The following morning Harry awoke feeling something amiss. Opening his eyes, he found himself in his four-poster bed in the Gryffindor Tower. Though it had been where he had slept for most of the last four years, he missed the bed he had slept in for the last few days.
The one he had woken up the last two mornings to find one of his bond mates sleeping beside him. The memory of Hermione sleeping in his bed the previous morning brought a smile to his lips and his heart. He searched his bond with her and knew she was still asleep. He next turned to Fleur and Gabrielle. Gabrielle, who was now sleeping in the Beauxbaton carriage in her sister's room, was still asleep but Fleur was awake. "Good morning ma Fleur du Matin. Did I get that right?"
Harry felt her smile and warmth radiated in the bond. "Good morning love. If you are trying to call me your morning flower, yes you did well. When did you learn zose words?"
"I looked at one of the books you gave Sirius. I wanted to know if your name had a meaning," Harry replied. Harry paused when thinking about the languages. "Why don't you think in French?"
"I'm quite sure I do love."
"But when I hear your thoughts I hear you thinking in English."
"And I 'ear your zoughts in perfect French, but when you think to me, as now, it's English or whatever you are saying."
"But how? I don't know French, and why do I hear your accent?"
"I 'ave to presume its ze bond 'Arry and ze way your mind interprets my thoughts. We can ask Professor Berceau sometime if you would like. As for ze accent, it's ze only way you've 'eard me speak, whereas I've never 'eard you butcher my language as I do yours."
"I like your accent Fleur. Your voice always makes me smile."
"Zen I 'ope to make you smile as much as I can. And 'Arry," Fleur thought," I love being your flower," Harry felt her love warming him.
...
At the breakfast table, Harry looked down the table at Ron who was sitting with Dean Thomas. He sighed then turned his attention back to the lovely ladies who were sitting next to him. When he did, he noticed Ginny Weasley had sat down next to Gabrielle.
"Ready for your first day at Hogwarts?" Ginny asked Gabrielle.
"Non, but what can I do?" Gabrielle replied with a shrug.
"I'll get you through it."
Gabrielle looked at her carefully, "No problems wiz what we discussed?"
Ginny's glance flickered past Gabrielle onto Harry, then back to Gabrielle. "I am trying, but it won't happen overnight. But," She again glanced past to see if Harry was listening but noticed he was talking to Hermione, "he seems happier now so you must be good for him."
"Thank you. 'E deserves 'appiness and I'm glad I can 'elp 'im feel it," Gabrielle replied. "You know, your brozer, 'e said some things yesterday."
"Yes I know," Ginny sighed as she glanced at Ron and then back to Gabrielle, "He came to me afterwards complaining. He said he was going to send an owl to Mum. But I don't believe what he believes if that is what you want to know. Mum, well she's mum. I love her but she believes everything she reads, especially if it's in Witch Weekly or the Daily Prophet."
"So what made you decide to be my friend?"
"Ron told me what Harry said about choosing," Ginny explained quietly, again glancing to see if Harry was listening. "I'm not sure if he told you, but basically he told Ron that if he was forced to choose between you and Ron, it would be you," Ginny shook her head. "After thinking about it, I...well, I prefer to be Harry's friend rather than nothing to him, and I know that friendship must start with you. I…uh... I really don't know anything about your heritage so if I do say something wrong please let me know."
Gabrielle smiled at Ginny as she herself felt Harry sighing in relief. "Listening again?"
"Sorry, but after Ron yesterday I really didn't want you hurt."
"I'll be glad to Ginny," Gabrielle said to her new friend. "So we 'ave Charms first thing zis morning?"
"You'll love Professor Flitwick," Ginny said smiling a little in relief. It wasn't long before the two of them were discussing the various classes and professors.
Harry looked at Fleur and saw her looking at the two younger girls with a smile, Fleur turned to Harry. "I'm glad she's got someone to 'elp 'er today."
"I am too, though I'll still worry about her in Potions. Snape really hates me, and if he takes it out on her, I'll…."
At that time the mail started being delivered and a cluster of owls were landing all around Hermione, all jostling for position. Harry grabbed her goblet before it was knocked over.
"What on earth - ?" Hermione said, taking the letter from the gray owl, opening it, and starting to read. "Oh really!" she sputtered, going rather red.
"What's up?" ask Ginny who was now looking at them.
"It,'s - oh how ridiculous -"
She thrust the letter at Harry, who saw that it was not handwritten, but composed from pasted letters that seemed to have been cut out of the Daily Prophet.
YOU ARE A WICKED GIRL. HARRY POTTER DESERVES BETTER. GO BACK WHERE YOU CAME FROM MUGGLE.
"They're all like it!" said Hermione desperately, opening one letter after another.
"'Harry Potter can do much better than the likes of you. . . .'
'You deserve to be boiled in frog spawn. . . .'
"Stop," Fleur told her bond-sister. "Don't worry about zem 'Ermione. Eet just people who are responding to zat magazine. Papa gets letters like zis all ze time. If you let it bozer you, zen zey win zeir little game."
"But..."
Fleur shook her head. "You can't reason with zem. Is zere any letters you want to keep in ze pile?" When Hermione shook her head negatively, Fleur pulled out her wand. "Evanesco," The pile of letters in front of Hermione disappeared. "Zat's ze best thing to do. Don't let zem win."
"And I can't do better than you and this summer I will tell the world," Hermione heard and she looked up into those emerald eyes. "You know I love you," Harry continued and Hermione felt the frustration disappear.
....
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