The conversation continued until around noon. Alain had to step away for a moment; after gaining some confidence with his guest, he needed to dismiss the two Aurors who had stayed at his house just in case something happened. He didn't think I was a bad person, and if anything really did occur, he fully trusted his wife to handle a 12-year-old child.
Now I was alone with Apolline and her daughters, and the conversation shifted back to my origins.
"No! I'm the only one in my family with these traits. They are normal redheads, and there's no ancestor who is a magical creature. I'm unique, and for the last time, no! My mom didn't cheat on my dad; I'm just an anomaly," I reiterated.
"Are you sure? I know every child doesn't want to think badly of their parents, but... everyone can have a slip-up now and then." Apolline tilted her head back slightly so her daughters wouldn't see her and winked at me, as if implying she had her own slips. At least, that's how I interpreted it.
I froze for a moment before responding. "Yes, I'm sure. My case has nothing to do with magical inheritance."
"How can you be so sure? It's rare to see magical qualities like yours. The fact that you didn't react to our Veela charm is not normal. At one point, I even turned my charm up to the maximum," she explained, trying to make me understand that she believed I had some special lineage and was just trying to help me.
"Attends, c'est vrai! Il n'a pas réagi à notre glamour!"("Wait, that's right! He didn't react to our glamour!") Fleur exclaimed, realizing what she had overlooked.
Before I arrived, Fleur had imagined the one who saved her sister as some sort of monster or powerful wizard, as she couldn't fully know the circumstances. She didn't think her charm would work on someone like that. But now she realized: in front of her was a boy even younger than her, and he wasn't affected. She couldn't use youth as an excuse, since she knew other boys his age who did fall under the glamour's effect. Plus, she had noticed how my eyes had briefly slid toward her mother's partially exposed cleavage at one point.
"Quel est le problème?" ("What's the problem?")Gabrielle asked, confused by her sister's reaction.
"Yes, I'm immune to most charms or anything that affects the mind: magical glamour, truth potions, legilimency, forgetfulness charms, confusion spells, etc.," I explained, while Apolline translated for her daughters, as she had done before.
"Is that true?!" Fleur asked excitedly, with poor English.
"Yes, in fact, like you, I also possess a kind of charm... or rather, an aura."
"Really?" Curiosity was clearly reflected in her eyes and expression. "I haven't felt anything. Is it like our glamour that just..." Apolline began, but I interrupted her.
"Once I learned to control it, I prevent it from extending unless I think it's necessary. Plus, it's not an attraction charm; it can be other things."
"Like what?" she asked with interest.
"Fear," I said, slightly activating my [predatory aura] among other things.
The women present were taken aback. The atmosphere in the room changed drastically, as if the person in front of them had taken on another form. Only Apolline managed to compose herself quickly. I hadn't unleashed all my power, so with enough willpower, it was easy to break the feeling of fear.
"Amour, baisse ta baguette,"(Love, lower your wand,) said Apolline, looking behind me.
When I turned around, I saw Alain, with his wand raised in an attack position, looking at his family and me. Upon seeing him, I deactivated my auras to avoid any misunderstanding.
"What's going on?" Alain asked, still not lowering his wand.
"It seems our friend is more like us than we thought," Apolline replied as she explained what had happened during his absence.
I activated my auras again to show them to Alain. He was surprised for a moment before overcoming the feeling of fear I had generated. I explained that as long as I didn't unleash my aura with more intensity, it wouldn't affect them much now that they had gotten used to the small display of power I had shown.
After that, I gradually began to teach them the different auras I had developed, allowing them to experience various sensations. Apolline, Alain, and Fleur were amazed by my abilities, while Gabrielle either laughed or was scared, asking me playfully not to frighten her again.
By noon, the Delacour family invited me to lunch. They asked if I would have any problems with my family and if they should meet them. I assured them that no, my parents shouldn't know I had been there, and that I had taken care to ensure they wouldn't worry for the rest of the day.
Lunch at the Delacour house was delightful. The house-elves were excellent cooks, and according to Apolline, she also had great cooking skills, although this time she hadn't participated in preparing the dishes, promising me she would next time. At that moment, the conversation turned to the food I had given Gabrielle that time, revealing that it was enchanted food. I say that, although it didn't contain potions, it had the ability to offer small magical benefits, and I offered to cook for them on some future occasion.
...
After showing my auras, Apolline and her husband seemed even more convinced that I possessed some kind of magical lineage. I explained to them again that this was not the case. I even revealed that if there was a magical lineage, it was born with me, and I talked to them about my strange situation: my parents are no longer biologically my parents. It was difficult for them to understand at first, as they misinterpreted my words and thought I was adopted or something similar. I clarified that when I was born, I had a blood relationship with them, but that connection had recently disappeared. Interestingly, even though I no longer share that bond with my parents, I still maintain it to some extent with my siblings.
I also showed them a bit of my blood magic, which surprised them once again. I explained that this was the source of my uniqueness, and that if I am part of a new lineage, it is probably a magical mutation, making me the first of my kind. The conversation became deep, filled with questions and implications, but they agreed not to be too invasive.
I assured them that I didn't mind sharing this with them, but they needed to keep it a secret. In fact, I felt more confident when I noticed that the hidden presences in the house had disappeared.
At some point, Alain had to leave for work, leaving me alone with Apolline and her daughters. I wasn't sure if he completely trusted me, as we had just met, but if he had taken any measures to protect his family, he didn't show it openly.
Once we were alone, the conversation took a different turn, and Fleur was the one who tried the hardest to talk to me, despite her difficulties.
Fleur, in a way, was fascinated by my existence. She asked me numerous questions about my life with my abilities, how I learned to control my auras, and much more. She became so engrossed in the conversation that she even interrupted her mother and sister to keep seeking answers.
Through the explanations she offered, complemented by Apolline, I understood what was happening. Fleur was a 14-15-year-old girl dealing with the complications stemming from her racial characteristics. It wasn't that she hated what she was; in fact, she was proud of it, but that identity also came with certain challenges.
In the school, few men could resist her charm, and usually only the teachers managed to do so. The rest of the male student body stared at her, acting like fools. At first, Fleur enjoyed receiving so much attention, but soon she realized how unpleasant it was to be seen merely as an object of desire. She felt frustrated thinking that no one could appreciate her true beauty or her other attributes, which led her to strive to prove her worth through her magical abilities since her first year at Beauxbatons.
As for the girls, her situation wasn't easy either, not only because a few of them were also attracted to her charm, but because envy and jealousy complicated her relationships. If she managed to make a friend, it was likely that the boy her friend liked would become fascinated by her, which eventually created conflicts. Additionally, by displaying her beauty and skills, some people looked down on her for being "better" than them, reinforcing the idea that her privileged position was solely due to her Veela lineage and not her own merits.
Fortunately, there were people who understood her, even if they were few. Her mother always supported her and knew how to give her advice, since she had been in a similar situation. So did her director, Madame Maxime, who, being a half-human herself, understood what it meant to feel different.
However, now Fleur had found someone else like her: me, a boy, even younger, who wouldn't behave like the others. I also possessed similar qualities, which sparked her great interest in my story.
She was captivated to hear how, at first in Hogwarts, I had been isolated by those who feared me and tried to keep me away. I told her about the few people who managed to overcome my aura and became my friends, helping me relate to others. And in the end, over time, I learned to control my aura so as not to terrify the younger ones or discomfort the older ones.
Apolline also listened to my story and nodded in understanding. She could easily imagine it; she understood my situation, Fleur's, and the one Gabrielle would eventually face. After that, she shared her own experiences, creating an atmosphere of empathy. She felt increasingly pleased with me, believing it was positive for her daughters to meet someone like me who shared their challenges. Moreover, she thought I was a nice boy, which awakened her maternal instincts.
Fleur seemed to have the same fascination for me as her sister Gabrielle. She invited me to do all sorts of activities, from showing me Beauxbatons to taking a walk in La Cachée. Gabrielle was also excited, wanting to join in on all those adventures.
Although it didn't seem so, the only thing both sisters wanted was to have more people like them to share with. Fleur, despite her situation at school not being that bad, never felt that her peers and friends really understood her. Gabrielle, for her part, felt different and noticed that her parents didn't give her as much freedom to make friends as other kids, although after her near-kidnapping, she had begun to understand it a little better.
When Alain returned, it was already time for me to go. Fleur and Gabrielle agreed to another time to visit us and chat, and Apolline had no problem with that. Although Alain was not entirely on board, mainly because it involved several illegal entries into the country... and he was also worried about a boy spending so much time with his daughters, who wanted to have moments alone with him without interruptions or parental oversight; they just wanted to be young.
It was Apolline who convinced her husband, and she succeeded in her goal. After organizing the next meeting, I said my goodbyes, or rather, I stepped away far enough to dispel my clone.
...
It was fun to get to know the Delacour family. Perhaps I had revealed too much, but it was nice to have them as friends. In the future, Bill would marry Fleur, and they would become family.
My exploration had been a success; at least in France, I would have allies. It would be good to try out some of the new products from my space and look for the best ones; perhaps they could make a good gift or something to bring the next time I visit.