Chapter 36: Harry on a Date
AN: What would a date with Harry Potter be like?
Enjoy!
The recognizable Sections belong to JKR
Chapter 36
November 29th, 1994
How was this possible? How come, he was more nervous right now, than before his final in the dueling championship or facing off against a dragon?
Today was Sunday and in an hour, Harry would pick up Fleur at the carriage to visit Hogsmeade together for a date. He, Harry Potter, would be going on a date with Fleur Delacour. If someone had told him a year ago what his plans for today would be, Harry would have laughed and hexed him pretty badly afterward.
"You're fine Harry! Now go get some breakfast and stop staring at your reflection." Salazar groaned.
"Shut up, old man, the last time you went on a date was probably a millennia ago. What do you even know?" Harry replied, heatedly.
"I know that being on time is important and that you still haven't eaten. So get your ass up into the Great Hall, already."
"Fine, I'll see you later. Wish me luck." Harry grinned and left the Chamber.
The Great Hall was crowded with students enjoying breakfast together. Harry sat down at the Ravenclaw table, ignoring the angry stares from some of his housemates. After his victory in the first task, the House of wisdom and wit had been split into two parties.
Many of the younger years argued that casting Harry out had not been a smart move in the first place. Ravenclaw lost a very powerful member and the chance of future glory and prestige.
Most of the upper years would not hear any of it. The majority had stuck to Roger Davies, who still argued that Harry somehow stole his spot in the tournament. They simply couldn't see past their jealousy.
Harry ignored any attempts from his former housemates to apologize to him. They had made a decision and he made his. He would never forget it… and he would never forgive them either.
As usual, Harry was facing the Slytherin Table when sitting down, with his back to the Hufflepuffs. The puffs might dislike him, but Harry did not believe them capable of actually attacking him. With the Slytherins, it was a different story.
Something was going on at the table of the snakes. The group around Krum was in heated arguments with some sixth and seventh-year Slytherins. Harry recognized some of the students as family members of the Death Eaters he had killed. On the Durmstrang side, there were also a couple of former opponents from the dueling tournaments in the group.
A few times a member of the group would shoot a quick look at him. Were they planning something? So far, Slytherin had not retaliated against him, even after branding him an enemy of the House. They could try their luck, as long as they did not interrupt his date with Fleur that is.
He returned to his breakfast and finished a letter to Borgin, simultaneously.
Dear Mr. Borgin,
You have my gratitude for your generous efforts. I would like to purchase the third model, which allows multiple people to enter and the three-dimensional projection of memories. The price of 15.000 galleons shall be paid with the revenue generated by:
The sale of a vial of Basilisk Venom (5000 Galleons)
The entire heart of a Hungarian Horntail (Estimate: 6000 Galleons)
Roughly 100 square feet of dragonhide (Estimate: 50 Galleons per square feet)
Any additional revenue you generate by the sale of these materials shall belong to you as the broker.
Let me know if these conditions are acceptable.
I remain in high hopes for a successful business transaction between us all,
Harry James Potter
That should do. Harry placed the finished letter in his robes. He would ask Dobby to deliver it to Borgin later. Now, it was time to pick up a French beauty.
Harry exited the Great Hall and made his way out to the grounds and the Beauxbaton carriage. When he arrived at the door to the impressive construction, he knocked three times.
A brown-haired boy opened the door after a couple of seconds and eyed Harry warily:
"How can I help you, Monsieur?"
"I am here to pick up Mademoiselle Delacour for a tour of the Village Hogsmeade. Could you let her know that I am here?" Harry replied politely in French.
The boy nodded, went back inside, and returned after a brief moment: "She will be with you shortly."
Harry thanked the boy, took a couple of steps backward, and waited. Something didn't feel right, he had forgotten something important.
"Oh shit!" Harry whispered. The flowers!
Harry quickly flicked his wand back into his hand.
"Orchideous!" he cast silently and thought of the lilies he wanted to conjure. The bouquet appeared out of thin air and Harry quickly snatched it, as the door to the Carriage opened once more.
Fleur Delacour stepped down a few steps from the carriage and walked towards him. Her platinum-blonde hair was in an elegant braid under her light blue earmuffs, which matched the mittens she was wearing on each hand. She wore a thick dark blue winter cloak and some black knee-high boots with a modest heel. She looked very cute.
Harry met her halfway and greeted her with a quick hug, careful not to damage the flowers.
"These are for you, Mademoiselle." He handed over the bouquet of lilies, emitting a faint blush from the girl.
"Thank you, Monsieur, I will quickly take them to my room," Fleur grinned. "I will be right back with you."
A minute later, Fleur was back outside and the two walked back to the Castle, to take the cobblestone road to Hogsmeade. The weather was really nice today. Of course, it was very cold and soon the first snow would start falling. However, at least today, the sun was shining and it seemed like any students that were allowed to visit the village used their opportunity.
"These Hogsmeade trips are really popular, non?" Fleur asked him, walking at his side among the masses of other students.
"They really are. It's a beautiful village, you will see." Harry promised and they continued a light chatter. After about 15 minutes the two arrived at the village.
"So, the most popular shops among the students are the Honeydukes, that's where you can buy all sorts of sweets. Then there is Zonko's joke shop. I think the name explains it very well. There is also the Three Broomsticks, which is the most popular pub. We could have some lunch there later on if you would like?"Harry suggested.
"Sounds fine, to me. Take me to the candy store first!" Fleur pouted with big eyes and pulled Harry's hand.
"Okay, okay!" Harry laughed. "Someone has a sweet tooth, I see, but it's actually in the other direction, Fleur."
Fleur nodded and quickly regained some of her usual composure. Harry noticed that she still had not let go of his hand. Not that he minded in the slightest. They walked down the street to Honeydukes and entered the store. Chocolate and sweet cake seem to be Fleur's favorites, as she bought a bag full of sweets. Soon after, the two were doing some light window shopping, with Fleur stepping in the occasional store and pulling Harry with her. One of the stores sold fancy dress robes for males and females.
The Yule Ball had been announced to the Ravenclaws by Professor Flitwick a day after the first task. Harry had already been asked by a variety of girls from different houses. Apparently, his popularity at least in the female student population was slowly healing.
He had pushed the topic to the back of his head and not accepted any of the invitations so far. If he was honest, there was only one girl he would like to go with and she was standing next to him, checking out a couple of dress robes. Should he just ask her?
"So, what do you think about the Yule Ball?" Harry tried to approach the topic.
A small smile tugged the corner of Fleur's lips: "It could be a fun event, with the right partner, of course. So far, I have lost count on how often I have been asked already. None of the boys have held up to my standards yet." Fleur replied, seemingly very interested in a particular dress.
"Well," Harry tried again. "I checked the rules and apparently Champions are allowed to attend together, that's interesting, right?"
"That is indeed interesting…" Fleur simply replied. Apparently, she had lost interest in the dress and turned to leave the store. Harry groaned inwardly. Why was she making this so difficult! Was she doing it on purpose?
They stepped back on the main street and went over to the next store when Harry finally pulled himself together. 'Come one, Potter, just ask her.'
He stopped Fleur in the middle of the street by gently tugging her hand. The Veela shot him a curious look, but Harry could swear he saw a small grin playing at the corner of her mouth. Her eyes seemed bigger and a deeper shade of blue than ever before. Harry gulped:
"Fleur Isabelle Delacour," He started: "There is no one I would rather spend the evening of the Ball with." He paused for a couple of seconds, now holding both her hands in his. Then he continued:
"Would you do me the honor of allowing me to accompany you to the Yule Ball?"
Fleur simply returned his intense gaze for a couple of seconds, before the small smile took over her entire face and her eyes beamed brightly.
"I would love to attend the Ball at your side, Harry James Potter."She leaned forward slightly and placed a soft lingering kiss on his left cheek.
"Thank you for asking me, Harry" She whispered before turning around, squeezing Harry's hand once more and gesturing for him to follow her to the Three Broomsticks.
Harry was still a bit dazed. What just happened? He had been so sure that he could throw off her Allure, had he grown weaker? He shook himself out of his trance and followed the witch next to him.
He had done it… He couldn't believe his luck. He would be going with Fleur to the Ball. He was sure there was nothing that could ruin today. Harry was so lost in thought, that he didn't even see the narrowed eyes of a couple of students as he passed the crowd in front of the pub.
Fleur spotted a small table in the back corner and excitedly pulled Harry in that direction. Harry helped her out of her long thick coat and pulled the chair back like a true gentleman, earning him a peal of musical laughter from his date.
Underneath her cloak, Fleur was wearing simple, form-fitting, blue muggle jeans and a slim black, high neck sweatshirt with the Beauxbaton Crest. She took off her mittens and the cute earmuffs before taking a look at the menu.
Harry took his seat and followed her example. The two continued a pleasant chat over lunch when Harry spotted Cho Chang at a table close to the entrance of the pub. She was currently in a very intense make-out session with Roger Davies.
Harry couldn't hold back his laughter. Fleur turned in the direction he was looking at and her eyes narrowed when she saw Chang.
"At the beginning of the year, Chang started flirting with me. As soon my name came out of the cup, she turned her attention to 'The Real Hogwarts Champion' Diggory, instead. The two were practically attached to the hip and snogging at every possible opportunity." Harry explained.
Fleur continued for him: "And now that Diggory's performance in the first task was not satisfactory, she has dropped him and turned her attention to someone else. I detest girls like her. Those are the kind of girls that blame me for stealing their boyfriends after hopping from guy to guy within a single week."
"Have you had a boyfriend before?" Harry asked curiously. He didn't know how he would react if she had. He knew that she was single as of now, otherwise, she wouldn't go on a date with him, right?
Fleur laughed at his question: "Harry, you are the first boy I can even talk to without feeling like they are only interested in my body and beauty. Do you honestly believe I could go on a date like ours with any of those weak-minded boys in here?"
Harry took a look around. Indeed, almost all the males from the tables around them were staring at Fleur and some were even drooling. Their company, in many cases their dates, had to literally shake or slap them, to pull them out of their trance.
"No, I guess not," Harry chuckled. "I mean, I don't have any experience either, there have been way more important things going on for me here at Hogwarts than dating…"
Fleur eyed him curiously: "I have only been here for a month now, but I heard so many rumors about you already, Harry. Why don't you tell me about your time here at Hogwarts and afterward I tell you about my years at Beauxbaton?"
Harry thought carefully… It couldn't hurt to give Fleur an overview of some of his adventures. He did not have to mention all the details. "Well, you know that I learned French from the Flamels during the summer after my first year. I could tell you how I came in contact with them…" Harry grinned.
Fleur nodded eagerly. So Harry cast a few simple privacy wards and began telling the Veela about his first adventure. He started with the troll and how he saved Granger. Then, he of course included finding out about Fluffy and the Philosopher's Stone. Finally, he told Fleur about his adventure down underneath the third-floor corridor, including the different tasks and defeating Quirrell in front of the Mirror.
"I can't believe you had to kill for the first time at age eleven, Harry,'' Fleur sighed and squeezed his hand. At some point during the story, she had started taking both his hands in hers.
"I have heard about this Mirror of Erised before, did you manage to take a look inside it? What did you see?" Fleur asked eagerly.
Harry visibly gulped, oh hell. Well, he didn't have to go into too much detail right?
"I know I saw myself, stronger and more powerful, and I stood in between my family," he added carefully.
Fleur's eyes shone brightly and a genuine smile appeared on her face. Harry squeezed her hand lightly: "What do you think you would see? What is your heart's deepest desire?"
"A very personal question for a first date, don't you think, Monsieur Potter?" Fleur laughed.
"I'd say it's better than sneaking through a dark forest and watching fire-spitting dragons. Besides, you literally just asked me the same question. I'm simply returning the favor." Harry grinned.
Fleur simply looked at him for a moment: "I think I might see something similar to you. My family would probably be involved, and you know that I am ambitious and want to prove myself to the world- Prove that I am more than just a pretty face. It's a shame the mirror was destroyed…"
Harry nodded and continued his story, finishing with blackmailing the greatest Alchemist into accepting him as an apprentice and spending the summer with them in France.
Fleur shook her head in amusement: "If that was only your first year, I can't wait to hear about your other two years, Harry."
Harry checked his watch. They had been here for over three hours already. It was 4 pm now and it was slowly getting dark outside.
"That will have to wait for another time, perhaps a second date?"Harry shot her a mischievous smile before helping the Veela out of her chair and into her coat.
"Perhaps," Fleur simply replied with a smile, putting her ear muffs and mittens back on, before turning towards the exit.
"Could we go to the Owlery before returning to the Castle? I have a letter for Gabby." Fleur asked as the two made their way towards the edge of the village.
"Sure, you can take Hedwig for it. Ever since I let Dobby deliver my correspondence, she has become lazy." Harry laughed.
Fleur gave him a smile and grabbed his hand once more as if it was the most natural thing to do. Harry felt very relieved. The date had been a success. He even secured his partner for the Yule Ball.
The two entered the Owlery and Hedwig seemed more than happy to finally deliver some mail again. It was almost 5 pm and dark outside when Fleur and Harry stepped out of the Owlery building. As they walked down the pathway back to the Castle, Harry felt something.
Something was wrong, a flash of light appeared some 30 meters ahead of them and only thanks to Harry's incredible reflexes, did he manage to flick his wand in his palm and bat the spell to his side. He returned fire with a piercing hex and grimaced as a yell of pain echoed through the darkness.
Meanwhile, Fleur had let go of his hand and cast a couple of illuminating balls of pure light around them, which increased the visibility of the entire area. That was a handy spell, Harry would need to ask Fleur about it later.
One by one, shadows stepped into the light around them. Harry recognized the faces of grim-looking Durmstrang students and upper-year Slytherins. He heard them approaching from his side and rear as well. They were completely surrounded.
They were still within the wards of the Castle. They could not apparate from here and calling Dobby might risk the elf's life. They would have to fight their way out of this. Warrington and Krum both stepped forwards, side by side, evil grins on their faces.
"Good evening, Gentlemen, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" Harry asked calmly, but his eyes narrowed and the grip on his wand tightened.
"No pleasantries will be exchanged tonight, Potter. If we decide to let you survive this, you're gonna be a broken man."
"You have no idea who you are messing with," Harry hissed and the temperature around them dropped significantly as his eyes flashed brightly.
"Oh, I think I do," Replied Warrington with a smirk: "That's why I brought some backup, there are 25 of us and only two of you tonight. This is too much, even for you, Potter."
Harry thought quickly. He did not care if he himself was injured, but they would leave Fleur out of this.
"Let the Beauxbaton Champion go, she is not involved in this," Harry replies.
"She helped you kill our family members and publicly embarrassed some of these fellow gentlemen from Durmstrang, I think she is very involved in this. I will enjoy keeping you conscious and forcing you to watch, as each of us takes your Veela whore and satisfies his needs over and over again."
"I would razer die, zan let any of you touch moi, wizz your filzy handz." Fleur growled, Harry could feel the heat radiating from her beside him.
"Not yet," Harry whispered to her.
"It's not going to come to that, Warrington, let us go and we will forget this whole thing. Otherwise, I promise this will end ugly for you."
"Wide-Range-Incendio on your side, I will cast a shield and a special surprise," Harry whispered to the Veela beside him and received a short nod in confirmation.
Warrington and Krum just laughed.
"I will cut zat Crest you wear so proudly in your skin tonight, Potter." The Bulgarian sneered, raising his wand.
"Hurt him or kill him if you have to! Leave ze Veela whore unharmed if pozible, I want a piece of her, too." Krum laughed and the boys around him joined in.
Now was the time, when they were distracted:
"NOW!" Harry shouted and felt the heat behind him as Fleur cast a powerful Incendio. Harry slammed his palms together and created a dome around the two, using the same spell he had used against Krum's Fiendfyre.
"We have a couple of seconds before the dome breaks. However, this will hold them off." Harry explains before raising his wand upwards.
"ELICIO TENEBRIS INCIMICO!" Harry hissed in Parseltongue.
The ethereal Thestral erupted from his wand and easily galloped through the barrier in Harry's dome, which he had perfectly timed.
The creature started breaking through the ring of attackers, eliciting screams of pain as it made contact with some of its victims. Harry and Fleur went on the attack now and mercilessly fired bone-breakers and piercing-hexes at their opponents. The first victims were struck by the couple's spells.
Suddenly, the entire area lit up brightly, as Fawkes flamed into the middle of the battle, accompanied by the Headmaster. Dumbeldore spun his wand like a whip over his head and before Harry could react, something incredibly strong pulled him to his knees. He felt Fleur beside him fighting against the spell but to no avail.
All around him every single attacker was now lying unconsciously on the grounds. Dumbledore had used the Hogwarts wards to almost instantly overpower any wizard or witch in the area. Harry felt the effects of the wards diminishing and started panting, still kneeling on the floor. His Inimicus had disappeared, just like his dome. The ancient wards of the Castle had overpowered every permanent spell that had been cast.
"I always wondered how strong those wards truly were," Harry gasped, slowly pulling himself upwards.
Dumbledore quickly walked over towards him. "What happened, Harry?"
"Fleur and I were ambushed on our way back to the Castle by this lot…" Harry gestured to the boys lying all around them. "You came right when the fun began, we just started fighting back, Sir."
Dumbledore frowned, pulled out his wand once more, and conjured his Patronus:
"Tell Minerva, Filius, Severus, and the Headmasters of Durmstrang and Beauxbaton to come to the Owlery immediately."
The Patronus disappeared right after. Harry turned around and lifted Fleur into his arms to see if she was injured. Meanwhile, Dumbedlore checked some of their attackers: "Fawkes, take these three to Madam Pomfrey, if we act fast we can still save their lives."
The Phoenix disappeared in a bright flame with the first injured Slytherin, only to pick up the other ones a few seconds later. Meanwhile, Harry had conjured a couple of blankets for Fleur. She was unharmed and Harry decided to wake her up with an Enervate:
Fleur groaned as she opened her eyes and immediately tried to get back up, thinking the fighting still continued.
"Shhh, it's okay, it's over," Harry calmed her, squeezing her hand and tucking some stray hairs behind her ear. "Dumbledore came and used the wards to instantly end the fight, all our attackers are unconscious." Harry reassured her.
Harry watched as the adrenaline and shock slowly faded from the Veela's eyes and her breathing stabilized. Just then, the professors and heads of foreign schools arrived.
"Dumbly-door, what iz going on here?" Madame Maxime asked the ancient Headmaster, who had started levitating the unconscious boys and separating the Durmstrangs from the Slytherins.
"Ms. Delacour and Mr. Potter were attacked by a group of students. Igor, Severus, I want you to revive your students right now and guide them back to the Great Hall. If I only see a single face missing when I arrive myself in 10 minutes, I will personally make sure they spend time in Azkaban."
Karkaroff seems to disagree: "Now, Dumbledore, listen here, my students have nothing to do with this, I am sure this is either a misunderstanding or the Potter brat…"
Karkaroff spoke no further words, as Dumbledore had walked over to the man. The Headmaster was radiating pure magic at this point:
"You are a guest in this country and on these school grounds, we will watch a memory of the events and figure out what happened together. Until then, you will escort your students back into the Great Hall and wait for me. Do you understand, Igor?"
Karkaroff gulped. Sweat started dripping from his forehead and he walked over to the dozen students from Durmstrang and started reviving them one by one.
Harry helped Fleur into a sitting position, as Madame Maxime ensured once more that her Champion was unharmed. Flitwick and McGonagall had gone back to clear the Great Hall. The delegation from Durmstrang and Slytherin made their way back to the Castle, followed by Harry, Fleur, Dumbledore, and Madame Maxime.
Even though it should have been dinner time, no students remained in the Great Hall. Sirius had been called and Harry briefly explained the situation to him. He remained with Harry, Fleur, and Madam Maxime. Dumbledore had flamed into his office to get his Pensieve. Harry was eager to see the projection runes in action.
"Due to existing rivalries between Mr. Potter and both the Durmstrang champion, as well as the Slytherins students that were present, I suggest viewing Ms. Delacour's memory of the events, if she agrees," Dumbledore says, as he placed the Pensieve on the head table.
Fleur nodded her agreement and allowed the Headmaster to bring his wand to her temple. After a few seconds, he pulled away, with the silvery substance of Fleur's memories still attached to the tip of his wand. Dumbledore placed the memories in the Pensieve and activated the projection by tapping a couple of the runes with his wand.
The audience watched in complete silence as Harry and Fleur exited the Owlery and Harry blocked the first attack. Madam Maxime and Professor McGonagall seemed about ready to launch themselves at Warrington and Krum after the boys mention what they intended on doing to Fleur.
Everyone watched in awe as the fight began and Harry conjured the barrier and his Inimicus right after. Then Dumbledore flames between the two parties and the memory ends, as Fleur loses her consciousness.
Dumbledore looked at the two groups of students in utter disappointment. If Harry ever thought the man had been disappointed with him, it was nothing to the current expressions on the Headmaster's face:
"I think it is quite clear that both Ms. Delacour and Mr. Potter acted in self-defense. Mr. Potter tried to defuse the situation multiple times and was not looking for the initial confrontation. These two groups of students…"
Dumbledore pointed at the boys in Dumstrang red and Slytherin green robes.
"Decided to attack two champions and intended on using their sheer number to subdue their opponents. As we clearly witnessed, they intended to do unspeakable things to one of them afterward."
"Do you deny any of this, Igor?" He turned to Karkaroff.
The man seemed very conflicted: "I am sure they only wanted to scare Mr. Potter a bit. This is just some rivalry between the champions, which simply got out of hand, things like these have happened often during the Triwizard Tournament when emotions run high."
Dumbledore looked at Karkaroff with utter disgust.
"Your students involved in this attack will leave Britain tonight. Mr. Krum will be allowed to continue participating in this tournament, as required by the magical contract with the Goblet. He is stripped of any of the privileges he enjoyed so far, including the resources of the Hogwarts Library. The only further event, at which he will set a foot in this Castle, is for the Yule Ball, where he will be closely watched."
Karakroff looked ready to protest, but Dumbledore shut him up again.
"Take you students and leave right now, Igor."
The Durmstrang Headmaster walked over to his students and gestured for them to leave. A couple of them sneered at Fleur on their way out of the Great Hall. This was not really a punishment for them, they would simply return to Durmstrang and continue their education.
Harry felt his blood starting to boil, it was only due to Fleur squeezing his hand ever so slightly, that he stopped himself from cursing every single one of them for what they intended to do.
Dumbledore turned to Snape: "Severus, I have been more than lenient with the way you manage your own house. This ends now. Every single Slytherin involved is hereby expelled for violently attacking a fellow student and foreign guest."
"Headmaster, some of these boys are still children, some are taking their OWLS and NEWTS this year. I urge you to recon-" Snape blustered.
"My decision is final, Severus. Lead them down to the dungeon and make sure their trunks are packed by tonight. The Hogwarts Express will take them back to London tomorrow morning."
Snape and his Students left the Great Hall. None of them sneered back at Harry or Fleur. They have just destroyed their own future and were now slowly realizing it.
"Ms. Delacour, Harry, I cannot express how sorry I am for not taking action sooner. I assure you that I will update the security around the Castle, to ensure something like this never happens again. Hogwarts is a place for education and learning, not deadly confrontations and treacherous attacks.
I suggest you head to your respective dormitories for tonight. A house-elf will supply you with some dinner, should you feel like it. Harry, if you could accompany Ms. Delacour to the carriage. I have a couple more things to discuss with Madame Maxime." Dumbledore smiled.
Madame Maxime seemed to be fine with leaving Fleur in Harry's care. After all, the boy had proven to be very protective of her this very night. Harry nodded and helped Fleur up from her seat.
They did not exchange any words on their way back to the carriage. They were simply holding hands and enjoying some last closeness together, at least for the night.
"Thank you for an amazing date, Fleur. I am really sorry things ended the way they did, but I am not sorry for the time we spent together earlier." Harry finally spoke as they had almost reached the carriage.
"It's not your fault, Harry, I should have presumed that going on a date with Harry Potter would turn into an adventure." Fleur smiled softly at him.
She leaned in for a hug and Harry enjoyed her unique scent and warm soft body pressed against his. It felt so relaxing to simply hold her.
Fleur moved her face a couple of inches back from his, holding his cheek gently with one hand: "Just promise me the next one will be a bit more untroubled, Harry."
With that, she leaned in and gave him a short, but hot kiss to the corner of his mouth. Harry hitched as he felt her breath on his skin. He wanted nothing more than to lean in and kiss her properly, but maybe he should wait just a bit yet. Instead, he gave her a lopsided grin, as Fleur opened the door to the carriage:
"So there will be a second date?"
Fleur looked back at him over her shoulder: "Of course, Harry. Hopefully many more, actually."
Chapter 37: A Yule Story
AN: Time for the Yule Ball and some very cute HarryxFleur scenes.
Well, I guess I have to ask:
What do you guys think about SOFT! lemons in future chapters?
Is stuff like that necessary, or could you deal without it?
As always, enjoy!
The recognizable sections belong to JKR
Chapter 37
November 30th, 1994
On Monday morning, the entire Castle knew that something extraordinary must have happened. Of course, it was quite obvious, since roughly half of the Durmstrangs and many upper-year Slytherins were missing. In addition, somehow in some way, Rita Skeeter had witnessed the entire event last night. Today's edition of the Daily Prophet had a large picture of Harry and Fleur holding hands and walking through Hogsmeade on its front page.
Dueling Duet on the Defense
By Rita Skeeter
I am sure all of my readers are familiar with the tragic and dramatic story of Harry Potter and Fleur Delacour. They started off as fierce enemies, confronting each other at the opposite end of the dueling platform. Then they became allies in need, fighting against Death Eaters, side by side. Now, fate seems to be playing a wicked game, matching them against one another as Champions for their respective schools in the Triwizard Tournament.
However, like Tristan and Isolde, like Romeo and Juliet, the former opponents are now finally pursuing a romantic relationship that many of my frequent readers have foreseen for some time.
"The two are simply made for each other. Both are extremely good-looking and talented teenagers. Powerful individuals like that are always drawn to one another." Commented Mafalda Hopkirk, a frequent reader of Witch Weekly.
Indeed, Fleur Delacour and Harry Potter decided to finally give their blossoming romance a try and went on their very first public date in the village of Hogsmeade. As one can see in the photos, the two very much enjoyed their time spent together and were caught exchanging small gestures of affection, frequently.
However, Britain's most flirtatious teenage couple was not prepared for a rather unpleasant surprise at the end of their day. According to our reports, the couple was on its way back from the Hogwarts Owlery in the early evening and ran right into a treacherous ambush by a mix between Hogwarts and Durmstrang students.
The ambush was led by none other than the International Pro-Athlete, Victor Krum, and Slytherin Star-Student, Cassius Warrington. The Slytherin students and guests from Durmstrang started provoking the couple and soon after, started their attack. Rest assured my dear readers, that our knight in shining armor and his more than capable French princess, remained unharmed during the short but deadly confrontation. Albus Dumbledore came to the rescue and immediately stopped the attack.
It is yet unknown what led the Durmstrang delegation and members of House Slytherin to attack Mr. Potter and Ms. Delacour. Many believe it to be jealousy, as just a few hours before the confrontation, the couple agreed to accompany each other to the Triwizard Tournament's Yule Ball. According to Ms. Delacour herself, she had been heavily sought after and asked numerous times to accompany various male students to the legendary Ball. Was it the rejection, linked with the couple's declaration of going together, that led the larger group to attack them?
What reasons did our guests from Durmstrang have to participate in this attack? Only three weeks earlier, Mr. Potter defeated Victor Krum in a spectacular duel, and one week ago, he achieved a better score for his heavily criticized strategy in finishing the first task.
Could envy and revenge have led Victor Krum and his fellow peers to join forces with the Slytherins and carry out the attack together?
In any case, the involved students have been punished harshly. Any Durmstrang student, who took part in the attack, has been sent back to their school. Similarly, the members of house Slytherin have been expelled from Hogwarts. The backlash on Albus Dumbledore and his decision will only spread, as many of those students were currently sitting their OWLs and even NEWTs.
We are all eager to further accompany our Dueling Duet on their journey to find love and will keep our readers up to date.
For further exclusive photos of the two champions on their date, turn to page 3
For a detailed discussion of Harry Potter's strategy during the first task, turn to page 5
Wow, again, the article was surprisingly accurate if one ignored the obvious bias. How did Skeeter find out all those details? Did the reporter follow them within Hogsmeade? Harry was usually pretty good at keeping an eye on his surroundings, but with Fleur next to him, it was easy to get distracted, more often than not.
Skeeter couldn't have been with them outside the owlery. When the wards activated, whatever disguise she was using would have failed. But that means that she somehow must have found a way into the Great Hall to watch the entire memory.
Harry had underestimated the woman. If she was capable of that, what else could she do? Where else did she have access to?
Fleur slipped in the seat on the bench next to him, giving him a small smile before helping herself to some breakfast. Harry passed the copy of the newspaper over to her:
"How do you think she did it?"
Fleur frowned as she started reading. Harry could see her thoughts racing behind her deep blue eyes. She finished the article:
"I honestly don't know, Harry, but we have to be careful with her. At least she did not stray too far from the truth this time. She also didn't make me look like a total damsel in distress…" Fleur laughed.
Harry looked over to the Slytherin table. What did this mean for the hierarchy within the house of the snakes? With Warrington gone, there would definitely be another upper-year pureblood leading the Slytherins, but who?
Malfoy might have the name, family influence, and galleons, but he was not a natural leader. Any of the remaining Slytherins were careful enough not to involve themselves in Warrington's scheme and attacks. Would house Slytherin remain aggressive towards him, or could they make some sort of peace? Only time would tell.
December 14th, 1994
Two weeks after the attack, the expulsion of the Slytherins was pushed back and became the second hottest topic at Hogwarts. The approaching Yule Ball had everyone excited and stood at the center of many discussions in the Castle. Harry was very glad that he had taken care of his affairs early on and did not need to worry about it.
Despite their very public declaration of going together, thanks to the Prophet, Fleur was still asked numerous times each day. At least now she had a very valid excuse and simply stated that she was already attending with someone. Harry could finally relax. None of the Hogwarts girls were naive enough to believe that he would ditch a bombshell Veela just to take them as a date. They avoided any possible humiliation and did not ask him out any further.
Fleur and Harry were both incredibly busy. Still, Fleur managed to join him for a workout every other morning and the teenagers sometimes found an hour or so to talk in the afternoon. Fleur was busy with preparations for her OWLs, training for the other tasks, and, most importantly, solving the riddle of the golden egg.
Harry spent his time with his usual routine of working out every day, attending the classes he felt like, and his own studies, including solving the golden egg. He, however, had the advantage of eight additional hours per day. Those were much needed since Harry also delved deeper into finishing his dragonfly spell.
"I think the ratio between wingspan and body weight is now optimized," Salazar says, watching Harry's latest attempt at conjuring his heavily manipulated dragonflies.
"I agree," Harry says, as he vanishes his conjuration. "We were able to further decrease the size of the body and reduce a lot of weight. At the same time, the wingspan now covers almost 50% more area and remains fully transparent. The dragonfly still dies to the killing curse, so the next step will be implementing the duplication charm to increase the conjured quantity. For the beginning, I will simply start doubling them, until I find an appropriate size. We are making good progress."
"What about the egg? Have you gotten any further?"
Harry had grown frustrated at his lack of progress with the riddle: "No I still don't have a clue. No matter what charm I try, it still screams like a banshee, whenever I open it. However, I had an idea earlier…
The ROR has something of a consciousness. It also detects the user's desire, if expressed strongly enough. What if the ROR detects my desire to solve the riddle and provides a solution for me. After all, it has seen and witnessed magic for almost a millennia and learned from it."
Salazar seemed deep in thought. "It can't hurt to give it a try. If the room has ever encountered magic similar to the egg's it will know what to do and how to help you."
"Alright," Harry agrees, as he cleans up the desk with the rolls of parchments and complicated arithmetic calculations. "I will head up there right now and try it. Dobby!"
"Harry Potter, sir?" The elf appeared.
"Hi, Dobby. How are Kreacher and you doing with harvesting the dragon?"
"Dobby and the nasty elf have been working very hard. The dragon is fully skinned and we started harvesting the organs, now, Harry Potter, sir!"
"Very good, Dobby. Could you take me up to the seventh floor, please?"
A minute later, Harry was walking up and down in front of the ROR, clutching the egg to his chest.
"I need you to show me a way to solve this riddle... I need you to show me a way to solve this riddle... I need you to show me a way to solve this riddle... "
After the last turn, the door opened and Harry entered the room. He was greeted by a miniature version of the Hogwarts lake…maybe 50 feet in width and length.
"What the hell is this?" Harry walked over to the lakeshore and dipped his hands into the dark water. It was ice cold. He frowned and pulled out the egg. 'Let's try opening above the water first, I guess.'
Still fully dressed, he stepped into the lake and let the egg swim at the surface before opening it. To his disappointment, nothing happened besides the usual nerve-racking screaming.
'Maybe under the water?'
Harry completely dipped the egg and opened it, but remained above the surface himself. To his immense surprise, he did not hear anything. He would have expected the screams to be slightly dampened, but the fact that not a single sound broke through the surface left him speechless.
'Only one way to find out then…'
Harry closed the egg below the surface, took a couple of deep breaths, and submerged his head in the ice-cold water, before opening the egg back up again. The screaming was all but gone, instead, a very pleasant chorus of eerie voices sang to him from the open egg in his hands:
"Come seek us where our voices sound, We cannot sing above the ground,
And while you're searching ponder this: We've taken what you'll sorely miss,
An hour-long you'll have to look, And to recover what we took,
But past an hour- the prospect's black, Too late, it's gone, it won't come back."
Harry went back up for some air before repeating the process once more. Now the entire song was safely stored in his memory.
"Come seek us where our voices sound, We cannot sing above the ground,
The first verse was quite obvious. Whoever these people were, their voices could not be understood above the ground. It must be some sort of tribe of semi-humans living in the water. Harry knew that there was a merpeople colony in the Black Lake, was that why the room showed him a small replica of it? To give him another hint?
It must be, but this was perfect. If the task was truly held in the Black Lake, then he could use the remaining time to do some reconnaissance and get a better picture of what's in the lake. If it would not be held in the lake, he would still gain experience in a new environment.
And while you're searching ponder this: We've taken what you'll sorely miss,
So he had to find something that was taken from him. Something valuable… Harry frowned. None of his valuables were accessible for the judges to take from him. Everything he owned was down in the Chamber. His Cloak, the Marauder's Map, the Parselmagic Book, and they could hardly take his wand. It must be something else then.
Harry remembered that in previous tournaments, a hostage treasure hunt had been popular. Would they take a living hostage? It would be difficult in his case, the only people he cared about were not accessible for them. Fleur was a competitor herself and Sirius was a judge. The next closest person would probably be Terry… The boy had stood with him, even after the chaos at the World Cup and the Slytherins' Declaration.
An hour-long you'll have to look, And to recover what we took,
This was in line with the previous verses. However, an additional piece of information was given. The time span was one hour. Meaning he had to survive under the water for one hour, He would think about solutions for that later.
But past an hour- the prospect's black, Too late, it's gone, it won't come back."
Harry chuckled. No new information in this line. Just a friendly reminder to keep to the time limit. It was obvious, that whatever they will be taking won't actually be 'gone'... It was simply a way to increase the pressure on the competitors…
Well, his next steps were pretty clear. He needed to scout the lake and find out everything about different methods to breathe underwater. He already knew about the Bubble-head charm, but it would limit his mobility. The bubble was always at a risk to burst due to outside interference. He would need something better than that.
December 25th, 1994
Harry took a couple of deep calming breaths. It was 7.45 pm and he stood in front of the Beauxbaton Carriage to pick up Fleur for the date at the Yule Ball. He had been nervous about this moment the whole day.
The morning was spent with Sirius, in the man's private quarters at Hogwarts, exchanging presents. The two had not stopped laughing after simultaneously unwrapping their gifts. Harry received a book from Sirius, called:
"So, you like a certain witch?" which consisted of dating advice by Gilderoy Lockhart.
In return, Sirius had unwrapped a muggle book, called "Dating over the age of 30: What to watch out for."
Harry gave Sirius a pair of fine dragonhide gloves with the Black Family Crest engraved on them. He himself received a Breitling wrist watch that Sirius had taken to a magical jeweler to enhance with a couple of charms.
They decided to have a workout and a practice duel together, before having lunch at the Three Broomsticks and taking a walk around the grounds in the afternoon. Around 7 pm, both retreated to their rooms.
Harry took a last glance at the red rose he held in his hands. It had taken a day for him to fully enchant it, but he was more than satisfied with his work. The rose would most likely stay blooming for almost an entire year and was water and dust repellent. In addition, it would never lose its unique scent.
He took a look around him. A few other students were waiting to pick up their dates. One by one, they each stepped out of the carriage and greeted their escort. Each time, Harry caught his breath, expecting to see Fleur any moment.
Around five to eight, an unmistakable motion caught Harry's eye. Fleur Delacour descended the stairs of the carriage in a gown of shimmering silver. The material clung to her body like a second skin, highlighting her curves while still preserving a sort of royal elegance.
Her hair was done in an aristocratic pinned-up hairstyle, exposing her delicate neck. Some jewelry, including pearl earrings, a necklace, and silvery bracelets enhanced the entire look. Harry could not tell if she wore any makeup at all. She definitely wouldn't need it anyway, it was one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen and certainly something he would never forget.
Fleur's large blue eyes softened when they flickered to him and she gave him a small smile. Harry shook himself out of his trance and walked towards her. She held out her hand expectantly, a small grin tucking the corner of her mouth.
He gave her a small bow and placed a soft kiss on her knuckles, before standing at his full height and saying in all earnestness: "You look simply breathtaking, Fleur."
Fleur managed to hide her blush fairly well: "You look very handsome yourself, Harry. I am sure we will leave an exceptional impression tonight."
Harry gave her grin and offered the small rose to the Veela, who now stood in front of him:
"A small token of my appreciation for you. It has multiple charms on it. Hopefully, it may serve you as a reminder of the night ahead of us."
Fleur took the flower from him with her delicate long finger and held it up to her nose to give it a quick sniff.
"It is magnificent, Harry. Thank you so much. Do you mind?" Fleur gestures for him to place the rose behind her right ear.
Harry took it and was more than glad that he had removed any thorns from it. He stepped closer to Fleur and tried to ignore the overpowering scent of her that filled his nostrils. Careful, not to ruin her impressive hairstyle, he placed the small flower behind her ear and took a step back to observe his creation.
"Undoubtedly better." He smiled while offering his arm to the girl. Fleur hooked herself in and together they walked up the path to the Castle and to the Great Hall. The champions, their dates, and Professor McGonagall would meet in the same room attached to the Great Hall, in which the champions had walked after the Goblet spit out their name.
"Ms. Delacour, Mr. Potter, you are late." McGonagall greeted them, as Harry held open the door for Fleur and entered the room.
"I'd say we are fashionably on time, Professor," Harry replied and shot Fleur, who had looped her arm in his, a small wink. He surveyed the room. Diggory and Krum were indeed present with their dates. None of the other champions acknowledged Fleur's and Harry's arrival, besides staring open-mouthed at Fleur, before being shaken out of it by their respective dates.
Diggory was accompanied by an admittedly cute brown-haired Hufflepuff girl, a sixth year if Harry was not mistaken. Krum's choice of a date left Harry and Fleur with a raised eyebrow. Hermione 'Know-It-All' Granger clung to his arm. She finally fixed her teeth and did not look like a bushy beaver anymore. Did she know that she clung to the arm of someone, who had attempted rape, only a few weeks ago? Still, Krum's and Diggory's dates had nothing on Fleur's radiant beauty, something the envious looks on both girls' faces only confirmed.
McGonagall told them to get in line and prepare for their grand entrance. Harry and Fleur would enter the hall first, as the Champions with the most points. Krum and Granger would be second and Diggory and his date third.
Finally, McGonagall gave the signal for the doors to open. Fleur and Harry exchanged a brief smile before raising their chins simultaneously and entering the hall side by side. As they did so, everyone in the Great Hall applauded and the couple started walking up toward a large round table at the top of the Hall, where the judges were sitting.
The walls of the Hall had all been covered in sparkling silver frost, with hundreds of garlands of mistletoe and ivy crossing the starry black ceiling. The House tables had vanished; instead, there were about a hundred smaller, lantern-lit ones, each seating about a dozen people.
Sirius was sitting at the judges' table and gestured for Fleur and Harry to take a seat beside him. Apparently, Mr. Crouch could not attend the Ball. Percy Weasley was here on his behalf and shot Harry a glare, as the latter pulled back the chair for his date.
Small talk was held around the table, but Fleur and Harry seemed in their own little world. They ignored the chatter all around them and whispered privately while exchanging deep looks into each other's eyes and small hand squeezes under the table.
Apparently, Dumbledore felt like demonstrating how to order the meals, because soon after, the entire table had ordered theirs. Harry decided that Pork Chops did not sound so bad and ordered the same, earning him a grandfatherly smile from his Headmaster.
Fleur favored the trout with some vegetables, all the while looking at the decorations in the Great Hall.
"Are they not up to your standards?" Harry noticed her looks and chuckled.
"This is nothing," she said dismissively, looking around at the sparkling walls of the Great Hall. "At the Palace of Beauxbatons, we have ice sculptures all around the dining chamber at Christmas. They do not melt, of course… They are like huge statues of diamond, glittering around the place."
"I'd love to see it one day." Harry acknowledged.
"Perhaps I will invite you to France for the summer?" Fleur shot him a small grin.
Harry hid his frown behind a fake smile and turned back to his food. Of course, summer was still a couple of months away, but what would they do once the tournament was over and Fleur had to go back to France? They have not talked about it yet. In fact, they hadn't really talked about what they actually were at this point.
The Prophet called them a couple, but they have only been on one official date and haven't even properly kissed yet. Of course, they spent a lot of time together and publicly displayed their affection. But they haven't really taken another step yet, ever since their first date in Hogsmeade. Perhaps tonight would change things, Harry thought and grinned inwardly.
When all the food had been consumed, Dumbledore stood up and asked the students to do the same. Then, with a wave of his wand, all the tables zoomed back along the walls leaving the floor clear, and then he conjured a raised platform into existence along the right wall. A set of drums, several guitars, a lute, a cello, and some bagpipes were set upon it. Some band Harry never heard of stormed on the platform and was greeted by cheers from the students.
"May I ask for this dance, Mademoiselle?" Harry asked his partner, offering her his hand.
"I thought you'd never ask, Monsieur," Fleur replied and allowed Harry to guide her to the middle of the hall, the other two couples shortly behind them. The first slow song began and Harry expertly led Fleur into the first couple of steps.
The Veela's eyes started beaming brightly and she took her steps with equal enthusiasm. Harry knew that Fleur loved to dance. Unfortunately, she rarely had the opportunity to enjoy herself on balls like these, due to her previous dancing partners.
Even with Fleur's heels on, she and Harry were now almost the same height. Harry kept himself from dropping his gaze down to Fleur's décolleté and instead focused on her memorizing blue eyes and the soft smile on her lips.
He lost any feeling for how much time had passed, all he knew was that during the last couple of dances, he and Fleur had gotten closer and closer together. They now danced a slow waltz, with Fleur's head almost leaning against his shoulders. His right hand had ever so slowly dipped towards the middle of her back to pull her closer towards his body.
He felt Fleur inhale deeply against his chest and sigh contently.
"Are you enjoying yourself?" Harry asked her.
"I feel great with you, Harry. This has been even better than dancing with you at the New-Years-Eve Ball in Berlin. Perhaps because you are finally taller than me." She chuckled.
"I'll have you know that I am exceptionally tall for my age." Harry grinned back.
"For a fourteen-year-old, you certainly are, but then again, you have not told me how old you truly are yet, and you are probably still growing, non? In any case, I enjoy dancing with you, those robes make you look very masculine."
She trailed off and ran a finger up to his biceps, over his shoulder, and down his chest, eying the result of his frequent workouts appreciatively. Harry could not help staring at her, as a shiver ran down his spine: "Having fun?"
Fleur was shaken out of her trance and a faint blush rose on her cheeks:
"Certainly, but I could use some refreshments."
"As mademoiselle wishes." Harry complied and led her over to a table with drinks. They passed Roger Davies who was snogging Cho Chang in the middle of the dance floor. As Fleur passed him, the boy pulled his lips off Chang and stared wide-eyed at the Veela. He was not the only one. Now that he and Fleur had stopped dancing, many boys from all three schools started approaching the two.
"I don't want to dance with anyone else tonight, Harry. How about you act a bit protective, now?" Fleur leaned in and whispered in his ear, as Harry filled two glasses with some punch.
"Who says I am not protective of you, already?" Harry grinned and pulled her a bit closer at her waist. Fleur almost snuggled up at his side while downing her drink. Harry couldn't help but wish it was for other reasons than simply to discourage other boys from asking her.
They returned to their table and held a light conversation while the band played some faster songs. At some point Sirius joined them:
"There is my favorite godson and his incredible date for the night. How are you two enjoying yourself?"
Fleur laughed: "Zank you, we are 'aving a good time, Lord Black."
"Please call me Sirius, Ms. Delacour. Lord Black reminds me too much of those cockroaches in the Wizengamot." The man laughed.
Sirius remained with them for a couple of minutes before spotting McGonagall in the crowd and quickly getting up to ask her for a dance. Apparently, Fleur and Harry sitting together didn't do enough to discourage some boys from walking over to their table. Most just remained in front of Fleur, drooling too much to even ask her for a dance. Both champions quickly got annoyed by it.
"How about we retreat for the night and hold our own little ball," Harry whispered in her ear.
"That eager to get me in your dormitory, Harry? I am afraid, I am not that kind of girl…" Fleur replied coldly.
"What? No," Harry spluttered. "I just meant going to the Room of Requirements and having some private dances." He tried to save himself.
Fleur let out a peal of musical laughter: "Relax, Harry. I knew what you meant. Very well, let's take our leave."
Harry held out his hand and together they left the Great Hall, followed by the envious stares of many students. It was only then that they realized what the situation might look like from the outside.
"I think that was a mistake." Fleur frowned.
"Don't worry, I have an idea," Harry replied. Instead of taking the staircase up, they remained in clear sight of other students and walked outside the Castle into the gardens. Fleur cast a couple of warming chams on them.
"Now people will simply think we are taking a stroll. How good is your disillusionment charm?" Harry asked the Veela.
"Perfect, of course," Fleur replied proudly.
Harry repressed his grin. "Cast it and follow me up to the ROR."
The two teenagers quickly disillusioned themselves and sneaked past the students back into the Castle and up the giant staircase. Not taking any risk, they remained invisible until they reached the ROR.
"Well, you seemed so proud of those Beauxbaton decorations, how about you show me already?" Harry asked curiously.
Fleur strode past him and gracefully walked past the wall three times:
"See for yourself, then." She replied proudly.
Harry opened the room and it was just as Fleur had told. The decorations were definitely more impressive than what they had just witnessed down in the Great Hall. Huge glittering Ice sculptures stood all around the walls and the ceiling was decorated with various Christmas-related items. A huge Christmas tree stood in a corner next to a table.
Fleur pulled Harry into the middle of the room, where she closed her eyes briefly. The next second, slow muggle Christmas music chimed from the walls and ceiling. Harry placed both his hands on Fleur's slim waist and pulled her closer. She in return wrapped her arms around his neck, took off her heels, and looked up at him with her impossibly large blue eyes.
"This was a good idea." Fleur sighed and rested her head on Harry's shoulder for a couple of seconds.
"I agree," Harry replied, inhaling the flowery scent of her hair, mixed with her cinnamon and vanilla cologne.
Fleur turned her head back towards him. Her face was incredibly close, now. Harry could almost count every single one of her long eyelashes. The sorting Hat had once mentioned that there was also a Gryffindor somewhere within him. Harry gathered every bit of courage he could find and slowly leaned down the last couple of inches closer to her. Fleur closed her eyes as their lips met halfway in between them.
Harry swore there was a fire burning deep within him as his lips met Fleur's. It was their first real kiss. His hands were still placed at either side of her, but they had dipped from her waist down to her hips. Her hands had traveled up from his neck and were now playing with his unruly hair.
He wasn't sure how long they had been here. All he knew was that Fleur had pressed herself against him as hard as she could. It had started chaste until he realized how fun it could be to use his tongue after she had licked his lips.
When she finally pulled away, his breath was coming in short bursts as much from the heady kiss he had just given her as it was the feel of her body. Fleur felt incredibly soft and he could feel her curves through his clothes. He put his forehead against hers.
"Brilliant," he said breathlessly.
"Incredible," Fleur agreed, in much the same breathless manner.
"Would you like to try that again?"
Fleur nodded and pressed her lips back against Harry's. Their second kiss was more demanding and aggressive. Both teenagers experimented, reacting to each other's body language and the soft moans that escaped their lips during the short breaks they took.
Fleur had moved one of her arms to Harry's front and was now roaming over his chest and upper abs through his dress robes. Her second hand was still deeply entangled in his hair pressing his head closer to hers. Harry's hands had started wandering by themselves and one was now gently squeezing her butt, eliciting a soft moan from Fleur.
Suddenly Fleur pulled back: "We should stop for tonight, Harry."
Harry was momentarily confused and carefully checked for any signs that he did something wrong, but Fleur's heated gaze and blushed cheeks told him that it can't have been the case. She gave him a small peck on the lips:
"I really like you, Harry and I don't want to rush things between us,"Fleur explained, as she noticed his confusion.
Harry nodded eagerly and cleared his throat: "You're right, of course, after all, we have time. And I really like you too, Fleur," He added with a lopsided grin.
Fleur thanked him with another chaste kiss: "Walk me back to the carriage?"
"Of course, let's disillusion ourselves again. If the ball is still going on, we could pop in really quick, just so people don't get suspicious." Harry suggested.
Fleur agreed and together they made their way down the giant staircase and back to the Great Hall. They arrived just in time for the final dance of the night and turned towards one another.
Both had a large grin on their faces and couldn't help but blush in between their dance. Finally, Harry offered his arm and led the French Champion back to the carriage.
Fleur turned back towards him as they stood in front of the entrance to the carriage: "Thank you, for what will probably be the best ball I'll ever attend, Harry. Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas, Fleur," Harry replied with a smile and decided to give the Veela one last kiss, irrespective of the other students that were surrounding them. Fleur's eyes widened momentarily in surprise before she closed them and returned the kiss.
Only a few seconds later they broke apart. The random chatter around them had stopped and was replaced by exciting whispers.
"Good Night, Harry."