Fleur was apparently a big fan of nature hikes, and Harry filed that away for future reference. Maybe he could arrange a better date next time now that he knew. Of course, he only knew this in the first place because of the incredibly wide – and extremely evil – smile she wore for the duration of the trip to Padfoot's cave. The canine in question led them a merry chase, and she was clearly having the time of her life.
Of course, the chase – and her enjoyment of it – may have had something to do with the fact that she was repeatedly demonstrating her amazing proficiency with cosmetic Charms as they scrambled after him...
By the time they reached the cave, she'd somehow managed to hit him with no less than ten Charms and hexes, and probably closer to twenty. His fur had been hit with so many color changing Charms that he would've fit right in with a group of American hippies! She also managed to style his hair up a bit, resulting in a windswept mohawk that trailed down from his head all the way to his tail.
It was bright Slytherin green.
When they reached their destination, Padfoot took cover behind Buckbeak, who was tethered in the back of the cave. Harry and Fleur scrambled in after him huffing and puffing, and Fleur, who was in the lead, came to a screeching halt. She eyed the sleeping hippogriff warily, but wisely chose not to approach.
Padfoot morphed into Sirius, and then–
"Alright! I give!" he yelped.
Fleur stepped forward with an evil grin, and an equally evil light in her eyes. She crossed her arms and gave him an expectant look, foot tapping idly in the dirt. Harry smirked; his daydreams about Marauding veela were coming true!
"I think you owe someone an apology, Sirius," he grinned knowingly.
"Mmmm," nodded Fleur in an agreement, arching an eyebrow at the offender. "You should use caution, Meester Black. You are not ze only one 'oo can transform, and ze next time, your nose may become... charred."
Harry's smirk only grew when Sirius cautiously stepped forward and then suddenly dropped to his knees in front of her. "I'm sorry!" he gushed. "I'll never do it again, just don't hex me anymore! Please, I'm begging you!"
Harry chortled, and Fleur finally holstered her wand. "Bon," she grinned, "I will 'old you to zat."
And with that, she withdrew and took a position next to Harry, turning to give him a bright smile. Her cheeks were pink with exertion, and it only made her look that much more beautiful. He would let her chase his godfather all she wanted if it kept that delighted sparkle in her eyes, and he could not help but smile brightly back at her.
They didn't bother to inform Sirius that he now had a green streak down the middle of his head.
Looking like he, too, had just had the time of his life, Sirius grinned and swept Harry up in a warm, welcoming hug. Harry had to guess that it'd been a while since he'd had so much fun, and that dimmed his mood slightly, though he quickly pushed it away. He wouldn't ruin the day by worrying about his godfather's plight, when he could help the man forget for a while instead.
When Sirius finally pulled back, he eyed Fleur with interest. "So who's the bird, Harry?" he asked curiously.
A slow, evil smile grew on Harry's face. "Well..." he said slowly. "I suppose I should probably introduce you." Fleur must have noticed his look, because her grin reappeared, and he decided to lay it on thick. "Sirius Black," he intoned, "allow me to introduce my beautiful fiancée, Fleur Delacour. Fleur, meet my godfather, Sirius Black."
Sirius snorted and rolled his eyes disbelievingly. "Why, it's a pleasure to meet you, Madame," he said with a suave bow that did not at all match his starved, escaped-convict look. Then he paused for a moment, turning thoughtful, before– "Any relation to Sebastian Delacour?"
Harry blinked.
"Oui," she smiled. "'E is my fazzer."
"Hmph," grunted Sirius. "Well that explains that, then."
"Huh?" asked Harry.
Sirius reached into a pocket and pulled out a letter that looked like it'd been read at least a thousand times. It was wrinkled, the edges frayed, and – to Harry's surprise – it was written on familiar parchment. As he took it from Sirius, a mere glance at the handwriting showed that it was indeed from Sebastian:
Mr. Black,
I have recently come into possession of circumstantial evidence indicating that you were falsely accused of your alleged crimes. Also, a foray into the British Ministry Archive indicates that you have never received a trial, fair or otherwise. France considers this a grave injustice, and the ignorance of Minister Fudge only underscores the matter.
To that end, we would like to offer you asylum, with the caveat that you must testify under Veritaserum as to your innocence. While we cannot force the hand of the British Ministry at this time, we can at least provide you with safety and comfort. If you accept this offer, all of your needs will be provided for.
I hope that you will seriously consider this opportunity. You deserve a safe home, and if you accept, I will personally see to it that you have one.
Sincerely,
Seigneur Sebastian Alexandre Delacour
Director of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Magic, France
Harry was dimly aware of Fleur moving to read over his shoulder as he stared in shock at the letter. It had only been a few days since Sebastian even found out about this! How had he managed to move so quickly?
"He did it!" he breathed. Then a wide, amazed smile appeared on his face as he turned his attention to Fleur. "He really did it!"
"Of course 'e did," she smiled back. "It was important to you, and zat is wizout considering ze 'orrible nature of ze injustice."
Harry nodded and stared back down at the letter. Granted, it took saving his daughter's life and effectively trapping her into marriage for this to happen, but still... He was away from the Dursleys; Snape would soon be gone if they had their way; and now Sirius was going to be free!
"The only reason I haven't answered that letter is you, Harry," said Sirius, his earlier joviality suddenly vanishing. "I want to be near you, and if I go to France..."
Harry's head snapped up, his eyes widening in horror, but Fleur got there first; she shook her beautiful head, sending pretty ripples through her silvery hair, and pinned Sirius with an amused smirk. "Eef you to go to France," she said, "zen you will see 'im quite frequently, Meester Black, I assure you. 'E 'as already been zere once last week."
Sirius blinked bemusedly.
By now, Harry's stomach had twisted itself in knots in fear that Sirius would reject the invitation. "Please, Sirius," he said hoarsely. "I need you to be safe, and they'll find you if you stay too long. Sebastian can protect you, and I swear I'll be okay."
Harry could not take his eyes off his godfather, who obviously had many questions, and for the first time that he could recall, he actually felt relief at someone's touch. Fleur's arms came around him from behind, pulling him close, her warm embrace keeping his panic at bay. He knew his fears weren't rational – Sirius was a grown man – but he didn't want to lose any more family, and he had the distinct sense that he was going to decline the offer!
"My fazzer is looking after 'im, Meester Black," came Fleur's soft musical voice, even as her chin came to rest on the crown of his head. "You will be able to see 'im much more frequently even zan you can now." She paused for a moment, before– "It is very important zat you stay safe. 'Arry needs you, and you cannot 'elp 'im if zey catch you."
Sirius' met Fleur's steady gaze over Harry's head, and he studied her for a long moment before finally nodding. "You're sure about this guy, Harry?" he asked tentatively. "No offense to your friend here, but I know nothing about him other than he's big in political circles."
"He's a good guy, Sirius," replied Harry earnestly. "We have a lot to tell you, but he's done more for me in the past week than anyone else ever has. He's trying to help you because I asked him to."
Sirius studied him for a long moment, and then his gaze flicked up to Fleur again before he finally shook his head and motioned for them to pull up a patch of dirt. "Maybe you'd better tell me what's going on," he decided. "I'm obviously missing something."
"Just tell me you'll do this," begged Harry. "Please!"
Sirius' brow creased in worry at Harry's tone, and he studied his godson as he lowered himself to the floor. Harry followed suit, and Fleur sat down behind him, once again wrapping him in her arms, and this time resting her chin on his shoulder. He soaked up her comfort as his nerves jangled in anticipation of his godfather's answer.
"Alright," nodded Sirius finally. "I'll go, but you need to tell me everything."
Sirius exchanged another look with Fleur over his head, and Harry blew out a relieved breath. "Thank you," he sighed. "It's a long story, Sirius. This all happened last week, which is why you don't know about it yet."
"Go on," urged Sirius.
Now that he had Sirius' tentative agreement – he was sure he couldn't find fault with the plan after the explanation – Harry felt his former good mood rapidly returning. A faint smirk came over him, his eyes twinkling mischievously as he stared back at his godfather. This was going to be interesting...
"Well," he said quietly, deciding to drop the bomb on him all at once. "First of all, I wasn't lying earlier. Fleur really is my fiancée."
Sirius blinked bemusedly at him. "I like pranks as much as the next guy, Harry," he said, "but somehow I just can't see Vernon and Petunia signing off on that."
Harry developed a vindictive grin at the mention. "Oh, they signed off alright," he said darkly. "On that and so much more. They will never know what hit them."
His godfather's eyebrows shot into his hairline at that declaration. It was apparent that he could read the truth in Harry's eyes, because the disbelief had all but vanished, replaced with genuine confusion, and a fair bit of worry. He frowned for a moment before shifting to make himself more comfortable, and in the process he snagged the bag that they'd brought from the Three Broomsticks for him.
"Alright, Harry," he said seriously, "I think I need this one from the top."
"What do you know about the Second Task?" asked Harry without missing a beat.
Sirius shrugged. "Just what was in the papers," he admitted. "You tied for first, and showed up at the finish line with–" He broke off and blinked for a moment, and then slowly finished, "with the Beauxbatons Champion."
Fleur chuckled throatily at him. "Yes, Meester Black," she said in an amused tone, "I am ze Beauxbatons Champion."
Sirius blinked in surprise, and Harry continued. "She was attacked by grindylows in the lake," he explained. "I helped her out a bit, and it had... consequences."
Fleur gave him a squeeze. "You do not take enough credit, 'Arry," she sighed. Then to Sirius, "'E saved my life, Meester Black. I would 'ave died if 'e 'ad not been zere. Zat is why we must soon marry."
Sirius shook his head sharply as though to clear it. "Okay..." he said slowly. "First of all, it's Sirius or Padfoot. Now, I get the saving your life thing, that's just Harry–" Harry blushed "–but the whole marriage thing is going right over my head."
Fleur snorted in morbid amusement, and Harry frowned. Sirius Black of old undoubtedly knew what veela were, and he would have considered them perfect women! That he couldn't recognize one was worrisome; Azkaban must have done more damage than he initially thought.
"Er, Sirius?" he said slowly. "Haven't you noticed anything... off... about Fleur?"
Fleur chuckled at Harry's phrasing, the vibration of it running pleasantly up Harry's spine.
Sirius frowned. "You mean other than the fact that she's been tugging on my mind since I first laid eyes on her?" he asked with an arched eyebrow. "What is that, anyway? Feels like some kind of bloody aphrodisiac."
"Can you think of no being zat 'as such an effect on men, Padfoot?" asked Fleur softly.
His forehead creased in concentration as he contemplated the question, and Harry started to wonder if maybe some professional help wouldn't do him some good. While it was possible that he really didn't know what Fleur was, Harry somehow doubted it. And sure enough–
"Veela?" he breathed, his eyes going wide.
"Very good," nodded Fleur, her silky hair rubbing against Harry's cheek. "Do you understand why we must marry?"
Sirius stared at her for an interminable moment before finally shaking himself out of his shock and rubbing his face with his hands. The food had been all but forgotten, which was saying something since it didn't look like he'd been getting enough to eat. Harry waited patiently for him to collect himself, and then–
"Yeah, I get it," he admitted, fixing Harry with a worried look. "You sure you're okay with this, kiddo? It's an awfully big step."
Harry felt Fleur tense at the question, but he took a page from her book and gave her hands a squeeze where they were clasped over his belly. "I have to be, Sirius," he replied honestly. "But yeah, I think I'll be okay. Fleur and I have a lot to work out, but..."
He trailed off with a shrug, and Sirius searched his eyes for the truth. Harry held his gaze impassively; he'd made his decision, and knew that once his godfather was aware of that simple fact, he would support him. Besides, he couldn't see Sirius sacrificing Fleur's life any more than he himself could.
One would almost have to be a Dark Wizard to do something like that!
Finally, his gaze travelled over to Fleur. "What about you?" he asked simply.
Harry felt her give a small shrug. "It is not what I would 'ave chosen," she admitted quietly, "but if I must marry someone not of my choice, then I cannot zink of anyone I would rather be wiz zan 'Arry."
A rush of embarrassed pleasure overcame him at her calm, confident, and palpably honest words, and his cheeks heated in response. He had no idea why she would think that – he was just a kid with a lot of problems – but he could tell that she believed it. He wasn't sure how he should feel about it, but it did make him feel more than a bit honored.
But rather than say anything, he merely gave her hands another squeeze, though he could not fight the pleased smile that found its way to his lips.
Sirius shook his head at them in wonder. "Well, congratulations, then," he smirked. "I have to admit, kiddo, James would've been impressed."
Harry snorted. "Probably right after he finished going mental because his son'll be married in two weeks," he grumbled.
"Two weeks?" yelped Sirius. "You're only fourteen!"
"Zere is no choice, Padfoot," sighed Fleur. "I can already feel ze debt calling to me, and it will only get worse. I 'ave three, per'aps four weeks before it will take my magic, and I cannot survive without magic."
Sirius shook his head in defeat and finally reached for the food again. Nobody spoke as he dug through the bag, obviously still processing everything he'd just learned. Harry and Fleur remained silent, the latter tightening her grip on him and pressing her cheek up against his own, almost as though she was nervous about his reaction.
Not that Harry could blame her; he was nervous himself. Would Sirius be upset about it? While he wouldn't call it off – and he would support it in the end – it didn't mean that he would like it. Then again, Harry supposed that no adult in their right mind would like it...
Five minutes and several biscuits later, he finally sighed, breaking the tense silence.
"Alright," he said, "I guess there's nothing else that can be done about that?"
"Non," admitted Fleur nervously. "Unless I save 'is life in ze next few weeks..."
Sirius snorted morbidly. "Yes, because it's so likely that it won't be the other way around," he said sarcastically. "But I digress. I guess this is how you met Seigneur Delacour?"
Harry nodded. "Yeah," he said. "He investigated me when he found out, and... he found some things, Sirius. Things that mean I can't trust Dumbledore."
Sirius paused in his attack on a defenseless chicken leg. "What things?" he asked through a deep frown.
Harry took a deep breath. This was the part he really didn't want to tell the man, but he needed to know – and it wasn't like there were any other options. And to be honest, Harry was happy with the way things were for the moment, and didn't want it to change.
That said, he had no idea how Sirius would react – but there was no time like the present...
"First of all, he found out how screwed up things were with the Dursleys," he said in a low tone. "When I said they signed off on a lot, I meant it. To make a long story short, he acted like he would do away with me if they signed over custody, and they did it."
Sirius surged to his feet upon hearing this, a thunderous scowl appearing on his face, and Harry instinctively pushed himself back into Fleur with quite a bit of force. For one crazy moment he thought that Sirius was going to lay into him, but then–
"THEY TRIED TO HAVE YOU KILLED?"he roared.
Harry paled.
"Zat is enough, Sirius," snapped Fleur. "Zey are being dealt wiz, and zere is no point in becoming angry."
Sirius' eyes narrowed dangerously at her. "How?" he rasped, reminding Harry abruptly that his godfather had a dark side. He was, after all, the man who had intended to kill Pettigrew for his betrayal...
"Zey are going to prison," she said simply. "We do not know any more zan zat. You would 'ave to ask Papa."
Sirius stared at her for a very long moment, and then closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. Harry relaxed a little; he wasn't afraid of Sirius, but he still wasn't a big fan of loud, angry voices. It reminded him too much of Vernon...
Finally the man sat down again, and the look in his eyes was much saner when he opened them. "So he's your guardian now?" he asked, point blank.
Harry looked away, not wanting to see his reaction, and unable to prevent a small amount of guilt from intruding on his consciousness. "Yeah," he whispered. "He's been really good to me, Sirius."
There was a brief pause before–
"Look at me, kiddo," ordered Sirius calmly.
Harry hesitated for a moment, but then turned to look at Sirius – only to find a relieved look on his face, to his considerable surprise. "You trust him, right?" he asked calmly.
Harry nodded. "Yeah, I do," he admitted. "He's been straight with me."
"Then I'm glad, Harry," said Sirius quietly, reaching over to pat his knee. "I never liked those gits, and I've had more than one argument with Albus about it since I got out. As long as he treats you right, I'm fine with it."
Sirius looked him in the eye as he said it, and Harry had no choice but to believe. It relieved a fear that he hadn't even known he had, and he felt quite a bit lighter for it. Now all he had to do was tell him the rest.
"Thanks," he said quietly, "but that's not all."
Sirius frowned again. "Oh?" he asked warily.
Harry nodded. "How rich were my parents?" he asked simply.
Sirius blinked bemusedly at the non-sequitur. "Well," he said slowly, "they were pretty well off I suppose. Potter Manor was pretty impressive. Why?"
Harry was instantly distracted. "Potter Manor?" he frowned.
"I think it was destroyed in the war," said Sirius, motioning for him to get on with it. "I'm not sure, though."
He made a mental note to ask about that at some point, and then shook himself out of his momentary daze. "I didn't know about any of it, Sirius," he said darkly. "All I have is a small trust vault. And want to take a guess at who my financial guardian is?"
Sirius stared blankly at him, his face darkening alarmingly. "Albus?" he growled.
"Yes," said Harry flatly. "Sebastian is looking into it, but he says I should have a lot more than I do."
Harry watched his reaction closely. He pinched the bridge of his nose, and was clearly fighting to tamp down his anger at the revelation. Harry could relate; he'd felt much the same way when it registered with him, and he still didn't know what to do about it.
"He's checking into it?" asked Sirius hopefully.
"Yeah," confirmed Harry. "We're taking care of it after the wedding. There's too much going on right now to deal with it. Dumbledore doesn't know about any of this, by the way, and Sebastian thinks it should stay that way."
Sirius nodded, clearly overwhelmed. "He's probably right," he said darkly. "Anything else?"
Harry thought hard for a moment, but couldn't come up with anything, except–
"Only one more thing," he added, an evil smirk growing on his lips. "And you'll like this one, Padfoot. It'll be the best prank on Hogwarts in a long time."
Sirius' eyebrows went up. "Oh?" he challenged. "That's a tall order, Harry."
"How does getting Snivellus arrested sound?" he asked with an evil grin.
Sirius stared at him for a long moment, and then his own smile grew. "You're serious?" he asked hopefully.
"Oui," confirmed Fleur. "Papa is 'elping zem build ze case."
"He's going down, Sirius," said Harry, suddenly all business. "At least if we have anything to say about it. We won't let Dumbledore protect him this time. We're collecting memories from every student we can find, and we want to show them in court if we can pull it off. Sebastian thinks it'll work."
Sirius looked like Christmas had come early. Harry had not forgotten that they were bitter enemies in their childhoods, nor that the greasy bastard was one of the reasons that Pettigrew escaped last year. Had they not had to deal with Snape, things might have gone much more smoothly...
"Excellent," he said evilly. "Tell me more!"
Harry smirked, and they proceeded to spend the next hour discussing the coming downfall of Snivellus Snape. Now that all the important stuff had been covered, Harry found himself relaxing considerably. He hadn't realized just how worried he was about filling Sirius in – and he doubted that he'd heard the last of it – but it was nice to have it out in the open. There were few he could trust with the details.
In fact, other than the Delacours, Hermione was still the only other one who knew everything. He couldn't tell Ron – the boy couldn't keep a secret to save his life – but at least he had one friend he could truly trust. It made him realize just how much he valued her friendship, and he resolved to do something nice for her at the next available opportunity.
Soon the conversation drifted, and it wasn't long before Sirius started questioning Fleur to get to know her a bit. Harry fell silent at this, and found relaxing into her embrace, enjoying the way her chest vibrated against him as she spoke. He'd never been held like this before – ever – and he hoped that it wouldn't be the last time.
Finally, though, the time came for them to return to school, and he was forced to give up his pleasant position and return to reality. It wasn't long before he'd exchanged a parting hug with his godfather and extracted another promise that he would head to France as soon as possible.
"I'll see you soon, kiddo," offered Sirius. "Keep in touch." And then to Fleur, he added, "and you take good care of him. He's the only godson I've got."
"You need not worry about zat," she replied with a genuine smile.
"We'd better get going," sighed Harry. "It's getting late, and we still have to hike back."
"Yeah, one more thing before you go," frowned Sirius, leaving Harry wondering at the sheepish expression he was wearing.
"What is it?" he asked.
Harry was surprised when Sirius turned to Fleur.
"Will you take the hexes off if I beg nicely? Tie died dog just doesn't blend in well."