchie? Did she get upset over the article?"

Harry shook his head thoughtfully. "She's doing fine. Well, she didn't say anything, so she can't be that upset, but I doubt she liked it."

Katie's concern for their happiness was evident. She pilfered a piece of pie from Harry's plate. "As long as the two of you are happy. Frenchie did seem a bit proud, so I was worried she might get angry and try to get back at you."

Harry gazed at the willow ring on his finger. "Yes, I suspect she might have."

Katie leaned in, her voice barely above a whisper. "Do you think she'll attempt to provoke jealousy by getting involved with someone else?"

A surge of unease gripped Harry. "No, she'd never do that. She gave me this." He wiggled his right forefinger. "Told me to wear it where everyone could see it..."

Katie understood the implication. "Everyone meaning me," she murmured. "I see."

Harry savored the last bites of his pie, taking his time. "Did you like your present, then? If you're back, you must have found it."

Katie flashed a wide grin. "Oh, yes, but you should be cautious. If you keep giving a girl gifts like that, she might start thinking you want more than just friendship."

Harry joked, "Just don't let Rita Skeeter hear about it."

Katie playfully teased, "No, it's great. I can't use it, and I'm sure it was only a matter of time until Umbridge tried to confiscate it. It's better if I lend it to you."

Harry quipped, "I might not get it back even if my lifetime ban gets lifted."

Katie replied with a hint of mischief, "I should've had you make me sign something in blood... for a Firebolt, I would've signed almost anything."

Harry suggested, "If you thought I was willing to do anything to get out of a trick step, you've got no idea what I'd do for a girl who got me a Firebolt."

Harry retrieved a piece of parchment from his pocket. "Well, if you're willing, we can draft an agreement. How does eternal servitude sound?"

Katie shot him a sly glance and bit her lip. "To you? Do I get to call you Dark Master?"

Harry chuckled. "If you want."

He briefly perused the address on the parchment beneath his fingertips, Rita Skeeter's address. "That's close to Diagon Alley. I remember seeing that street name when I was there with Uncle Vernon."

Katie responded with a playful shrug, "It's a shame you've already committed to giving it to me for the foreseeable future. I guess you'll have to tempt me into that trick step after all."

Harry agreed with a light-hearted tone, "You would've made a terrible slave anyway." He set down his knife and fork. "I can't say I'm fond of the sneakoscope you gave me, though. It seemed cool at first, but it whistles incessantly."

Katie chuckled, teasingly, "Been up to some untrustworthy activities, have you?"

Harry joked, "Every other second of every day, it seems. It starts whistling whenever I'm near it, even when I'm sleeping."

Katie shifted the conversation. "What did Neville get you? I heard you got him that really rare, unpronounceable cactus. He sent me a letter with that thing's name repeated twice in every sentence. It took me hours to read without tying my tongue in a knot."

Harry recalled the name, "Mimbulus Mimbletonia." He revealed his dragon-hide dueling holster and explained, "Neville got me this. Aurors use them, I believe."

Katie was intrigued. "Cool. How does it work?"

Harry demonstrated, "It's enchanted. I flick my wrist and think about wanting my wand in my hand…" He did so, and his wand appeared in his grasp.

Katie inquired further, "What happens if you don't catch it?"

Harry grinned, "I drop my wand and look like an idiot. Presumably, I also lose whatever duel I was about to fight in. No, it's enchanted so it literally appears in my hand. I don't think I can drop it."

Harry checked the time and knew he had to keep his promise. "Enjoy your lunch."

Katie protested with a pout, "Leaving me already? I've only just returned."

Harry replied with a small smile, "I have a promise to keep."

Katie, sensing his destination, teased, "Frenchie, then. You only smile like that when you're sneaking off to see her."

Harry admitted with a smirk, "Guilty as charged."

Katie allowed him to go, "Well, off you go, then. I'll see you later."

Harry quietly navigated through deserted corridors back to the Chamber of Secrets. Silence reigned in Myrtle's bathroom as he stepped over the puddle and descended into the chamber.

Salazar commented, "I thought you were spending the rest of the day with Fleur."

Harry explained, "I am, but we've been together for six months. It's about time she met my family, don't you think?"

Salazar tapped his fingers on the head of his snake. "You've never referred to your Muggle relatives as your family before. You intend to bring her here."

Harry gazed at the golden sand inside the time-turner as he explained, "You're the only real family I have, painting or not. Nobody else supported me like a family should. And I promised Fleur no more secrets."

Salazar, his expression softened, responded, "Well, I don't remember Tom ever bringing a girl to meet me. Actually, I don't remember him ever really speaking to one."

Harry pondered, "Do you think it's a bad idea? I trust her. She won't betray me."

Salazar reassured him, "No, I think it's a very good idea. However, without our bloodline, she can only enter here by invitation."

Harry asked, "So how did Ginny, Ron, Lockhart, Fawkes..."

Salazar interrupted, "The Weasley girl was possessed by Tom, so that likely counted in her case. As for the phoenix, they're annoying creatures, interpreting odd meanings from anything if it benefits them. Helga's once came to give me aid in the middle of a feast, it relit the fire when it went out, but I'm certain it was just hungry and wanted an excuse to get past the wards to the food."

Harry sought clarification, "So I can just Apparate us both here?"

Salazar nodded, "Yes. I need to teach you a lot more about the magic of the Chamber of Secrets."

Harry pointed out, "You've taught me next to nothing about it."

Salazar's expression darkened, and he admitted, "I know. I will soon. Go on, then, Harry. You have my permission, approval, or whatever it was you wanted from telling me."

Harry picked up Fleur's drawing. "Argent."

Meanwhile, Gabby sat on the white pebbles, tossing small stones into the water and watching the ripples spread.

"Fleur! You've shrunk!" Harry exclaimed.

Gabby turned to face him, a fleeting smile gracing her lips. "Fleur's in her room at the chateau." She selected another pebble and sent it into the flowing water.

Harry recognized that smile. It reminded him of his younger self when he saw other children with their parents. "Lonely?"

Gabby sighed and confessed, "It's part of being veela. I suppose we all think we'll be different, that our friends are better, but they're not. Girls like boys' attention. They don't like it when it's suddenly taken away." She tossed another stone into the water. "And you've stolen my sister, so I don't have Fleur to spend my time with instead."

"Sorry," Harry said as he took a seat beside her on the shore. "I didn't mean to steal her from you."

Gabby whispered, "I don't mind. It's good Fleur has you. She smiles a lot more genuinely now."

Harry offered reassurance, "I'm sure she'll come and kidnap you. And if she doesn't, I'll try to. Just don't tell Fleur, okay? She'll think we're finally eloping."

A soft chuckle escaped Gabby's lips. "Thank you, Harry. I think you'll both be busy, though. I'm not the same as Fleur. She's stronger than I am. I can't ignore everyone around me as easily as she does. I can feel their emotions in the magic they cast, their jealousy, their pity, their anger." She clenched the pebble in her hand. "They affect me."

Harry reassured her, "If there's anything I can do, you only have to ask."

Gabby shook her head. "I will survive. Maman says it's just a few years. Once the other girls have grown up a bit more, they start to see past things."

Harry agreed, "She probably knows."

Gabby nodded, a hint of mischief dancing in her eyes. "My sister's been waiting for you very impatiently since Christmas. What did you promise her?"

Harry chuckled. "Well, if you want to find out, you can try following us and making another picture."

Gabby laughed and stood up. "I think Fleur really might murder me." She extended her arm. "Can you Apparate me back? Fleur added you to the wards."

Harry took her hand and with a soft snap, they reappeared amidst her collection of shoes. "There we go."

"Thanks." Gabby flashed him a grin. "I'll get Fleur for you." She bounded up the stairs, calling Fleur's name and speculating on what they might be up to.

Harry shook his head and smiled as a faint blue light flickered down the stairs. A blushing Fleur appeared, with a slightly soot-stained Gabby trailing behind her.

"Keeping your promise?" Fleur inquired.

Gabby giggled and tried to be evasive. "Not like that."

Fleur stepped on Gabby's foot and remarked, "Maman needs to take the adult bits out of those books."

"But they're the best bits! You even folded all the corners of the pages down to mark them, Fleur!" Gabby protested.

Fleur blushed deeply. "You're dead!"

Gabby dashed for the kitchen with a squeal.

Harry grinned and offered his hand. "Well, that sounded interesting. Want to tell me about it?"

Fleur declined, "Tell you? No." She pressed herself close to him, her warmth enveloping him from her knees to her breasts. "But one day, mon Cœur, I might show you."

Harry coughed awkwardly. "Well–"

Fleur smirked, pushing her hips against him. "I think you like the idea. In fact, I can tell you like the idea a lot."

Heat flooded Harry's face. "Right, off we go."

He pictured the oversized bust of his ancestor and the serpent effigies of the main chamber, holding onto Fleur as they Apparated. They ended up sprawled on the cold, hard stone floor.

Fleur chuckled. "How do I always end up on the floor?"

Harry sat up, and Fleur straddled him. "I think this method of Apparition works well." She smirked. "So do you, it seems, mon Cœur."

Harry sat up as well and kissed her. "I'm sure if I wanted to find out, I'd discover that you like it a lot, too."

Fleur replied with a sultry smile, "Perhaps... but not now." She hopped to her feet. "Where is this?"

Harry teased, "The Chamber of Secrets."

Fleur wrinkled her nose. "Is it actually called that? And I don't know what that means."

Harry remarked with a chuckle, "The wizard who named it had a few issues with his ego." He gestured toward the giant bust of Salazar Slytherin.

Fleur tensed when she heard Salazar's parseltongue hiss. "I don't particularly like snakes, Harry."

Harry reassured her, "No snakes. Well, no real ones." He motioned to the room's decor. "The Chamber of Secrets was built by Salazar Slytherin to house a guardian to protect the school from attackers. It slumbered here until his descendant was able to enter the chamber, but Voldemort had his own purpose for it and set the basilisk on the students instead."

Fleur couldn't hide her disbelief. "Who puts a basilisk in a school full of children? It's not still here, is it?"

Harry laughed, "I asked the same question, and no, it's gone. In my second year, Voldemort managed to unleash it on the school again; it petrified Hermione, one of my friends at the time, and dragged Ginny Weasley down here."

Fleur raised an eyebrow. "You went after it. Of course you did."

Harry proudly replied, "I came down here and I killed it with a sword in a very dashing, heroic manner."

Salazar's painting muttered something under his breath, which Fleur noted with a scowl. "That explains why Ginny Weasley likes you. I guess there was some truth in that article about you, her, and Katie Bell."

Harry winced and gestured toward the faint, seventy-foot basilisk shadow. "There's not much left of the basilisk. It was taking up too much space."

Fleur whispered, "Merde. You're such an idiot; anyone less lucky would've died."

Salazar chimed in, "He nearly did. The idiot was bitten and had to be saved by phoenix tears. Fortunately, he's far less keen to play the hero these days."

Fleur flicked her silver hair over her shoulder. "Who is that, mon Cœur?"

Harry explained, "My ancestor. His painting hangs on the wall through there, presumably to perpetually irritate all of his descendants who find his Chamber of Secrets."

Fleur was taken aback. "You're descended from Salazar Slytherin?"

Harry affirmed, "Without a doubt." He led her into the study. "I'd imagine it's complicated, otherwise everyone would know."

Fleur realized, "This is where you got the books from."

Harry confirmed, "Yes. My Latin is pretty poor, but I know enough to get by, and most of them were helpfully translated by my predecessor."

Salazar greeted Fleur, "It's a pleasure to meet you face to face."

"In the flesh, so to speak," Harry quipped.

Salazar retorted, "Brat. Even this paint and canvas shadow is a greater wizard than you."

Fleur observed both Harry and the painting. "I can't see too many similarities."

Salazar responded, "There aren't many. He has my wife and daughter's nose, there's a little of me in his cheekbones and jaw, and perhaps the color of the hair, but little else."

Harry added, "It has been over a thousand years."

Fleur realized, "So this is where you kept sneaking off to last year." She picked up the time-turner and inspected it. "No wonder I could never figure out where you were going."

Harry asked, "Were you following me the entire time?"

Fleur admitted, "I was curious. You ought to have been more curious, then you would've come and talked to me sooner."

Harry teased, "It does explain where Gabby learned her stalking behavior from. You wouldn't have been able to get past the wards, anyway."

Salazar explained, 'The chamber is protected by blood magic wards. You have to be a blood relation to me, or invited by one, to enter my chamber.'

Fleur inquired, "Are there any others?"

Harry muttered, 'Just one.'

"Voldemort," Fleur concluded.

Salazar reassured her, "He will not be visiting; he hasn't in a very long time. And we will seal him out soon."

Fleur pressed further, "So, is this the last of your secrets?"

Harry grinned widely, prompting her to say, "I didn't think so."

Fleur countered, "You would only make more secrets, anyway, mon Cœur."

Harry admitted, "Well, I can't share some of the last ones unless you can protect your thoughts."

Salazar nodded, "Occlumency."

Fleur confirmed her ability, "I am passable. It's a requirement for applying to the Bureau d'Éngimes. My magic helps as well; the natural pull of it affects the mental connection. It is hard for most wizards to manipulate my thoughts with such a handicap."

Harry asked, "Could you defend your thoughts if someone tried to steal from them?"

Fleur replied confidently, "Of course. Maybe not against the most skilled wizards and witches, but the allure's pull gives me a big advantage."

Salazar gave advice, "Avoid Albus Dumbledore and Voldemort, and it'll be fine." Then he assumed, "I assume this is the discussion about horcruxes."

Harry was less than pleased. "Well, if it wasn't, it's going to be now, isn't it, you senile crayon-work?" He glared at the painting.

Salazar maintained his smug demeanor. "So I'm right either way, then."

Fleur, unfamiliar with the term, asked, "What are horcruxes?"

Harry began to explain, "Complicated. A very abstract piece of soul-based magic, but basically an anchor to the world. If you have one, you can't be killed, even if your body's destroyed."

Fleur, grasping the significance, remarked, "So that's how Voldemort survived." She examined the time-turner and the intricate runes etched into it. "We need to destroy it, then."

Salazar clarified, "There's been more than one, but I think there's probably only a couple left. Tom would've chosen a magically potent number, probably three."

Harry shared his concerns, saying, 'The prophecy's just the first step. A powerful wizard trying to kill a baby after hearing a prophecy that involves him? I doubt Voldemort is going to stop trying to kill me."

Fleur demanded, "What do we do?"

Salazar laughed.

Harry scowled at him and declared, "I need to see the prophecy, and I need to get the Ministry to accept the truth before Voldemort launches a surprise attack and crushes the majority of his opposition. It will get a bit tricky if it's just me against the entire country."

Fleur interjected, "We." Her eyes darkened slightly.

Harry, feeling a mix of emotions, reminded her, "You promised."

Fleur reassured him, "It is still our goal."

Harry expressed his doubts, "Well, our goal is to be stronger than Dumbledore and Voldemort, but they're so far beyond what I can do, I wonder if I'll even have time to get there."

Fleur inquired, "Why do you need to be stronger than Dumbledore? Is he not on your side?"

Harry responded with a hint of bitterness, "He believes I'm part of his side. But, like with all his pawns, he's just waiting for the best time to trade pieces."

Fleur's eyes darkened briefly to midnight blue, then returned to their usual hue. She proposed, "We should duel, then. Let's see how long you last against me before you start thinking about Dumbledore or Voldemort."

Salazar remarked, "Proud, isn't she?"

Harry shrugged, "With good reason. I kind of like it."

Salazar teased, "Oh, just kind of?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Shut up."

Salazar laughed and suggested, "She's good for you. Now go spend some time with her. She's more important than talking with some dusty old painting."

Fleur stood in the center of the chamber, her rosewood wand held upright before her face. "I almost thought you'd decided to forfeit..."

Harry retorted, "As if I'd miss the chance to beat you at something." He gestured at the serpent effigies. "Don't worry about breaking anything. It fixes itself."

Fleur set the rules, saying, "Normal rules. Nothing too dangerous and no saying anything but spells."

Harry raised his wand and confirmed, "Normal rules."

Fleur cast a glowing circle in the air, stretching it out to seven meters. She then raised her wand in readiness.

Harry mirrored her stance and remarked, "Let's see if I can't beat her again." He couldn't help but smother a smile, thinking, She'll pout so much.

Fleur initiated the duel with a trio of red jinxes, twirling the wand motions together. Harry deflected two of them back and sidestepped the last. He responded by throwing some of the school hexes he'd taught Neville at her. Fleur deftly danced through them, redirecting a few back at him, and turning and twisting him along the perimeter of the circle, testing his deflection skills to their limit.

Harry sent spells hissing from the tip of his wand as fast as he could manage. Fleur's spells ricocheted and burst against his flurry of magic, but she displayed remarkable agility as she dodged and swatted away anything that came too close to her. Her silver hair billowed as she moved, and she exhibited incredible flexibility as she bent and leaped through the storm of spells, making Harry temporarily lose his focus.

Harry quickly refocused and continued to duel, thinking, If I lose because I was staring at her, she'll never let me forget it.

Harry switched tactics, sending spells slicing past Fleur's shoulder and forcing her closer to him along the edge of the ring. Fleur scowled, then smirked and released a flash of light from her wand.

However, Harry's spells were caught in a shimmering barrier, suspended like flies in a web. He was baffled, wondering what it was. Fleur side-stepped around the barrier and sent a yellow spell hissing at him. Harry ducked, and it seared through his hair. Fleur followed up with half a dozen more yellow spells, her laughter trailing behind them.

Harry batted the first two away and allowed the others to whiz past, all while thinking of a new plan. He animated the serpent effigies along the walls, pouring his magic into them and creating a shield to withstand Fleur's spells. He kept his distance and backed along the outside of the ring. The stone snakes coiled around Fleur's legs, but she managed to turn them to dust.

Realizing his plan had failed, Harry conjured a swarm of butterflies and launched a stream of transfigured projectiles at Fleur, forcing her to create a shield of her own. Harry then used his magic to draw water from the pool behind Fleur and transfigured it into a basilisk, coiling it around her shield until the pressure burst the barrier. A flash of bright flame severed the basilisk, and Fleur managed to escape.

"Expelliarmus," Harry murmured, snatching Fleur's wand out of the air and waving it aloft.

However, Fleur retaliated, sending a burst of heat and bright blue light at his chest, knocking him out of the circle and across the floor. She waved a hand, coated in azure flames, at him, while her fire-wreathed fingers wiggled.

Harry stood up, dusted himself off, and declared, "I do not need my wand to conjure fire, mon Cœur." He gestured toward the wand he was holding. "I'd already disarmed you and won. You said normal rules, so that includes no sneaky veela attacks."

Fleur scowled but then shrugged.

Harry asked her, "So what did you think?"

Fleur responded with a pout, "What do I think? I am a talented duellist, eighteen, and did the best I could, but I still got overpowered by a fifteen-year-old. It's annoying."

'I'm not angry with you, mon Cœur,' Fleur assured him. She stepped forward and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. 'I just don't like losing.'

Harry asked, "So I did well?"

Fleur waved her wand at the fragments of the serpents and restored the chamber. "I use a counter-attacking style. I don't have the brute force to break through defenses, but I can dodge, deflect, and defend very well. It's effective in the ring and more effective outside it when I have more room, but I only created one opening. It's frustrating."

"That's pretty much how I felt while watching you weave around everything I did, no matter how fast I tried to go," Harry admitted, wrapping his hands around her waist. "And whatever you did to freeze my spells."

Fleur explained, "Wards. I am good with wards; I think the right way for them."

Harry smiled and said, "Salazar expects all his descendants to be good at the same things he was. He says I'm good at abstract magic, like blood, soul, and mind magic."

Fleur sighed and added, "And transfiguration. I tried to turn your serpents back on you by re-enchanting them, but imbuing my magic over yours was like pouring water onto glass."

"Is Gabby good at wards?" Harry asked.

Fleur nodded. "She is good at all the same things as me, but she has a softer touch. It works better for some things and not others, depending on the intent of the magic. Her enchantments play nicer with other people than mine."

Harry conjured a seat for them and settled into it. Fleur draped herself over his lap and asked, "What now?"

"Well, I'm going to talk to Rita Skeeter tomorrow," Harry replied. "I'm sure you remember her..."

Fleur muttered, "Oh yes, I remember her. She deserves anything and everything that happens to her. Such a spiteful, petty, shallow little girl."

'She's an animagus, most likely an unregistered one,' Harry mused, tucking his wand away as he gently ran his fingers through Fleur's silver locks. 'I owe her for that article she wrote about Katie and Ginny. Potshots aimed at me, I can brush off, but that was a step too far. I intend to persuade her to put her talents to more valuable use, like raising awareness about Voldemort's return or discrediting his followers within the Ministry.'

Fleur nodded in agreement, her eyes reflecting a mixture of determination and concern. 'I'm coming,' she declared. 'I promised not to get involved when it was too dangerous, but this time, I'm definitely coming.'

Harry grappled with the sharp, icy grip of fear tightening around his heart. 'But,' he began cautiously, 'the risk... If things go awry, you could be hurt, or worse. Your actions could have significant repercussions for your family, and as of now, no one knows you're connected to me. So, you're safe as long as you aren't seen with me.'

Fleur's eyes narrowed slightly, darkening a few shades. 'Then I will accompany you under your invisibility cloak. No one will know.'

Harry wrestled with his concerns but couldn't ignore the unwavering determination gleaming in her almost-black eyes. 'You can come,' he finally conceded, 'but you must promise to stay hidden.'

She pursed her lips but relented. 'Fine, I promise.'

Harry leaned in and kissed her gently on the cheek. 'Thank you. I know you dislike it, but I need you to remain safe.'

'I won't make promises like this all the time,' Fleur replied, her eyes shifting to an even deeper shade. 'I refuse to stay hidden while you take all the risks. I am not some distant destination for you to journey towards. We'll walk this path together.'

Harry couldn't help but smile at her determination. 'I'd have to be a fool to turn down the assistance of a witch like you every time.'

Fleur playfully retorted, 'You are a fool, you know. You once tried to kill a basilisk with a sword.'

Harry chuckled, his eyes glinting with amusement. 'In my defense, I didn't have my wand at the time.'

Fleur laughed, the sound like music. 'When are we going tomorrow?'

'Probably in the evening,' Harry replied with a casual shrug. 'The timing isn't set in stone.'

Fleur raised an eyebrow, her playful tone returning. 'Do you ever attend your lessons? Isn't there something important you should be doing at school?'

Harry glanced at her from head to toe, a mischievous glint in his eye. 'Well, there is one thing...'

A faint blush tinged Fleur's cheeks. 'Be careful, mon Cœur. I may just take you up on that sooner than you think.'

Harry teased, 'I'm fairly certain you're supposed to wait until I'm sixteen, you cradle-robber.'

Fleur laughed and then turned serious. She traced the fading scar on his forehead with her fingertip. 'It's less red now. I think it might disappear completely.'

Harry nodded. 'The rituals, perhaps.'

Fleur closed her eyes and brushed her hair away from her face. 'I'm going to take a nap. You can run your fingers through my hair if you like. It feels nice.'

Harry obliged, massaging the back of her neck as he ran his fingers through her hair. 'Warming charm, please, mon Trésor,' Fleur requested.

He cast the spell on his hands and cradled her head in his lap. 'Better?'

Fleur snuggled closer, tucking her knees against his side. 'Much better. Now, hush. This is nice.

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