One thing rapidly led to another, and before Harry knew it, they were reviewing every significant event of his Hogwarts career in the Pensieve. In fact, they went through so much that the Delacour family now knew things that even Ron and Hermione didn't know. It was nothing secret – just details that he never bothered to share – but it was startling nevertheless.
To say that Sebastian was livid would be putting it mildly, and the rest of the family was not far behind. Looking at it objectively through the lens of the unique magical device, even Harry could admit that he was angry at just how bolluxed up his school career had been. The number of times he had almost been killed...
They returned to Hogwarts very early the following morning, but not before Sebastian pulled him aside for a private chat. Harry was shocked to learn that the man had figured out that he was holding back in school, and even more so to realize that he really had no idea why he was even still doing it. It wasn't like the Dursleys had ever checked his Hogwarts grades, so he didn't need to worry about doing better than Dudley anymore.
It was simply an ingrained habit, and one which Sebastian was hell bent on breaking him of. He kindly explained that he was expected to do his best in school, and Harry accepted it with a mixture of gratitude and trepidation – the former because the man cared, and the latter in wonder of what would happen if he messed up. And then Sebastian told him that they rewarded their children for excellent grades, and to keep that in mind.
Having a family that cared for him was definitely a new experience, even if he thought it would be a very long time before he could truly accept them as such.
The lack of sleep did him in – and Fleur as well – and they both barely made it through their classes the next day, and did not see each other. He was fortunate that he managed to get any sleep at all; he found it difficult in the wake of the shocks of the past week. And then, as the perfect cap, he had to endure his least-favorite day.
Friday.
Where most students loved Fridays, being the last day before the weekend, Harry loathed them. He, like anyone else, was grateful that the week was about to end, but there was an overriding factor. It was one that could not be avoided, and one that he very much wished he could do without.
He had Potions on Friday.
Today's class was one of the worst he'd yet endured, too. It would have been one thing if Snape kept to his normal attacks on Harry and his father, but involving Hermione was just not right! Never mind that the article was full of lies; reading anything like that – true or not – to a class of teenagers, just to spite a student, was completely out of line. By the time dinner rolled around he was angry, and it was hard not to notice.
"Bloody git," he grumbled to himself.
"Stop, Harry," sighed Hermione. "We can't do anything about it. It isn't worth worrying about."
Harry stabbed moodily at his shepherd's pie. He couldn't help but wonder: was that really true? Did they really have to put up with Snape's attitude? What exactly was it that stopped someone from raising a stink about it and getting the man sacked?
"Sez right, 'arry," said Ron through a mouthful of potatoes. "ih won oo ay good."
"Don't talk with your mouth full, Ronald," scowled Hermione.
Ron swallowed his mouthful of potatoes. "Leave off," he grumbled at her.
"I will when you learn some manners!" she sniffed.
"Whatever, Little Miss Perfect," scowled Ron. "We can't all be like you."
"Only because you're too lazy to try!"
"You just don't like that I have a life!"
"What life? You play chess all day, Ronald! That's not a life!"
Harry waited for the next retort to roll back by, but it never came. Worse, when he looked up in morbid curiosity, the reason was apparent: Ron's face had gone slack, and he had a hungry look in his eyes as they followed someone's progress up the aisle between the tables. Harry didn't have to ask who it was, but didn't turn to look until he felt her hand come down on his neck.
He absolutely loved how it felt when she did that! That night at Chateau Delacour, she had touched him in simple ways that nobody ever had before, and he was astonished at how much he liked it! He didn't normally like people touching him, but she was... different, somehow.
He closed his eyes at the sensation, unable to resist.
"Do you mind if I join you?" she asked smoothly.
Harry smiled and started to open his mouth, but Ron got there first. "Yeah!" he breathed. "Yeah, you can join us! Budge up, Hermione!"
Hermione snarled when he tried to push her over – and he was quickly on the wrong end of her wand, stopping him instantly. Even Fleur's allure couldn't distract him from his fear of that wand! Hermione was dangerous when she was hacked off, and Harry was easily smart enough never to be in that position.
Ron, not so much.
And now he had two annoyed Witches to contend with. Harry looked up in time to see that Fleur was directing a fierce look in Ron's direction, her annoyance at his interruption shining through clearly. He felt a perverse sense of satisfaction at that: if only Ron knew what was really going on!
"I was asking a man," she said scathingly. "Not an excitable little boy like you."
Hermione's snarl faltered, and suddenly she was fighting an evil grin at Ron's sputtering. Harry smirked, patted the seat next to him, and smiled up at Fleur. "It's all yours if you can put up with us, belle femme," he offered.
Ron and Hermione both stared at him in open astonishment – probably for different reasons – while Fleur quirked an eyebrow and slid gracefully into the proffered seat.
"Français?" she grinned at him. "Je suis impressionné!"
"Me too," breathed Hermione.
Harry snorted. Of course Hermione spoke French! He could at least guess at the meaning of her comment, though. "I only know a teensy bit," he shrugged. "I figure I have to start somewhere."
"Why bother?" asked Ron dumbly. "Nobody here speaks it anyway. It's useless!"
Harry nearly groaned aloud at Ron's utter cluelessness. For one, he was learning French for good reason: his future wife and her family spoke it. Not to mention, he would likely spend the summer in France. But what galled him was that apparently Fleur didn't register on the boy's radar, at least not as a person!
Fleur quirked an elegant eyebrow at him. "Do your feet truly taste so good?" she snarked.
Hermione snorted into her pumpkin juice, and Ron got a confused look on his face. "Huh?" he asked intelligently.
"Nevair mind," sighed Fleur, and then she turned her attention back to Harry. "So what 'as you so angry, 'Arry?" she asked curiously.
Harry blinked. "How did you know?"
Fleur snorted indelicately. "I could feel ze 'eat of it from across ze 'all," she said with a raised eyebrow. "Zere was even a dark cloud over your 'ead."
Hermione fought down a grin at her directness, and though Harry figured it was probably fairly accurate, he rolled his eyes anyway. She'd brought his good mood back, and he didn't want to let it go, but he supposed it was a reasonable question, so he answered it.
"Oh," he said simply. "Just Snape. I really hate that git."
"Don't get him started, Fleur," warned Hermione. "We can't do anything about it, and it'll just make him mad again."
Fleur frowned slightly at her, but Harry noticed that it was more a thoughtful frown than the ones she gave Ron. Apparently she liked Hermione a bit better, which was hopefully a good thing. "What did 'e do?" she asked finally.
"Other than being his usual snarky self?" he asked rhetorically. "First he read one of Skeeter's articles about Hermione and me to the entire class, and then he accused me of stealing from the Potions stores. And when I denied it, he threatened to dose me with Veritaserum when I wasn't looking."
Fleur's eyes narrowed. "'E threatened you wiz a controlled potion?" she asked dangerously.
"I'm getting used to it, to be honest," scowled Harry. "He pretty much hates me."
Hermione groaned. "What do you want us to do about it, Harry?" she asked in exasperation. "There's nothing we can do! We've told McGonagall, and I even talked to the Headmaster about it once! They defend him at every turn, Merlin only knows why!"
"So we should sit and take it?" he countered. "That's not on, Hermione."
He wasn't sure why it was that he was suddenly so convinced that they could do something about Snape, but he knew they had to. After all, if the Dursleys could get theirs, then why not Snape? It would make the school a much more pleasant place, especially since it would force the Slytherins to be held accountable for their actions!
"'E is right," agreed Fleur, surprising him. "Veritaserum is not legal in a school. Even threatening its use is a... 'ow do you say?" Her face scrunched up almost as adorably as Gabrielle's often did. "Mis– misday–"
"Misdemeanor?" offered Harry.
"Oui!" she said with a bright smile. "Zat is ze word!"
Ron, who had gone back to staring hungrily at Fleur, suddenly brightened. "Wait, you mean we can get him arrested?"
"If only," scowled Harry. "Dumbledore's too high up, Ron. It wouldn't stick."
"Unless ze case is airtight," countered Fleur.
Harry blinked slowly as an idea formed. They had all made a small effort at getting Snape sacked at one time or another, but nobody ever believed them. And perhaps that was the crux of the issue: without proof, nobody was willing to believe a student over the word of a Professor...
"Are memories admissible in court?" he asked suddenly.
Fleur raised an eyebrow. "You would 'ave to ask Papa," she shrugged. "But I do not zink so."
"You'd have to catch him in a crime anyway," countered Hermione, ever the pessimist. "He hasn't actually done anything wrong."
"Hasn't he though?" retorted Harry. "How many students have been hurt in that class because he doesn't teach, Hermione?"
Hermione blinked.
"Talk to Papa," shrugged Fleur. "'E will know if you 'ave a case."
Harry couldn't help the slow, slightly evil smile that crept across his features, or the light that appeared in his eyes. Dealing a massive blow to Snape would be a dream come true! And if it was legal, then the git couldn't get back at him for it without opening an enormous can of worms!
"Uh oh," frowned Hermione.
"What?" asked Fleur bemusedly.
"He has that look," groaned Hermione. "Now nothing will stop him!"
Fleur reached over and placed a single slender finger under his chin, sending an unexpected wave of fire through him that made him shudder in pleasure. He had to admit, her touch did funny things to him, and he was relatively certain that it wasn't because of her allure. He was beginning to wonder what was going on with that.
Nevertheless, he didn't resist, and soon found himself facing a veela sporting an evil grin. This was not reassuring: he knew what veela were capable of! He narrowed his eyes slightly as he wondered if she had a Marauding side, so to speak...
"What?" he asked cluelessly.
"I think I like zis look," she said huskily. "I want to remember it."
Harry blushed to the roots of his hair at the way she spoke, and Hermione grinned widely at his discomfort. Ron, however, just had to go and ruin the moment: he stuck his finger down his throat and pretended to gag on it like a five-year-old in a schoolyard. Hermione smacked him hard on the shoulder, but before the oncoming argument could develop – fortunately for all involved – the twins chose to interrupt.
They were sitting only a few seats down, and had apparently been listening in, because they abruptly changed positions, coming up behind Hermione on either side. One of them pushed Ron over to make room, to his annoyance, and they immediately started in. Of course, they were the twins, so–
"We couldn't help–" said one.
"–but overhear–" said the other.
"–your conversation," they both finished at the same time.
"We have plenty of memories–"
"–if you want them."
"Any way to get rid of Snape–"
"–is fine by us!"
Even as distracted as he was by their antics, Harry still smirked evilly as more plans started forming in his head. Who wouldn't want to get rid of Snape? Other than the Slytherins, of course; they were favored, and therefore didn't count. Wouldn't they be shocked if the git was sacked? They used him like a shield, confident that he would overturn any punishment they received, and were therefore the source of most of the bullying in the castle!
Meanwhile, as Harry thought about it, Fleur was examining the twins rather closely through narrowed eyes. Harry glanced over and caught the expression, and raised an eyebrow. Something about them had caught her attention, and sure enough–
"'ow do zey do zat?" she asked suspiciously.
"Do–" said one twin.
"–what?" said the other.
"Zat!" she said exasperatedly.
"Trade secret," said one of them.
"Yup, sorry," agreed the other, not at all apologetic.
Fleur blinked, and then speared them with a rather impressive glare. "Tell me!" she demanded.
Fred and George exchanged unreadable looks, and then– "No," they said simultaneously.
Harry could admit that he was impressed with their ability to face down that glare. That said, it had been a while since anyone had gotten their goats, and as he now had a plan for dealing with Snape, he was feeling pretty good. And he was feeling daring! And Fleur did have a sense of humor...
"Um, guys?" he called humorously.
"Yeah, Harrykins?" asked one of them – Fred if he wasn't mistaken.
"You do realize she's veela, right?" he prodded, an evil glint appearing in his eye.
"So?" asked George.
"Remember the World Cup?" he smirked.
Their eyes abruptly widened, and their gazes snapped back to Fleur, who was now sporting an evil grin to match Harry's. And Harry, for his part, was mildly relieved: he wasn't sure if she would take offense to being compared to the fire-throwing harpies from the World Cup, whether or not she actually was one! But apparently, it wasn't a problem.
After matching stares with her for a long moment, the twins finally narrowed their gazes, and Harry saw it when they decided to cut their losses. "Maybe later," said one.
"Definitely not in public," agreed the other.
Fleur smiled brightly at them and then turned to Harry. "We must learn zis," she grinned. "It will greatly disturb Grand-mère."
By this time, the entire group was staring at Fleur as though she'd grown a second head, and Harry could guess why. She was supposed to be the Bitch of Beauxbatons! But apart from her dealings with Ron, that image was nowhere to be found, and Harry had to admit, he liked this Fleur!
If she felt comfortable being like this all the time, or at least when she was with him, he would be thrilled! Of course, the Bitch had its uses – like beating up on Ron when he was acting the fool – but he rather enjoyed the idea of a Marauding veela to get up to mischief with. He hadn't done that in a non-life-and-death way, and it might be fun!
"I don't believe we've been introduced," noted a twin, interrupting his pleasant daydream.
"I'm Fred Weasley," said the other, offering a hand.
"And I'm George Weasley," said the first.
Fleur chuckled. "Pleasure," she nodded.
Both twins smiled toothily at her, and George spoke up again. "So you're hanging out with ickle Harrykins now?" he asked.
"Have to admit, that's a mighty big surprise," nodded Fred.
"Although, he did pull you out of the lake," mused George.
And then, to Harry's disquiet, they both turned deadly serious expressions on him. It was gone in a heartbeat, but he knew somehow that they knew! Or at least suspected! Of course, they covered it brilliantly...
"Something you want to tell us, Harrykins?" asked Fred.
"We'd really like to know your secret," nodded George in faux-solemnity.
Then they turned back to Fleur and simultaneously asked, "Know any veela twins?"
Fleur, who was looking concerned as she took a sip from her goblet at that very moment, sprayed juice all over the table in a very undignified fashion. Far from being concerned about it, though, she started laughing. Harry was dimly aware that the Great Hall had fallen silent at the sound, Hermione was staring at Fleur in open astonishment, and Ron had gone dreamy again, but he ignored all of it.
Instead, he drew his wand and calmly cleaned up her mess.
"I do not zink zat you would survive zem!" she laughed.
The twins pouted. "Introduce us?" requested Fred.
"Pleeeeease?" added George.
"You will 'ave to come to France," she smiled. "But if you come, I will introduce you. Do not get your 'opes up, zo. Zey are very picky, and I zink zey 'ave found boyfriends."
"Competition–"
"-is not a problem."
"We'll just prank them–"
"-until they drop!"
Fleur chortled and shook her head at the twins.
The rest of the meal went much more smoothly, though Ron would probably have a sore ankle for the number of times Hermione had to kick him under the table for staring at Fleur. For her part, Fleur simply ignored him, but really, it was going to be a problem if he couldn't get over his obsession with her. It was incredibly rude!
Not that he should really expect anything else from Ron...
As dinner neared its end, though, Harry tuned out the humorous conversation taking place, and turned back to planning. He really did want to get rid of Snape, and this was, quite possibly, the best way to do it short of sacking Dumbledore. He just needed to know if it would work.
"Fleur?" he called absently, not noticing the conversation he interrupted.
"'Arry?" she smiled.
"Is Sebastian around?" he asked. "I really want to talk to him about Snape."
Fleur shrugged elegantly. "We can always Floo to ze Chateau if 'e is not," she reminded him.
"Mind if they come with us?" he requested tentatively, nodding at the group across the table. "They'll have some pretty good memories for this."
Fleur must have detected his nervousness at asking the question, because she smiled gently at him, and her voice was softer when she spoke. "Zey are your friends, 'Arry," she said seriously. "You do not need to ask me for permission."
Shock rolled over him as he slowly came to understand her meaning, and the twins exchanged a significant look between them, but Harry ignored it. In fact, the only one oblivious to what she said was Ron: at some point in the last ten minutes he'd stopped listening and started drooling. It was disgusting!
Giving Fleur a small smile of thanks, he turned to his other two friends. He was hesitant to invite Ron, but he really didn't see an option unless he wanted to detonate their friendship on the spot. With an internal sigh, he shot a questioning look at them.
"Of course I'll come, Harry," smiled Hermione, understanding his meaning perfectly. "Someone has to keep you out of trouble."
"Ron?" he prompted.
The sound of his name shook Ron out of his daze, and Harry frowned, his eyes narrowing dangerously for a brief moment. On the other hand, perhaps it was time that Ron learned a lesson. Harry was not going to allow him to ogle his fiancée!
"Never mind," he decided eventually.
Hermione's eyes widened, as did Fleur's, but Harry ignored them and turned to walk out of the hall. The twins, having caught his displeasure, conveniently distracted Ron (he didn't want to know how) and caught up with them on the grounds. Harry nodded his thanks, and they resumed their trek to the Beauxbatons carriage.
Fleur was pensive for the first half of the trip, and then she finally drew him to a halt and said what was on her mind. "I do not care for 'im, 'Arry," she admitted softly, "but you do not need to exclude 'im for me."
Harry, however, felt differently, and on impulse, he reached over and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "What he's doing isn't right, Fleur," he said honestly. "I'm hoping that maybe getting left behind will get the message across." His expression darkening, he added, "Friend or not, he's not allowed to ogle you like a bloody piece of meat."
Fleur studied his expression carefully to determine the truth of his words, and then she smiled, leaned down, and kissed him gently on the cheek. "Merci, 'Arry," she whispered with surprising emotion.
Stunned by her actions, Harry never even realized when she stared walking again. Instead, his hand slowly came up to touch the spot her lips had touched. He could still feel his cheek tingling! She probably would've been forced to come back for him had the twins not come to the rescue.
They stepped up on either side of him and snagged his arms, propelling him forward.
"That is one hot bird," said Left Twin.
"And she likes you," nodded Right Twin.
"She likes you a lot."
"So do yourself a favor."
"Treat her right."
"And don't hack her off."
Harry smiled at their antics. "Too right," he agreed. "I'm starting to think this might not be so bad after all."
"Just don't forget to invite us to the wedding," they smirked simultaneously.
And somehow, Harry knew they weren't joking.
They entered Fleur's room in the carriage a short time later to find Sebastian sitting at a table amidst a rather large amount of paperwork, and Harry instantly felt guilty. The man was doing so much for him; could he really ask for even more? He started to waffle because of it, but Sebastian noticed them before he could change his mind.
"Fleur! 'Arry!" he greeted, getting up and rounding the table to give them both – to Harry's surprise – warm hugs. "And who are your friends?"
"Er, this is Fred and George Weasley," Harry said. "Not sure which is which, to be honest. And this is Hermione Granger, my best friend." Turning to his friends, he added, "Guys, meet Sebastian Delacour, Fleur's father."
They exchanged brief greetings, and then Sebastian chuckled as he eyed Fred and George. "I'm impressed," he noted. "No drooling."
"Papa!" exclaimed a scandalized Fleur.
"Nope," confirmed Fred.
"No drooling here," agreed George.
"Not that she isn't drool-worthy," frowned Fred.
"Definitely drool-worthy!" agreed George solemnly.
"But unlike certain other–"
"–members of our family who shall remain nameless–"
"–we actually have some self control–"
"–and a healthy fear of an angry Harry!"
"Too right!"
"He defeated Voldemort, what, three times now?"
"We don't stand a chance!"
Harry stared at them, nonplussed. He'd never thought about it that way before, but it was true that he'd defeated Voldemort three times, two of them knowingly! But did the twins really think it was that big of a deal? It was probably good that he couldn't tell.
For his part, Sebastian just laughed. "I like them already," he grinned. "So what brings you all 'ere?"
Harry lowered his gaze to the floor and shuffled his feet. "Er, we can come back if you're busy."
Fleur, however, was having none of it. She reached out and once again lifted his head by the chin. "Non," she said firmly. "'E is nevair too busy for you, 'Arry. You will learn zis soon enough."
"Quite right," agreed Sebastian, gracing his daughter with a smile. "So what is this about?"
Harry had to blink a tear from his eye, but quickly mastered himself. "I want to do something about Snivellus," he said finally. "I was thinking if we can get enough memories together, then maybe we can make something stick. I'm just not sure how to make it work."
Sebastian narrowed his eyes for a moment, and then motioned them over to the sitting area, while he himself went to gather a Pensieve from somewhere. He set it on the table when he returned, and fixed Harry with an attentive look. Harry was surprised at how good that simple action made him feel: he wasn't being ignored like he usually was!
"Talk to me, 'Arry," he said seriously. "Tell me what we are looking at."
Harry frowned for a moment. "Maybe we should just show you," he said slowly. "A couple of memories from each of us? That way you can see what we're dealing with. It's been going on for a long time."
"Then that is what we will do," nodded Sebastian.
Hermione looked surprised, but more than willing to go with it. She quickly explained that she was choosing a memory of a class period that Harry missed, because it proved that he was just as bad when Harry wasn't around. The twins, remarkably serious for them, also each entered a memory of their own.
Harry, for his part, put today's memory in, along with his first Potions class.
"First I want you to see the first class I had with him," he decided. "I'd never even met the man before. The other one I put in is today's, but other than that, I guess it doesn't matter what order we go in."
Sebastian nodded, and they were off. He was visibly annoyed by the time the memory of Harry's first potions class ended, and angry when he finished the memories from the others. And then he watched today's class.
Harry could only describe his rather frightening expression as pure, unadulterated rage.
Nobody spoke as Sebastian closed his eyes and pulled himself back together. Fleur was also visibly hacked off – and though he had no intention of mentioning it, he noticed a slight outgrowth around the base of her neck that looked like feathers. It was only there briefly, but it was there nonetheless, and a book he read on veela said that they had to be really angry to accidentally transform.
It made his heart swell that they cared so much, though he fervently hoped never to have their anger turned on him.
"Zat cochon!" burst Sebastian finally. "Zat batard is sabotaging 'is students, and 'is treatment of you is an abomination!"
The slight thickening of Sebastian's accent clued Harry in that this was no act. He was hacked! And rightfully so, in Harry's opinion; even he had a strong reaction to it after looking at it objectively like that!
"We've tried talking to McGonagall," said Hermione tentatively, "and I talked to the Headmaster once, but they won't listen."
"Of course not," snorted Sebastian. "He's Albus' pet Death Eater. He probably wants 'im as a spy for when Voldemort returns. Too bad 'e's not going to 'ave 'im if I 'ave any say in ze matter!"
Harry's expression dimmed considerably. "He's a Death Eater?" he hissed quietly.
Sebastian turned a serious expression on him, even as Fleur's hand found its way to his neck. "Tried and convicted," he said flatly as he calmed down. "'e was pardoned because 'e supposedly spied for us, but it was on Albus' word, and 'e won't tell anyone why 'e believes in Snape. That makes me think 'is reasons won't 'old up to scrutiny."
Harry closed his eyes and swayed in his seat as yet another wave of betrayal washed over him. The bastard was hiring Death Eaters to teach his students! The very people he was supposed to be fighting! Harry did not believe for a moment that Snape was reformed; he still acted the part of the Dark Wizard, and that said plenty.
The silence in the room was broken only by the creaking of a seat, and a moment later he felt Fleur's arms come all the way around him. Needing the comfort, he leaned into her and tried to let his anger run off. It was far more difficult than he expected.
Meanwhile, Sebastian started speaking again. "Pensieve memories are circumstantial evidence in court," he said slowly. "That will be our biggest problem."
It was the twins who responded in their usual alternating fashion, though he had never heard them do it before when they were serious.
"How about Veritaserum?"
"We can testify that the memory is accurate."
"Would that make it solid?"
Harry opened his eyes in time to see a surprised expression on Sebastian's face. "That might just work," he said with a slow nod. "I'll 'ave to talk to Madame Bones and see if there is precedent for or against, but I believe you might be on to something."
"Let us know if you need anything," offered a twin.
"All but the Slytherins want him gone," agreed the other.
Hermione even nodded her agreement with that, and then got her thoughtful look. "We need more than just us," she thought aloud. "If we present overwhelming evidence, even circumstantially, they won't have a choice, and most of the school would be willing to contribute. We should focus on incidents where students were actually harmed. Verbal abuse is wrong, but I'm not so sure it would stick as a crime."
Sebastian nodded thoughtfully. "I agree," he nodded, "but we need to get the evidence without Albus knowing, or 'e will try to block it."
"Leave that to us," smirked Fred.
"We know everyone," nodded George.
"All we have to do–"
"–is tell them we plan to–"
"–prank Snape!" they finished together.
Harry couldn't help his chuckle. "They have a point," he smirked evilly. "The students would do anything to see it, and the memories would be easy to get."
"Then let's see what we can do," nodded Sebastian. "And 'Arry?"
"Sir?" blinked Harry.
"Do not ever 'esitate to come to me," he said seriously. "No matter if it's something that you think is completely foolish, or even if you just want to talk. That is what I am 'ere for. Alright?"
Harry nodded, and had to wipe another tear from his eye because he was getting overwhelmed again. That was happening a lot lately...
"Thank you," he said quietly.