Fleur sat within the confines of the main living room of the Beauxbatons Carriage, the only other occupant being Madame Maxime. The other Beauxbatons students had all been sent to their rooms by Madame Maxime twenty minutes ago, for curfew had passed.
"Madame?" Fleur asked gently, "I was wondering why you have asked me to remain."
Madame Maxime was dressed in rather lovely French clothing, a slight mix between formal and informal. The giant woman made her way to a seat opposite Fleur, before sitting down.
"There is something I wish for you to see." said Madame Maxime, sipping a cup of tea that was placed beside her.
"Yes?"
"I am not sure what it is, though I am fairly certain that it is of significant importance to you."
Fleur's eyebrows rose.
"It pertains to the tournament?" she asked slowly.
Madame Maxime shrugged.
"I can not say. I truly haven't the faintest idea, and even if I did, that would be cheating." said the headmistress, before taking another sip of her tea. Fleur fought not to let a smile grace her features.
Once Madame Maxime had finished her tea, the two of them both heard a slight knocking on the door. Madame Maxime gently set her cup of tea down, before turning to Fleur.
"You are to follow us in secret." Madame Maxime informed the Veela, "You may desire to cover yourself with the disillusionment charm, which I know you to be more than proficient with."
Fleur nodded towards her headmistress. She quickly and quietly cloaked herself with the Disillusionment Charm. She watched as Madame Maxime opened the carriage doors, revealing the Hogwarts Gamekeeper. He was dressed in a horrible coat, though it was clear from his proud stance that he thought it to be rather nice.
The giant of a man held out his hand, which her headmistress accepted. He gently helped her down the steps, before the two of them headed off in the direction of the Forbidden Forest. Fleur was slightly wary now; she assumed anyone would be when entering a place that had the word 'Forbidden' in its name.
She gracefully followed the pair, which was not a difficult feat; she was nearly twenty feet away, and she could still see their enormous silhouettes.
Bam.
Fleur nearly fell to the floor, her Disillusionment Charm fading due to her sudden shock. She turned around, searching for whatever had crashed into her. A moment later, a bright light emerged from the tip of a wand - one that happened to be pointed directly at her. Her eyes met a pair that glowed emerald. They were accompanied by high cheekbones, hair identical in colour to the night sky, and narrowed eyes.
Standing mere feet away from her, in the middle of the Forbidden Forest, and past curfew, was Harry Potter.
"Fleur Delacour." said Harry, his eyes continuing to narrowing slightly as he gazed at her.
As usual, there was not so much as a hint of him being affected by her allure. It was something that greatly impressed her; she knew her allure to be far greater than those belonging to other Veela she had met.
"Harry Potter."
"You don't seem the type to take a midnight stroll through the Forbidden Forest."
Fleur narrowed her eyes, glaring at the boy.
"I could say the same for you."
"I beg to differ, but that isn't particularly important. So what are you doing here?"
"Could I not ask you the same question?"
"If you did I would tell you that I was scheduled for detention with Professor Hagrid. Punishment for - "
" - setting a boy on fire, yes, I have heard." responded Fleur in a voice that carried superiority, something that caused the boy to narrow his eyes.
Fleur had indeed heard all about the occurrence, even if she had not been present at the time. There was no doubt in her mind that it had been accidental magic, as the boy had claimed; doing such magic without the aid of a wand would be damn near impossible, even for wizards such as Albus Dumbledore.
Still, she felt that the boy must have been rather weak willed if it had truly been a case of accidental magic. The magic must have been affected by his emotions, as all accidental magic was. There was also the fact that accidental magic typically stopped after a witch or wizard turned ten; hearing of occurrences past that age were very rare.
Yet at the same time, Fleur doubted he could be so weak willed. He was clearly immune to her allure, something that could, as far as Fleur knew, only be done via a strong willpower. To be fair, she was not releasing her full allure; had she been doing so, his drool would be dripping to the floor by now.
"I didn't mean to do it," defended Harry, "I simply lost control of my emotions."
"How disappointing." Fleur taunted (as she had not yet forgotten seeing the boy depart from the girl's bathroom weeks ago) , "To lose control in such a way. Losing your temper when being insulted by another fourteen year old student - "
"He wasn't insulting me." said Harry, gritting his teeth, "He was insulting my parents."
Fleur fell silent. She had not known that; if she had, she would have not brought up the subject in the first place.
"Sorry." she muttered quietly.
"Don't be." said Harry, "It's nice to have someone forget for once."
Fleur nodded. She understood what he meant, to a certain extent. She too had always been the center of attention for something that had always been out of control.
"I would assume Madame Maxime told you to follow her, like Hagrid told me. Considering that it's the two of us, it likely has something to do with the bloody tournament."
With that, the boy turned around and walked after the two half giants.
"Slow down, you cretin!" Fleur whisper-yelled at the boy's retreating back, dropping the cold facade that she almost always wore due to a sudden wave of panic. She quickly caught up to him, stopping when she was beside him.
"You must reapply your Disillusionment Charm, or we will be spotted!" she reprimanded.
"Relax, we won't be spotted by the lovebirds, no need to worry." said Harry, ignoring the glare he received.
The two of them walked in silence for several minutes, quietly tailing the two half giants.
"You can perform nonverbal spells." Fleur remembered aloud.
"What, surprised that the 'little boy' actually knows how to do things?" asked Harry scathingly.
"You are in your fourth year." noted Fleur, "They can not have taught you that yet."
"What makes you think they taught me anything." asked Harry casually.
"Where else would you have learnt it, cretin?"
"Be careful with your words." Harry warned her in a sarcastic tone, "Or I'll use my evil Parseltongue magic and have the snakes in the forest attack you."
Fleur scoffed.
"You'd be sent to Azkaban in the blink of the eye." remarked Fleur, "And calling an ability evil is among the most foolish things I have ever heard."
Harry paused slightly, turning to her.
"Nice to see you aren't as stupid as the others."
Fleur shrugged.
"I am a Veela. Thinking such a thing would be highly hypocritical of me."
"A Veela, huh? I hadn't noticed." said Harry sarcastically.
"I would not be surprised if that were the case." said Fleur. She was particularly interested in figuring out exactly how the boy was so immune to her allure, especially considering that they were opponents in the tournament. Unfortunately for her, the boy remained silent.
The two of them eventually stopped when they heard the sound of loud yelling coming from the distance. The two of them slowly moved forward, pushing a few bushes out of the way in order to see whatever was going on.
Before them were four fully grown dragons, each over forty feet in length. The one closest to them was a pale blue, seemingly quick and agile. There was another in a large cage beside it; this one was red and gold, slightly larger than the previous. It shot mushroom shaped blasts of fire at the handlers, who all ducked out of the flames' path.
There were two remaining cages, the first of which carried a green dragon which was calmer than the others, though not by much. It was the final dragon, however, that caught Fleur's attention.
Its rough skin was pure black, its snout pulsing angrily. The creature was easily eighty feet in length, possibly even larger. The colour of the flames that spewed from its mouth were of a similar golden shade to its hostile eyes.
Fleur was briefly aware of Madame Maxime and the Hogwarts Care of Magical Creatures Professor talking to a redhead dragon handler, her eyes glued to the giant dragon.
"This is your fault." she muttered, turning to Harry. The boy was also gazing at the large black dragon.
"If your name had not come out of that goblet, that monstre would not be here!" she hissed angrily. Harry turned to her, his eyes wide with shock.
"You believe that I didn't put my name into the goblet?" he asked cautiously.
"Of course I do, you could have not possibly entered yourself." said Fleur.
Harry smiled at her, which Fleur had to admit made her feel rather nice. It was a stark contrast to the aloof coldness he seemed to portray whenever in the presence of others. It was not as thought she could blame him for his actions, however. She too was rather harsh and distant from others; the only people she had ever spoken kindly to were her mother, father, sister, and Madame Maxime.
"Get up, we need to leave." said Fleur, "We can not afford to be caught."
Harry nodded, and the two of them quickly departed from the scene. The walk back was made in silence, both of them thinking of the dark, demonic dragon they had seen at the back. Just as they had nearly made their way out of the forest they paused, having heard a crunching noise just a few feet to the side of them.
Karkaroff.
The Durmstrang headmaster was slowly making his way through the forest, following the path Hagrid and Madame Maxime had taken earlier. Fleur and Harry quickly applied Disillusionment Charms, waiting for the man to pass them. When he had, the two of them hurried out of the forest, only stopping when they were on the Hogwarts grounds.
"I'm going to tell Cedric." panted Harry.
Fleur nodded, not remotely surprised by his decision. As much as she wanted to hold onto an advantage, she knew that this was something that could potentially end someone's life. As it was, the Hufflepuff champion would be the only one who remained in the blue; it was blatantly obvious that Karkaroff would be telling Krum about the discovery.
The both of them made their way over to Beauxbatons Carriage, neither one saying a word. Once they had finally arrived, Harry stopped at the door.
"Good night, I suppose." he said, holding the door open for her.
"Bonne nuit." replied Fleur quickly, before making her way to her bedroom.
She had a lot to think about.
Once Fleur had entered the Beauxbatons Carriage, Harry sprinted off towards the castle. He was likely late; Hagrid had told McGonagall they would be back in an hour or two, but Harry wouldn't be surprised if it was midnight by now. He quickly passed through the courtyard and into the main entrance. Sure enough, Professor McGonagall stood upon the main staircase, holding a lantern in her left palm.
"Sorry, Professor." Harry managed to wheeze out, "Took a bit longer than expected."
"I was just about to head over to Hagrid's Hut to check on your status. Head off to bed, Mr. Potter. You have your Wand weighing ceremony in a few days; there is no need to be short on sleep."
"Yes, Professor." said Harry, before hurrying past her. Once he was several metres away from her, Harry pulled out the Marauder's Map. The last thing he needed was for McGonagall to find out he was heading towards the Chamber of Secrets.
Thankfully, Professor McGonagall seemed to be heading towards the Staff Lounge, which happened to be on the other side of the school. Harry quickly made his way down to the second floor girl's bathroom, before entering the chamber.
"What's got you all worked up?" asked Salazar uncaringly when Harry rushed into the study.
"Dragons." Harry panted out, "The first task, it's dragons!"
Salazar paled significantly.
"Which breeds?" he asked hurriedly.
"Don't know, we haven't studied dragons. The worst one was definitely the black one though. It must have been as big as the basilisk, and it was covered in horns."
"Hungarian Horntail." muttered Salazar, "Let us assume that this is the one you will face off against. If you prepare for the worst, you will likely do best."
"Yeah, I figured." said Harry, "Will using wandless magic help protect me from the fire? Because I can use fire and all that, so I would assume I have some form of resistance."
"It can, but it would be very tiring." The portrait informed him, "There is absolutely no way you will be capable of using that, as well as the chains, within the coming week. It would also be very hard to explain why you are immune to the fire. People will think you have cheated."
"I have cheated!" Harry reminded the portrait.
"You're only cheating if you get caught."
"Yeah, so you've said. Do you have any way to protect me from fire?"
"Have you heard of the spell, Aguamenti?"
Harry nodded.
"It's a water conjuration spell, isn't it?"
"Indeed it is. If you can master the spell, and work on using wandless magic to control water, you could create a shield of sorts to protect you. Making a shield from previously conjured water would be much easier than using fire immunity, or moving the fire out of your path."
"Alright. I have that, and the chains. Also all the offensive magic you taught me, but I'm only using that in emergencies."
"It should be more than adequate." Salazar assured him, "The dragon would be immobile, and on the off chance that it can still open its mouth you would be protected from its flames."
"But only if I can master the spells."
"That is a given, yes. Is there anything else of importance?"
"I wasn't the only one who saw the dragons." Harry told the portrait, "Fleur Delacour, the Veela that is the Beauxbatons Champion, she was with me as well. We also saw the Durmstrang headmaster, he likely saw the dragons too."
"Which means that the only champion who does not know is the Hufflepuff." noted Salazar.
"I'm going to tell him." said Harry, waiting for the portrait to disagree with him.
"You should." said Salazar, surprising Harry, "Doing so will likely save his life - he will owe you greatly."
"I thought you were going to say something about how it was the right thing to do." said Harry sarcastically.
"I would never say such a foolish thing." snapped the portrait.
Harry waved off the portrait, before moving over to the chamber. He would need a lot of practice if he wanted to get out of this alive.
Harry quietly made his way to the courtyard, searching for Cedric Diggory. For once, he was not the subject of staring; Salazar had taught him how to use the notice-me-not charm. It was rather perfect, as people would not notice him unless he did something to draw attention to him, such as talking to them.
He eventually found the Hufflepuff sitting in the corner of the courtyard, surrounded by friends. Sitting to his side was Cho Chang, a pretty asian girl that Harry had fancied a bit the previous school year. All of the students, except for Cedric and Cho, were wearing Malfoy's badges.
Harry quietly walked over to them, stopping when he was but a foot away. As they noticed him, everyone but Cedric glared slightly.
"Hey, Harry!" said the Hufflepuff casually, "What's up?"
"Can I speak to you in private?" asked Harry.
"What, are you afraid to talk in front of us?" snarled one of the Ravenclaw girls.
Harry rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the way his hand twitched towards the wand in his inner robe pocket.
What do they think I'm going to say, yes?
"Yeah, of course." said Cedric. He followed Harry away from the others until they were out of anyone's earshot.
"Dragons." said Harry, "The first task is dragons."
Cedric paled drastically, similarly to how he and Fleur had reacted upon seeing the beasts.
"How do you know?"
"I saw them, there's four of them, one for each of us. Fleur and Krum know too, you're the only one who doesn't."
Cedric nodded slightly, lost in thought.
"Why are you telling me?"
Harry paused. He was not entirely sure about why. Perhaps it was because he did not want anyone to face off against a dragon without knowing so. A few months ago, that would be the only explanation as to why. But now, after learning from Salazar, he could not truly claim that to be the only reason; he could see how much he would gain from this, it could potentially save him in the near future.
"Because life is a bit more important than a stupid tournament." said Harry after a while, "And because it's a favour of sorts, it might help me later."
Cedric nodded, seemingly accepting his answer. He did not wait for Harry to say anything else before he slowly began his walk back to his friends, once again lost in thought.
Harry hurriedly departed from Professor McGonagall's office on the morning of November 17th. In just a few minutes the Wand weighing ceremony was set to begin, and Harry was not particularly interested in being late.
Salazar had told him that one could learn many things from a wand, as they often represented the witch or wizard they were bonded to. The stronger the bond, the more accurate the information he might learn would be. In fact, Harry had spent much of the morning studying wand lore, as to learn a thing or two about his competition.
He entered the antechamber with just a few minutes to spare. The other three champions were all inside the room. Krum was standing with Karkaroff in one corner, chatting quietly. Fleur stood by the window of the room, with Madame Maxime. Cedric was sitting down beside a blonde-haired witch, whose pen was writing something down on it's own accord.
Harry was somewhat pleased that the Wand weighing ceremony was today. He was in an unusually good mood - perhaps he had simply woken up on the right side of the bed, perhaps he had a pleasant dream that he had forgotten. Either way, he was happier than he had been in a while, to the point where the Wand weighing ceremony no longer seemed like a burden. Harry hoped that would not change.
"Ah, that's the last of them!" said Bagman, emerging from the corner where he had been talking with Mr. Crouch. Beside Mr. Crouch stood Professor Dumbledore and Mr. Ollivander.
"Let us begin with the weighing of the wands!" said Bagman happily, "Now, as this is a private ceremony, there is to be a very small number of ministry officials, merely myself and old Barty. We have only one reporter as well, Miss Rita Skeeter."
The blonde woman in the back waved at them all, though Harry swore her eyes kept landing on him.
"Now, if you would please organize yourselves into a line, we will have Mr. Ollivander take a look at your wands."
"Mademoiselle Delacour, if you could please present your wand?" asked the wand maker.
He's not looking at her.
It was a true statement. The old man seemed to be looking everywhere except at the Veela, and yet he seemed to know exactly when Fleur held out her wand. Harry also noticed that Dumbledore seemed to be doing something similar to Ollivander, although to a less extreme extent.
Dumbledore seemed to be avoiding Fleur's eyes in particular, and Harry thought he understood why. Salazar had told him that the eyes were the windows of the soul; it was why most needed to maintain eye contact for Legilimency - looking a Veela in the eye would probably increase the strength of the allure. Neither of the two old men seemed particularly affected by the allure, even if they were acting strangely so as to make that the case.
Ollivander held the wand within his grasp, caressing it the same way one might do to a lover.
"Rosewood, nine and a half inches . . . inflexible . . . with a rather peculiar core, the hairs of a Veela?"
Fleur nodded, appearing to be fairly uncomfortable with the situation.
Kindness, love, inner beauty. Loyalty and pride.
Harry didn't know the Veela well, though he was not overly surprised by what her wand implied about her - he knew she wore a facade, one far better than his own.
"You have a strong bond with your wand." noted Ollivander, "Orchideous!"
A bouquet of flowers appeared from the tip of the wand, which Ollivander vanished a moment later.
"It is in perfect condition." said Ollivander, handing Fleur her wand back. The old wand maker motioned for Cedric to come forward.
"Ash, twelve and a quarter inches . . . springy . . . containing the hairs of a rather impressive male unicorn. You polish it often?"
"Just last night, actually." said Cedric happily.
Harry stole a quick look at his own wand. It was covered from end to end in fingerprints, with tiny flecks of dirt running across the surface. Harry silently grabbed a bit of his robes, wiping his wand with it. A small spark of electricity sparked from the tip of his wand and met his foot. It took everything he had not to yelp in pain.
Krum raised his eyebrows at the occurrence, as did Fleur, though neither said anything.
Harry turned back to Cedric, going over what Ollivander said in his head.
Hard working, and steadfast. Humble as well.
"In perfect condition." declared Ollivander as he handed Cedric his wand, "Mr. Krum, if you would please step forward?"
The Quidditch player slouched forward slightly, before handing over his wand.
"Ah, a Gregorovitch creation!" exclaimed Ollivander, "He was an excellent wand maker, a good friend of mine before he passed. Now, as for your wand . . . hornbeam, ten and a quarter inches . . . rigid, and with a core of dragon heartstring."
A wand well suited for those who put time and effort into a singular goal, in his case most likely Quidditch. Quiet, yet determined.
"Avis!" chanted Ollivander, several small birds flowing from the edge of the wand. They chirped shrilly for a few moments, before flying through the open window.
"Lastly, but not least, Mr. Potter." said Ollivander, motioning towards him. Harry made his way towards the wandmaker, holding out his wand. He held the wand with care, more so than he had with any other.
"If I were to forget every wand that I had ever sold, this would certainly be the last to fade from my mind - " begun Ollivander.
Harry discreetly turned his head around, winking at Cedric. He heard a soft choking noise from Fleur, who seemed to have tried her hardest not to smile (and had unfortunately succeeded). Even Krum, who was almost always frowning, had cracked a smile at that.
Stop fooling around. This is more important.
" - Holly, eleven inches long, nice and supple, and containing the feather of a particular phoenix that resides within this castle."
"Fawkes?" asked Harry, bewildered. He suddenly realized that there were others in the room with him, causing him to blush slightly in embarrassment.
"Yes, Mr. Potter, it was Fawkes that provided the tail feather for your wand. He gave just one other feather . . . just one."
Harry nodded solemnly, not at all oblivious to the way Rita Skeeter had begun frantically writing upon her notepad, nor the way the other three champions, as well as the respective headmasters and headmistress, suddenly seemed incredibly attentive.
"However, I regret to inform you that the bond you share with this wand is slowly diminishing."
Harry paused.
"Could you repeat that, please?"
"Your bond with this wand is weakening. Given time, it will no longer remain the ideal wand for you. At this given rate, you may find it to be unsatisfactory in a few years, perhaps slightly more. It should not be a problem during the tournament, however."
Harry could almost feel Rita Skeeter's quill running against her parchment. Thankfully, Dumbledore intervened.
"As I believe Mr. Potter here is the only one whose wand needs to be looked over, you may all leave. Mr. Crouch, Mr. Bagman, I would request that you remain behind."
The others within the antechamber all nodded, although Rita Skeeter looked thoroughly put out with the arrangement. Once only the five of them remained within the room, Ollivander began to speak.
"A bond is typically weakened when a witch or wizard has changed a significant amount. A wand is made of several components which, to a certain extent, represent their owner. When this is no longer as true as it once was, the bond begins to weaken."
"So you're saying I'm no longer selfless, or something?" asked Harry.
"You study wand lore?" asked Ollivander, seemingly impressed.
"I thought I'd look through the basics." said Harry, "It might give me a slight edge over the competition."
Dumbledore seemed slightly disappointed with Harry's answer, though Harry didn't particularly care at the moment.
"I would suggest that you are changing in ideals and beliefs." said Ollivander, "Although there is something else occurring as well, something rather with how the wand seems to react to magic. It is almost as though you have two magical sources within you, and one is beginning to grow more and more aware of the other - that is the only way I can describe or explain the wand's reaction to magic. Perhaps your magical core is damaged, I do not know, but it will likely take care of itself."
Harry had absolutely no idea what Ollivander was talking about. He was not sure if the same could be said for Dumbledore. The eyes of the old man had become slightly curious and calculating, before acting as though nothing had happened.
I'll have to talk to Salazar later. It might just be my Mage core, Salazar said it was mutated.
"But I don't have to worry about it?" asked Harry curiously.
"It appears to be taking care of itself." answered Ollivander, "It is to be expected, of course. Most problems with such things tend to fix themselves - one of the many luxuries of magic."
Harry nodded, still somewhat intrigued.
"You should be more than capable of using it through the rest of the tournament." declared Ollivander, "Your wand will not get any harder to use for the next few years at least. However, I would like to request that you visit me during one of the coming summers, so as to create a new wand for yourself if it somehow gets worse."
"Is there anything else of importance, Garrick?" asked Dumbledore, turning to the wand maker. Ollivander shook his head in the negative, before handing Harry his wand back.
Harry bid the four men farewell, before departing from the antechamber. It was now lunch time, judging by the sudden plethora of students that crowded the halls. Harry set off towards the Owlery. Now was one of the few instances when Hedwig was not in the chamber with him, and he therefore wanted to check on her. Even if Salazar had told him that she would not yet undergo the stasis, he just wanted to be sure.
"Well, if it isn't the champion!" said a voice from just behind him. Harry turned around to find Ron and the other fourth year Gryffindors. They must have returned from a class they had been taking together.
Harry ignored Ron; he was not particularly in the mood for any of his dramatics at the moment.
"What, too afraid to talk about how you cheated to - " began Ron.
Harry pulled his wand out from beneath his robes, nonverbally performing the silencing spell. He left Ron and the others where they stood, ignoring the looks of shock on their faces. He was much more interested in finding Hedwig than dealing with them.
Fleur got up from her bed, moving towards her desk instead. She was finalizing her plans for the first task, something she was certainly not looking forward to.
After careful consideration, she had decided upon using her Veela nature to her advantage. She would be using a charm to modify her allure, causing those pulled by it to fall asleep instead. She would also have to modify the allure to effect the dragon, as she was fairly certain the creature would be female.
Fleur was glad to have learnt that they would most likely not be fighting the dragons; in the past, champions were told to retrieve an object from the creatures. She hadn't ignored the fact that most creatures would guard said objects with their lives, but it was certainly better than nothing.
During one of her recent visits to the Hogwarts Library, she had spotted Cedric Diggory doing research on dragons.
He clearly is not very good at cheating.
The action did, however, mean that Harry Potter had told the Hufflepuff about the dragons. Fleur was not entirely sure if she understood that, considering that she had seen most of Diggory's friends antagonizing him, but it was not her choice. Besides, she was sure she would be rather upset if someone decided against telling her about the dragons; as far as she could tell, Diggory himself had been kind to the boy. If he wished to return the favour, that was his choice to make.
She was not particularly certain how either of the Hogwarts Champions would fare. She had already decided that Potter would likely be last, regardless of any talent he might have. There was simply too much of an age gap, too much knowledge that he did not yet have access too. The magic he held had not yet mature, given the fact that he was only fourteen - his magical strength was unlikely to compare favourably with their own. A few performances of accidental magic would certainly not save him from a dragon.
The older Hogwarts Champion did not seem like too much of a threat either. Although he was likely talented and hard working, he seemed to lack the desire to win that the others had. She could not truly say much to him yet, having not yet seen him in action, but she was certain that she would be his better.
Victor Krum, she had concluded, was likely to be her biggest competition in the tournament. He was clearly powerful, and just as determined as she was. Fortunately, she was certain that her magic was more powerful and controlled than his, though that was likely due to the amount of time the former put into his Quidditch work. It was not likely that he would have been able to work much on his magic.
Regardless, Fleur still fancied herself slightly above her competition. Each of them lacked a critical component, be it experience, a desire to win, or being too involved in something else. As far as she could tell, she had no such weaknesses. Her weaknesses involved the people she loved, few though they were. There was water as well, though that was more of an annoyance than anything else - it was not as though she drowned every day trying to take a bath.
Fleur sat down within an ornate chair, picking up the letter on the desk. It had been sent by her mother a week after the selection ceremony. Fleur planned on framing the letter; she loved how proud her parents had been of her accomplishments.
'Dear Fleur,
We are all very proud of you! We have just finished watching the Champion Selection at the French Ministry. Nearly the entire ministry watched you get selected, they are all very proud and impressed!
We, of course, were not surprised by your selection. The entire family is looking forward to watching you compete. This will be a great experience for you, and will likely change your life for the better.
Even your grandmother admitted herself impressed, and agreed that you had earned it - you know how she is, she won't say a word on anything unless it's the truth, no matter how harsh it is. Gabrielle was pleased as well, as am I and your father.
Promise me, however, that you will be safe. Your father and I are not oblivious to the Triwizard Tournament's past, but we trust you will be fine. Still, make sure to take care of yourself.
You will most likely see us around February, when your second task is scheduled. We have decided to watch in person, it will be great to cheer you on from the sidelines.
We were all in shock with the whole issue regarding Harry Potter. Gabrielle was ecstatic; she must have spent hours talking about how beautiful he was, or something of the sorts. She was also very pleased with your name coming out of the goblet; I have not seen her so happy since you left.
I do not know much about your other opponents, nor what is going on with there being four champions, but I assume they are talented. I believe the Durmstrang Champion is a famous Quidditch star, and the last is, of course, Le Sauveur; you are going against some very big names.
I have complete faith that you will do well, as do the rest of your family. Gabrielle has demanded that you give her a tour of Hogwarts when we come. I doubt it to be as beautiful as Beauxbatons, but I have heard that it feels more magical, whatever that would mean. I shall have to see it for myself.
All of us at home look forward to your performance in the first task. You will do excellent, that I am sure of.
Stay safe,
-Maman.'
She would not let them down, especially not Gabrielle. Her younger sister would be turning eleven in a few years, and Fleur would not be letting her go through the same torment she experienced. Her sister was certainly not as powerful as she was, something that was actually a blessing in disguise, given the fact that they were both Veela. She would thankfully not be going through as hard of a time as Fleur had herself.
Regardless, Fleur vowed to make sure her sister had no struggles at all when she finally went to Beauxbatons. Having a father as Head of Magical Law Enforcement meant Gabrielle would be left alone, but having a sister as Triwizard Champion would mean nobody would dare cross her.
Even as Beauxbatons Champion, I doubt anyone would try anything with her.
It was a fair point; this Triwizard Tournament would likely be the most publicized sporting event in all of wizarding history, in no small part due to the invention of the Recorder Glass. Fleur hoped to one day be so talented as to create something to change the world.
If, or rather when she did so, she would make sure it was not used for a sporting event.
Fleur stood up, picking up her plans for the first task. She would have to find Madame Maxime, to get her plans looked over. Although most would likely consider it cheating, Fleur was certain her headmistress would consider it to be an educational discussion, or some similar nonsense.
She opened the door to her room, making her way to the outsides of the Beauxbatons Carriage. Madame Maxime was almost always outside, gazing at the stars and the moon. She claimed that it calmed her, and Fleur could understand why. She knew Madame Maxime was still outside; due to her size, everyone could tell the moment Madame Maxime entered or exited the carriage.
She made her way into the main living room. The lights were completely off, so she could not see a thing. Fleur did, however, know where the door was. She paused, pulling out her wand when she heard a soft scratching noise.
Lumos.
Lying on one of the largest couches in the room was Eloise, her body almost completely bare. Underneath her was one of the Beauxbatons male students, Thomas. He, like Eloise, seemed to be lacking most of his clothing at the moment, though thankful Fleur could not see anything that might permanently scar her.
Eloise straightened her back, though she did not move from where she was seated. Upon spotting Fleur, she covered most of her body with her skirt, which she picked up from the table to the side of her.
"Sneaking out to seduce more boys?" asked Eloise, in a confident tone that did not at all match the position she was in.
"Unlike you, I have chosen to save my first for someone I truly love, rather than the first person I come across." said Fleur cooly.
It's more than true. I haven't had any sexual experiences with anyone.
Unlike her classmate, Fleur was not particularly interested in casual encounters. She found it to be an insult to whoever she would end up with, and hoped that he would think in a similar manner. In fact, the only person she had so much as kissed was Gabrielle, and perhaps her mother and father when she was younger.
And absolutely none of those were on the lips.
Eloise smiled smugly.
"I suppose not everyone can get whoever they want." said Eloise, still smiling.
She was probably right, but Fleur somewhat doubted she was in the same category as everyone. If Thomas' expression was any indication, he agreed. His eyes had already glazed over entirely, and he seemed to try and reach over at her.
"You act as though you have not been jealous of my appearance since I turned fifteen." noted Fleur, still speaking in her cool voice. This was something she had in common with Harry Potter, the ability to act distant and cold around others. She had gained it thanks to being ostracized and made fun of, and had a feeling that Potter was the same.
Eloise's cheeks begin to burn a bright red. She opened her mouth to retort, though by then Fleur had already slipped out of the room. If Eloise wished to offer herself to everyone in sight, it was frankly none of Fleur's business. Fleur wished that Eloise, as well as Clara and Juliette would think similarly. Fleur had nothing to hide, but it would be nice to stop hearing false rumours every few minutes.
She found Madame Maxime standing directly outside the carriage, gazing at the dark sky. The stars were among the most beautiful things Fleur had ever seen, with the way they glowed.
No matter how beautiful they are, I will never understand how muggles think a few random stars can possibly form a dragon or hunter.
Fleur always thought it was a bit of a stretch to think of constellations as images in the sky. Then again, the existence of magic itself might seem like a stretch to muggles, so she truthfully had no say.
"Ah, Fleur." said Madame Maxime, having finally looked down from the sky, "I was hoping it was you. For a second I feared you might be Eloise . . . "
Fleur did not fight the smile that graced her features; she was alone with her headmistress, there were no competitors potentially trying to take advantage of her lack of vigilance.
"I was wondering if you could look over a project I am working on." said Fleur, handing the pieces of parchment to Madame Maxime, who smiled as she took them.
Madame Maxime looked over her work for a few minutes, before handing the notes back to Fleur.
"Your devised solution for this hypothetical situation would work perfectly, Ms. Delacour."