I don't own anything related to the Harry Potter franchise
After contacting Dobby and having the elegantly dressed house elf pop off to retrieve his lunch, there was nothing left for Harry to do but sit around in the Delacour family dining room and attempt to control his nerves.
Harry was consistently having to imagine being on his Firebolt and cruising high above Hogwarts, in order to project just the right kind of atmosphere for their hosts. There was one major reason that Harry was as nervous as he was. The tall, graceful, regal, beautiful and above all else extraordinarily imposing Fleur Delacour, hadn't stopped staring at him even once since they'd entered the dining room for lunch.
Even as they'd walked through the various halls of her home, she'd tracked his every movement like a high power laser, and Harry was having trouble keeping his cool under her intense, unwavering scrutiny. They hadn't met under the best of circumstances and the situation didn't seem to be improving from that first moment. Fleur was calm, cool and in control the entire time that she stared at him. It was as if she were immune to such petty emotions as embarrassment or awkwardness. Harry didn't have the benefit of such a tolerance... He currently felt like nothing more than a particularly gruesome/interesting bug that the woman wanted to dissect…
While Adrien was also scrutinizing him, he was being both affable and polite about it, and Harry found that he liked the man almost immediately. He was aided in this regard by the fact that the husband and wife pair were quite obviously in love with each other, and Harry picked up on pieces of that with his magic.
Adrien and Appoline were active within Harry's aura shroud because they had a... bond of sorts, centered around Appoline's Veela abilities. Harry truly didn't want to be a voyeur, but he was picking up on the traffic between them and it was all very... sweet.
Adrien and Appoline's magical interactions had Harry wondering if his parents were this close and making comparisons with other married couples that he'd encountered throughout his life. The Dursleys just didn't do affection with each other, and if they had, it would've looked grotesque to Harry anyway. Molly and Arthur always struck Harry as being more like friends and roommates, but with Molly firmly in control… Long story short, Harry liked the Delacour parents right away, mostly because he enjoyed the fact that they enjoyed each other…
Harry also liked Gabrielle, to the point that she was in serious danger of being spoiled completely rotten... He was absolutely hopeless at deflecting her attention and constant prompting for answers about every single little aspect of his life. She kept tugging on his sleeve like little orphan Annie and being far too cute and innocent to ignore.
Harry obediently whispered the answers to her questions, but he secretly believed that knowing his favorite color or what he'd received for his birthday just couldn't be that interesting to a seven year old girl. At some point, he started asking her questions in retaliation, but that plan didn't work to deter her because she was visibly thrilled by his return attention. She whispered back her age, her best friend from ballet's name, and her lucky number as if it was the code to a high security vault. Harry nodded and made himself look extremely serious every single time she imparted such little gems like her favorite food (pepperoni pizza).
Oh Gods! Gabrielle's cuteness level was devastating, and Harry was being rendered completely helpless!
When Harry finally locked eyes with Adrien, the man immediately gave him a smile that clearly conveyed the words "AHA you've caught my daughter's attention, and are therefore doomed to unrelenting cuteness." Then, when the man began laughing quietly to himself, it confirmed that Harry's instincts had been right on the money.
Appoline eventually took mercy on Harry and called out to her daughter. "Gabrielle sit een your seat properly. 'Arry's lunch will arrive any second, and zen we will begin eating." After giving Harry a similar look to the one Adrien had given him, Appoline also held his eyes as she nodded aside at her eldest daughter. It appeared she wanted him to know that she was also aware of his other pressing issue.
While nodding his understanding of Appoline's rather subtle nonverbal communication. Harry started wondering if he'd always been this sharp. Sometimes it seemed like his brain was growing right alongside the rest of him.
Exactly as Appoline predicted, Dobby soon arrived with a lunch basket that was very elegantly prepared. Of course the presentation was somewhat ruined by the fact that it looked like a meal fit for a large family, and yet it was put together for him alone...
Harry felt his embarrassment rising as he pulled out his food and put it on the table one after another, after another, etc… Flying high, wind in your face, Quiditch pitch far below... Using Quidditch imagery, Harry finally regained control of his emotions, only to look up and see a completely stunned looking Delacour family staring right back at him...
It was too much.
Harry blushed. He blushed a bright vibrant red, and the room's embarrassment level skyrocketed with his aura before he finally managed to strangle it back under control. "Sorry about that," Harry apologized before coughing and trying to joke, "I'm a growing boy..."
"Yes, yes, apparently you are," mused Adrien. "How much did you say you'd grown in the last three weeks?"
"Almost one inch in height per week with corresponding increases in my muscle mass and bone density." Harry was far more comfortable now that he was answering questions, so he hoped he could keep up the momentum. "It's all been quite dramatic and uncomfortable. There's an enormous nutrition quota that I need to reach each day, as well as a physical exercise regimen so that I don't end up with the balance of a baby deer. From what I've been told, I wasn't doing a very good job of holding my body together before the bindings broke, and now my magic is intervening in a massive way. I cut my arm the other day and it healed almost instantly."
"Do you 'ave any idea what you will look like when you are done growing?" Appoline was leaning into the table with a look of intense interest on her face.
At first Harry smiled but after a moment his expression dimmed and he shook his head. "Not really no... I only know that I can expect to be quite a bit bigger than I am now. The Healer I consulted explained that when my bindings broke I was fourteen years old and yet I'd barely grown to the maturity of a preteen. She said point blank that by the end of the summer I'll look at least sixteen years old if not older. Between all of the growing, building, tearing and rebuilding my body's been going through these past few weeks, I feel like an arthritic old man." Harry gave Dumbledore a significant look and a smile.
"I resemble that remark," Dumbledore responded, with perfect comedic timing.
Everyone laughed (even Fleur).
"One of the reasons I can expect to be okay on my feet at the end of all of this, is I can practice in my Mindscape a lot," Harry continued into the new silence. "I use a large and varying body shape every night so that I'll hopefully be more familiar with whatever center of gravity I end up with later. I've built a large obstacle course in my Mindscape and I'm running it all the time in my sleep. I do... I... I fear that... my... my friends won't even recognize me... when I return to school... and... It's also all but certain that my seeker career in Quidditch is over…"
Harry looked down at the table and his aura became dark and gloomy, before his head suddenly shot back up towards the Delacours with an alarmed expression on his face. He immediately closed his eyes and everyone at the table felt him think of something Patronus worthy just for their benefit. His aura became extremely warm and happy as if they were standing near a real Corporeal Patronus.
Everyone at the table just stared at Harry with varying levels of shock on their faces. They were all completely blown away by both Harry's huge range of emotion and his desperate kindness.
"Well... I knew that you were telling me the truth before, but..." Adrian paused at that and stared Harry in the eyes. "You really can create a corporeal Patronus can't you? At just fourteen years of age?"
Surprise entered Harry's face at Adrien's question. "Well... Yes sir... I've just recently managed to create a Corporeal Patronus for the very first time. However... That doesn't necessarily mean I've mastered the Charm… Historically speaking... I've only ever cast major magic under very specific circumstances."
"Specific circumstances?" At this point Adrien had his head tilted to the side. It was as if he was trying to figure Harry out and was missing an important puzzle piece.
"Life or death sir," Harry replied casually, without missing a beat. "Poppy, my school's Healer explained that with my magic contained in the bindings, I've always needed that extra... adrenaline or extreme motivation to eke out anywhere near the power necessary... I needed that extreme need, fear or desperation to be able to get anything more than the most basic of spells to work for me. Truly, up until recently, I've always thought of myself as a completely mediocre wizard in terms of strength."
Harry shrugged at this point before rubbing the back of his head. "Since the incident where I broke the bindings, I haven't been casting any magic at all. Instead, I've been trying to do the opposite. I've been trying to wrestle it all back inside of my body, so that I won't trouble the people around me. Well... That and a physical training regimen that would make Victor Krum look lazy in comparison."
At this point, Adrien looked extremely curious again. "Harry... Do you think you could perform a Patronus Charm for us right now?"
After smiling in amusement, Harry found himself shrugging again. "That's a very good question. My honest answer is I have literally no idea. I could try of course, and the results could be anything from nothing, to a Patronus so big I break your house. The last Patronus charm I created was a little... unique."
"Harry... You'll stick your wand out their window and give it a try won't you?" Dumbledore asked the question with a smile that held just the tiniest hint of mischief.
Harry was in the middle of drinking his really quite tasty smoothie when Dumbledore all but ordered him to show off. In response, he quickly pulled away from the drink lest he splutter it everywhere. At first he just gave his Headmaster an extremely meaningful look. Then, when Dumbledore didn't back down, Harry sighed quietly and somewhat painfully climbed up to his feet.
"Gods... Sitting does terrible things to my body," Harry groaned out ruefully, as he walked towards the window, and then turned to regard the Delacour family. "Are you sure you want me experimenting out of your Dining Hall window?"
"Yes, I am, in fact, sure," Adrien replied with an easygoing smile. "You look like you're suffering from stage fright Harry. Let's hope that provides all the extra adrenaline you might need."
With a nod of agreement (Because he really did hate public speaking), Harry lifted open the window, at which point Fleur and Gabrielle suddenly rose to their feet. With nearly synchronized movements, the two girls closed on Harry's sides so that they would have a better view. Gabrielle looked thrilled that something magical was about to happen. Fleur still had a look of cool, terrifying scrutiny upon her face.
Turning back towards the wide open window, Harry leaned against the sill so that he could extend his wand as far as possible out into open air. When he looked back at everyone one last time, he was startled by the intensity of everyone's stares, especially Fleur's. Calming his nerves through sheer force of will, Harry took a deep breath and thought of Sirius, his godfather, who wanted him, really wanted him to live with him like a family. He soaked in that idea of unconditional acceptance and love and then calmly intoned the words "Expecto Patronum."
For the second time in less than a month, Harry's wand bucked like a cannon shot made of brilliant white light, as an absolutely massive stag careened out the window and galloped at full speed across the lawns! The silvery stag slowly came to a stop, before turning back towards the house as if it was puzzled. With no danger present or directions to fulfill, the Patronus started walking back in the direction of the window and Harry's wand.
When Gabrielle saw the Patronus spell go off in a laser light show of dazzlingly bright light, she immediately ran out of the room towards the backyard. As the stag walked back towards the house, she emerged out of nowhere to bodily slam into the four meter tall stag's right front leg. The stag immediately stopped dead in its tracks and its enormous head bent down to her level. The stag gave the little girl a small sniff followed by a playful nudge. The little girl looked like she was a doll in comparison to the gigantic stag.
Harry was standing at the window, releasing a constant stream of magic to maintain the beast and a happy thought to fuel it, when all of the sudden, he felt four presences looming over his shoulders. He'd been so distracted by the spell, he hadn't noticed Fleur, Appoline, Adrien and Dumbledore approaching him and peering out the window.
"It's beyond anything I have ever seen," Adrien whispered, in a completely awed voice. "You have become something truly special Harry. Your history was undeniably difficult, but it has hardened both your magic and your will into a diamond toughness. Try to keep that in mind as you master the painful memories inside of your Mindscape."
After nodding at Adrien, Harry smiled his appreciation. "Thank you Adrien, I'll make sure to keep that in mind."
For several more moments they all just stood there, watching a seven year old girl climb atop a glowing four meter tall king stag, as if she were a squirrel.
After lunch, Harry knew that it was time for him to go back to Hogwarts to complete his daily weight lifting regime. He shook Adrien and Fleur's hands and accepted a hug from Appoline that visibly made her happy. Then he was tackled into a chair by a small blur of platinum blonde hair.
"Arry, ou... Are… you coming back 'ere?" Gabrielle was haltingly piecing together her very best English. She was also hugging tightly to Harry's torso which was causing him serious damage from cuteness overload. After looking over at the Delacour parents and receiving their nods of assent, Harry replied slowly to the little girl. "Yes Gabrielle. I will be a frequent guest this summer." In response, the little girl looked visibly thrilled as she snuggled into his waist. Harry started worrying that he might go broke from birthday and Christmas presents. Gabrielle Delacour was an A-bomb of cuteness.
"Come back tomorrow after your workouts 'Arry," Appoline all but demanded. "We will start seeing what we can do about zat aura shroud of yours."
Nodding his agreement, Harry committed himself to doing whatever Appoline asked of him for the remainder of the summer. He really could see how a Veela with an allure could help him tame his out of control magic. Thankfully he could also see that both Adrien and Appoline were excellent people and worthy of his trust.
Needless to say, Harry was also a fan of Gabrielle, even as her extreme affection was throwing him a little bit off balance. Gabrielle was clearly a joy to be around, but he had literally no idea why the little girl was already so taken with him.
Fleur, on the other hand, was quite frankly terrifying... Harry tried to keep in mind that Fleur had cried during his life story, which did seem to indicate that she was kind. It was an effort that was made nearly impossible due to the fact that even as he thought those things, she was staring at the back of his head. Very few people that Harry had ever met were as unnerving as Fleur Delacour...
Putting his own discomfort aside, Harry could also tell that his magic was currently affecting both of the younger Delacour girls. Just by looking at the girls' behavior and their parents' reactions, Harry could tell that they must be acting out of the ordinary. Of course, there were also the far from subtle flashes of powerful allure that Fleur was releasing in his direction on a somewhat regular basis, but she appeared to be taking them back under control almost immediately.
After checking to see if Gabrielle was also emitting an aura, Harry thought... maybe? If she was, then it was both opaque and very subtle to his senses…
In the end, Harry was left wondering if he could do something similar with his magic. He liked the idea of having his magic out collecting information, without smothering everyone within throwing distance. Still, there were a few things that Harry wanted to make sure of before he went home for the day.
Gesturing for Appoline's attention, Harry pointed towards one of the corners of the Entry Hall. "May I have a moment of your time before I leave?"
With an extremely curious expression on her face, Appoline followed 'Arry away from the rest of their group. "What ees eet 'Arry? What secret do you 'ave for me?"
Thinking carefully, Harry tried to figure out how he should approach this next topic. He wasn't sure if it was appropriate to ask what he was about to ask, but he felt that it was important that he know the answer. After taking a deep breath, Harry manned up and launched into his question. "As we both know, I'm currently affecting my environment quite a bit with my aura shroud. What I wanted to know was if your daughters are uncomfortable around me… Over the course of the afternoon, I've noticed signs of struggle from both Fleur and Gabrielle."
Rather than get upset, Appoline smiled at Harry's question, and then patted him on the shoulder in a consoling fashion. "Oui, yes, my daughters were both laboring to control zeir own powers, but eet ees not of your doing. Do not take eet as a slight to you 'Arry, because none of us ere are bozzered by your aura shroud."
At first, Harry looked hesitant, but then a look of determination replaced that expression on his face. He looked back up at Appoline and locked eyes with her. "Is there anything I can do in the future to make them more comfortable?"
Appoline beamed down at her new friend, because he was such a kind boy. "Well let us go eento ze ozzer room, to find out eef Fleur can be at ease around you... For 'er age my daughter as excellent control over 'er allure, but eef at some point she loses eet, I'm sure she'd appreciate you not devolving eento a drooling monkey, no?"
After the two of them walked back into the empty Dining Hall, Appoline gave Harry a very serious look. "What I am about to do ees considered very, very rude. Eet ees considered even more so zan what you are eenadvertently doing. Do you understand?"
As he took in Appoline's serious expression, Harry nodded his understanding. "What I think is I'm about to experience your allure. You have my permission, Appoline. It's important that I know what I can withstand. I've noticed that it's somewhat tiring and stressful to have to continuously restrain yourself."
"You pick up much from very leetle," Appoline pointed out, while canting her head to the side.
When shrugging his shoulder wasn't enough, Harry also rubbed the back of his neck. "Uhhh, yeah. My magic's been described as hungry for experiences. It was isolated inside of my core for twelve years and now it investigates the world around me without my say so. I continually pick up more information than I have any use for or even want... For instance... You and your husband are very much in love with each other... and a magical connection of some kind..."
Despite all of the shocking revelations of the afternoon, Appoline still found herself stunned into stillness with her mouth hanging open.
"I'm sorry," Harry shot out as quickly as he could. He looked down at his feet in embarrassment as he realized he'd stumbled into a very private topic. "I was only trying to give you an example of what I meant by my magic being nosy."
After snapping out of her surprised stupor, Appoline raised Harry's chin, so that she could make eye contact with him. "Arry... eef you can... will you describe what our bond looks like to you? I cannot see zem, I can only feel zem. I would be very eenterested een 'earing what you 'ave to say on ze matter."
After a few seconds and a very deep breath of relief, Harry rallied from his embarrassment and then nodded his head. "I'll try to explain, but you'll have to bear with my clumsy descriptions. It'll be a bit of a struggle to put it all into words. I pick up random information over time and my brain struggles to put it together for me. It's tricky because my magic attributes the information that I'm picking up using sensory packages that I might understand. It's hard to piece together what I'm sensing sometimes, because of the sensory confusion involved. For instance, I've both smelled someone's happiness and visibly seen someone's rage. You might see how new magic that I've never sensed before might be confusing for me at first?"
Appoline nodded almost dismissively. She was clearly very impatient to hear about her bond.
After taking yet another deep breath, Harry rubbed his neck as he figured out where exactly to begin. "Well, I first saw that all of the Veelas I've met today have red or in Gabrielle's case pink auras. The first time I saw your aura was when your husband was in a daze after the big reveal... I tend to believe that's because you have the best control, as an adult. Your allure has never left your body when you haven't actively willed it to."
Appoline nodded again, smiled at 'Arry and gestured for him to continue.
It was becoming increasingly difficult to find the words that would best describe exactly what Harry had felt. He eventually decided to just explain it all in order of appearance. "Your aura or allure, emerged from your body loaded with an impression of eagerness. I knew because I was looking at your physical body that your intentions were to rouse Adrien, but you were looking forward to it anyway. I noticed that interestingly enough your allure smells good like fresh fruit, but definitely not of this earth. Something tasty but foreign, not citrus or passion fruit. Your allure is red and even as it grew outward it was constantly circling back towards you. That made sense to me because at it's basest your allure was begging for love/lust. It makes sense that the feeling of love/lust would draw that kind of attention back towards you, thus an allure. I remember that even looking at it from where I was and not the target of your affections, I started blushing... Now, the bond... Everything I've said so far would be oversimplifying your allure's purpose in the extreme specifically in regards to Adrien. To any other man who your allure encountered, they'd most likely experience a strong attraction and desire to impress you. With Adrien, it looked to me like it's been designed to achieve far more than merely that. It was information, emotions, impressions and nonverbal communication beyond my range of understanding. As your allure moved closer to Adrien, I started seeing that it wasn't moving towards him at random but rather sliding along a slim, straight and almost transparent red line that connects you two at all times. You can activate your bond but it's always there regardless, even when you're not. Adrien knew that you were seeking him out long before your allure actually reached him. A portion of your allure seems to reside within him and it started reaching back towards you. It was beautiful, Appoline. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that this is where the red string of fate folklore comes from regarding true love. When you were connected, I could... hear isn't the right word... I could detect visibly and at least comprehend that a lot of information of various kinds was flying back and forth between you two. That's the moment that I finally looked away. I'd come to realize just how unbelievably rude I was being."
Blushing furiously again, Harry started thinking about flying above Hogwarts's north tower during winter... cold... high... free.
For several very long moments, Appoline was completely quiet and Harry couldn't muster up the courage to look up at her. Finally Harry's chin was pulled up again and Appoline began hugging him tightly. Harry didn't stiffen at all this time which came as a surprise.
"'Arry... I am not a full blooded Veela," Appoline began, while beaming a million megawatt smile. "Unfortunately, zat means I cannot see my own allure or my bonded connection to my 'usband. I am also not afforded ze courtesy een ze Veela community of seeing an elder. For zat reason, I 'ave not been able to verify ze status of ze bond I 'ave wiz my 'usband by zeir razzer strict magical standards. What you just described to me ees a very 'ealthy marriage/mated bond between ze two of us." Appoline wiped a tear off of her cheek even as she smiled even wider. "I truly do not know why I am reacting so emotionally to all of zis. I know my usband loves me and I love iim. Eet just feels good being vindicated by what amounts to a Veela elder legitimizing my marriage. You picked eet all up... all of eet... and you explained eet all so eloquently too. Zat was wonderful, 'Arry..."
Since Harry could understand Appoline's happiness, he very carefully avoided informing her that he wasn't in fact a Veela elder. Instead, he smiled and accepted yet another hug as he thought of a response... "Well, I foisted my magic on all of you this afternoon," Harry pointed out, after several quiet moments passed. "I'm very happy that I was able to make myself useful to you."
After beaming yet another wet smile at 'Arry, Appoline rolled up her sleeves. "Okay 'Arry... I 'ave a good feeling about zis. I'm going to iit you wiz a low dose of my allure at first, and zen eencrease eets eentensity over time. You okay wiz zis plan so far?"
Harry nodded even though Appoline's expression was making him just a little bit nervous.
After counting down from five with her fingers, Appoline began to release her allure.
Harry saw it coming long before he actually felt its effect on his body. He was being immersed in a red, translucent and somewhat foggy, flow of allure that circled quickly through his body and then back towards Appoline. Immediately after the flow returned to Appoline, Harry could feel how he'd normally be drawn to her, and objectively speaking, he could even feel his attraction towards her sharpen. Thankfully, the buffer of magic Harry had erected earlier was holding up well and the effects were a far cry from Amortentia. Soon enough, Harry had dropped all of his magical defenses and was still capable of controlling his attraction. With a relieved smile, Harry gestured for Appoline to continue. "I've actually felt a little more power than this from Fleur, for brief moments, off and on, all afternoon. I'm confident that I can handle this much."
When a surprised expression entered Appoline's face, Harry realized that until now, she hadn't known her daughter was losing that much control.
"It's the main reason why I asked if I was bothering your daughters," Harry pointed out slowly.
After shaking her head at 'Arry's concern, Appoline smiled a wide smile. 'Arry Potter seemed to be shaking out the cobwebs in their lives by virtue of his very existence. "Arry... My daughter's loss of control will not even matter eef my suspicions are correct. I'm about to dial up ze eentensity of my allure. Eef you can 'andle eet zan zere ees nozzing for Fleur to worry about."
After swallowing his anxiety, Harry nodded his understanding and readiness. Then, he had to force himself not to dive out of the way, as a tidal wave of super thick allure came exploding out of Appoline's body. After flying out of her in every direction, the allure converged together into a meter wide stream that bulldozed Harry's magic right out of its path in less than a second.
The allure was dense, it was a deep red and it was strong! Strongly compelling Harry to love this woman, who looked so good, smelled so good, was so nice and was bathing him in an allure! After violently shaking out his head, Harry pushed for his own magic to commingle with Appoline's allure, diffusing it somewhat and reducing its effectiveness. He shook his head again, throwing off the worst of the lust he was feeling, and then he smiled over at Appoline's expectant looking face. "Well... Shucks... For a moment there, I was well on my way to falling in love with you. Then I was able to recognize the process for what it was, and I managed to shake off the worst of it. I've started diffusing your allure by injecting my own magic into the area and... diluting it. Right now it's a little difficult to keep my cool, but I've regained my sense of self. I do feel a blush coming on though..."
At the tail end of Harry's explanation, Appoline began peeling out in happy laughter and was finding it extremely difficult to stop. When she did manage to calm down again, she was just a little pink and she looked thrilled beyond measure. "'Arry! I know exactly 'ow you can pay me back for ze magic training! You just became Gabrielle's babysitter!"
"Huh," Harry eloquently replied.
Appoline wasn't surprised by the confusion on 'Arry's face, but his reaction was funny and she couldn't contain her amusement. "Eet's like zis 'Arry. As we speak, Gabrielle ees beginning to grow eento er Veela 'eritage and ees teething magically. She needs to spend time using er allure. Moreover, she needs to spend time using eet on a man. Een Fleur's case, zis meant quite a few unfortunate Muggle men were contracted een through a temp agency. Once a month, a well paid male worker would spend a few hours secured comfortably to a chair and lost een a fog of allure. Zen, at ze end of ze day, zey would be dropped off at 'ome none ze wiser. Gabrielle as not ad to take part een any of zat unpleasantness yet, but ze day ees fast approaching. Did you not feel Gabrielle 'itting you as 'ard as she could wiz er allure all afternoon?"
Harry canted his head to the side as he thought back to the nearly transparent, pink clouds that had drifted off of the little girl. Then he arched his eyebrows in surprise. "Honestly, Appoline... I had no idea that's what was happening."
"Gabrielle was taking advantage of your presence to get eet all out of er system," Appoline explained with a laugh. "Seence you are resistant to allure, you were capable of rational thought, and she ad a marvelous time. She as become fond of you because she ees both genetically and magically designed to allure charm men. With you, she does not 'ave to experience ze ugliness of reducing a person to obsession and uncontrolled lust. With your 'elp she can get through puberty wizout all zat unpleasantness."
After a few moments of thought, Harry smiled at Appoline in his relief. He really wasn't a fan of being a charity case, so if they could have a mutually beneficial relationship then that was for the best."I'm aware that I'm asking for a lot from you ladies, so I'd be happy to give back wherever I can. I'm just concerned about how expensive Gabrielle will end up being..."
For several moments in a row Appoline just looked confused, then, all of the sudden, she began roaring with mad, beautiful laughter. "Oui, yes, endless ice cream cones, teddy bears and other such nick nacks bought by uncle 'Arry, I can see eet now!" Appoline continued giggling to herself as she slowly calmed down once again. "Ahh, yes, I understand 'Arry. My Gabby ees ze cutest. 'Er appy excitement, and zat eennocent expression of 'ers... Eet's all just deadly, ees eet not?"
Harry could only nod. He was completely screwed and they both knew it. Then, Harry snapped his fingers because he'd forgotten something important. "Oh, and what about Fleur?"
After shrugging her shoulders, Appoline waved a hand dismissively. "I 'ave literally no idea what's going on zere 'Arry, but rest assured. Fleur ees a big girl and she can andle erself. Most of ze time, she 'as excellent control of 'er allure. I eemagine 'er slip ups zis afternoon were because of ze sadness of your life story and ze eempressive amounts of magic floating around. Eet won't matter though 'Arry... I just iit you wiz my allure at full power, and I am razzer strong for a 'alf Veela. Eef Fleur decides to cut loose around ou, for whatever reason, I'm certain you can 'andle eet. She probably won't allow zat to appen zough. Eet ees considered an act of trust. I don't expect zat my tightly wound and antisocial, daughter will go to much effort to get to know you. She 'ates affecting people wiz er allure anyway. For ze most part eet only 'appens to er when she ees very afraid or angry."
Appoline was laughing again by this point, because 'Arry's concern was misplaced. "Ou know what 'Arry? Eet would actually be nice eef Fleur did 'iit you wiz er allure just a bit. Eet doesn't do a teenaged Veela much good repressing zeir power all of ze time like she does." With a gasp of surprise, Appoline looked down at her wristwatch, and realized how much time 'Arry had just lost with their little experiment. "Oh dear me. Zis was a very productive first meeting 'Arry, and I 'ate to see you go so soon, but you really should be getting back to your training, no?"
Harry looked down at his own watch only to realize that at this rate he'd be lifting weights until around nine Pm. "Oh for Merlin's sake, I'm running late!" Running through the Entry Hall, Harry waved to everyone as he moved towards the fireplace. He was briefly stopped in place when he received yet another flying hug tackle from Gabrielle, but very soon, he disappeared into the Floo.
Fleur was hanging around the Entry Hall with Dumbledore, her father and her sister, when Harry came jogging through the room muttering about bicep curls, ice baths and arthritis.
"I'm really running late everyone, so I'm going to hit the Floo and get back to work." The boy was moving quickly in that direction even as he said those words and without a single by your leave!
Fleur hadn't managed to get even one question answered by this insufferable boy! Nevertheless, Fleur was helpless to stop him now. She hadn't said a single word to Harry all afternoon, so it would be extremely odd for her to start now.
Turning towards Dumbledore, Fleur looked to him for help. The bizarre looking old man looked like he had further business with her father, so she had reason to hope he'd ask Harry to wait for him. In the end, the Headmaster was no help either. As 'Arry walked by, he merely waved a cheerful goodbye.
Then Gabrielle of all people, came to Fleur's rescue, when she leapt onto 'Arry's back like a rugby player, and he was delayed by the girl's goodbyes. In a moment of weakness, Fleur took just a single step closer, the temptation to grab Harry and pull him aside reaching its peak. Then, she stopped still and pulled away again. She wasn't some fangirl pining over a movie star. She was Fleur Delacour, and she wouldn't give this boy the satisfaction!
FWOOSH!... and Harry Potter had left the building.
Trailing Harry's departure, Appoline waltzed back into the room with a beatifically happy expression upon her face. She continued to smile as she looked at everyone and then she announced in cheerful French "I like him," as if that should answer all of their questions. When she was met with nothing but curious expressions in return, Appoline gestured back towards the adjoining room. "Arry's both too stubborn and too powerful to be affected by literally any amount of allure. I know this because I just hit him as hard as I possibly could. Apparently, he just decided the attraction he was feeling wasn't real, and then shook off the worst of the effects.
"The boy ees completely immune?" Adrien couldn't even believe it. Fantasy books were written about men with that kind of tolerance. The books were usually of the... erotic variety.
"Oh, he felt it," Appoline returned with a grin... He even blushed a really cute shade of red when I applied my full strength. Nonetheless, he was returning witty banter the entire time. Gabrielle... baby, go nuts, give him everything you've got."
"Yesss," Gabrielle cheered like mad, while fist pumping her little arms above her head. "I've got an 'Arry Potter to charm! Every teen magazine's mystery man, and he's all mine to allure charm into submission! So far he doesn't even flinch at my allure. By the end of the summer, I promise to make him blush!"
"He's an incredible boy," Appoline continued, in a very rare showing of her completely serious voice. "My husband, listen... When I asked 'Arry to explain his magical senses to me, he ended up describing what his magic detects happening between the two of us... 'Arry inadvertently confirmed for us that we are indeed connected by the most sacred type of marriage bond. His magic picks it all up and then feeds it to him like puzzle pieces to be put together. He's not lightning fast but he was completely accurate in all of his descriptions. Adrien... 'Arry all but married us just now in the other room. We must get him a present, and I know just the one! 'Arry will receive a Runic translation bracelet from me by tomorrow afternoon!
Adrien just barely winced at the unbelievably pricey gift, but then he was far too happy for Appoline to care about something as paltry as a few thousand Galleons. His wife had always been denied the right to legitimize her marriage by her people's magical standards. Quickly crossing the room, he hugged his mate and then looked over his shoulder at Dumbledore. "The boy does appear to be quite a mixture of qualities, doesn't he..."
With a slow but certain nod, Dumbledore's expression slipped into one of fond nostalgia. "Harry had a seven minute argument with the sorting hat, regarding which house he should be residing in. That only ever happens when there are several options to choose from and the hat is having a great time debating options with the student."
Adrien mused out loud, "bravery, cunning, loyalty... intelligence? I'll be interested to see if 'Arry becomes very intelligent during this remarkable transformation of his..."
"I've already caught noticeable signs of improvement," Dumbledore declared proudly. "Harry created a Mindscape for himself in just the last three weeks.
Adrien slowly released his wife and turned around at Dumbledore's words. "A house and a couple of barrier walls?"
It may have been caused by his own shocking experience in Harry's Mindscape earlier that, but Dumbledore barked out an explosive laugh and then snorted both loudly and rudely. When he finally reclaimed his calm again, he coughed several times while straightening out his beard with his fingers. "Ahem... sorry," Dumbledore apologized. "You're... thinking too small."
"Castle..."
"Small..."
"Village..."
"Small..."
"City..."
"Small..."
"Country..."
"Small..."
"No..."
"Muggle raised. Yes..."
"Planet!?..."
"Got it in five," exclaimed Dumbledore happily. "Harry never even bothered making a house for his focal point, he just stood in the middle of the field he'd appeared in and created an entire planet beneath his feet. As soon as he was done that, he created a ten meter thick steel shell surrounding it in the upper troposphere."
"The will power and strength involved in such a grand undertaking... Amazing... Where is he keeping everything then?" Adrien looked both astounded and curious at exactly the same time.
"I don't know and I doubt Harry will tell even me," Dumbledore sighed out, in a resigned tone of voice. "By no fault of his own, Harry hoards his memories because he's ashamed of them. His memories are probably at the bottom of an incredibly vast and shark infested ocean or something equally melodramatic."
The Delacour family turned towards each other to exchange glances, but it was Appoline who finally said it. "Can 'Arry not do anything normal at all? He does absolutely everything in impossibly huge ways! So far as I have seen it's his defining characteristic."
"You and his best friend Hermione would get along," replied Dumbledore cheerfully.
All of the sudden, there was a sharp spike in allure coming from Fleur's direction. She looked at her parents in alarm and then coughed dramatically. "I believe I have a stomach ache. I will be retiring early for the night."
At first Appoline gave her daughter a funny look, but then she decided to just let this one go. "Okay dear. I hope you have a good night's rest."
While matching towards her bedroom, Fleur fumed about the events of the day. What was wrong with her today? Losing control of her allure? Being preoccupied by a boy all day? Sure, she had many, many questions but still... Fleur felt something off about herself and she knew exactly when it began. Fleur straight up refused to be manipulated by that boy's magic, and she didn't have the time to hear his little sob story anyway. It was clearly for the best that she stay far, far away from this boy Harry James Potter...
Later that day, Severus Snape the Potions professor of Hogwarts strode into the Headmaster's office, curious what would be needed of him. It was rare that Dumbledore ask anything of him during the summer months, after all...
Little did he know that he'd defied both a life debt and a magically binding oath twelve years earlier, when he'd administered that bondage potion to infant Harry Potter. He would have just one chance to live and make things right, and It wasn't going to be either safe or pleasant.
One Week Later…..
What's been on the agenda lately you may ask? Running… Lots and lots of running.
After several days of effort, Harry had used his newly beefed up Transfiguration skills to turn the edge of the black lake into an obstacle course. He'd built log benches of varying heights every five meters, and he was having an excellent time playing around with them. He would run and leap over one and then roll or crawl through the next for the entire ten miles. Despite the added difficulty, he was really hauling ass these days. Even with the obstacles in place, he was still making as good a time as he'd made running flat out just three weeks earlier.
The rapid time improvement did make sense, at least when you took into consideration the fact that Harry had grown another inch and a half in height, and his muscle tone was developing more and more with every passing day. Well, everything was growing, if he was to be perfectly honest. He'd wake up in the morning and look at his hair which was growing like crazy and was now in a ponytail, then at his chest, which thankfully wasn't too hairy but it was there, then he'd look down his pants. Harry didn't know what to say other than, yeah, he was definitely growing down there (and not just the hair)..
Truth be told, Harry was beginning to get nervous that he was going to look like a freak by the end of the summer, but he decided to let it go since he couldn't do anything about it. One thing Harry was relieved about was that at the very least, he'd never be the bulky type of muscular. He was all lean muscle and fast tensile strength. He was far happier this way. He may never be a seeker again, but maybe he could practice and play chaser or keeper. He'd always had extremely good reflexes.
Another recent development was that Harry's eyesight was improving as time went by. He'd already had to change his prescription two times, to glasses with less strength. Poppy was predicting that Harry probably wouldn't need glasses by the end of the next few weeks!
At first, Harry had secretly held out hope that all of his scarring would also go away, but they were only fading to a silvery white instead of an angry red. On the bright side, all of the puckering and raised bits had smoothed out until his body felt relatively smooth to the touch. Harry was grateful to his magic for changing all of the obscene scarring into merely silvery unattractive flesh. While he was never going to be a pretty picture, he wasn't a Quasimodo either. It did help that Appoline and Gabrielle had dragged him out and supervised him buying some new clothing. He was actually pretty fashionable now, which obviously felt a little surreal. It was just too bad he was already outgrowing the clothing, and soon enough, it'd all be too small again.
While completing his weight training in the Room of Requirements, Harry listened to the wizarding wireless in the corner and talked to Dobby, who was easily one of the best friends he'd ever had. Dobby was family now and his magic knew it, but that didn't keep Harry from missing his school friends during the quiet hours of the morning or night. What helped in that regard was the fact that he'd been super diligent about keeping Hermione updated about all of his recent developments.
Actually being able to keep in frequent contact via Owl letters was a welcome change, and it meant that Harry didn't feel quite as isolated as he usually did during the summer months. He was making a point of being extremely thorough in his letters, while explaining the changes taking place with his body. The last thing Harry wanted was his sister, Mione, not to recognize him in September and then be all awkward with him... Ron would be jealous because he's Ron, but Harry needed Hermione because she's family.
By the time Harry was finished with his exercise routines it was just before noon, and to spare the Delacour family financial ruin Harry ate at Hogwarts like usual. He was eating an absolutely atrocious amount of food nowadays, in the form of quadruple sized meals for every meal, just to keep from aching too badly the next day. He also drank Dobby's increasingly delicious smoothies like they were going out of business.
Eventually it was time to go to the Delacour's, so Harry walked quickly towards Dumbledore's office. He had news to give his Headmaster, and he was eager to get it over with. As he entered Dumbledore's office, Harry saw the man eased way back in his chair where he was funneling an absurd amount of lemon drops into his wide open mouth. Thank Merlin for fantastic timing. Harry didn't feel like getting into an argument with the old Headmaster today and he knew his plan was going to worry the man.
"Hi Albus," Harry began cheerfully (Harry had given the headmaster a hard time about letting Gabrielle call him Albus until the man had eventually caved). I'm off to the Delacour's now." Walking into the fireplace, Harry prepared to make a fast exit. "Oh yeah, I'm going to start sifting through my memories starting tonight, so I'm sleeping over at their place. See you tomorrow."
Even while activating the Floo and dropping away, Harry still managed to hear Albus sputtering candy across the room.
Fwooooosh!
As per the norm, when Harry emerged from the Floo at the Delacour home, he promptly started to fall flat onto his face. This time however, in a desperate moment of extreme agility, he managed to throw out an arm and then perform a one handed cartwheel back up to his feet. Since he hadn't face-planted into the floor this time, Harry briefly wondered if he should consider what just happened a win or not. Unfortunately, that was the moment when he caught soft, sarcastic, golf clapping, coming from the sitting area directly at his back…
With a rueful little smile, Harry turned around, only to confirm that yes, Fleur Delacour was reclining in a lounge chair, with a book in her lap and a judgmental expression upon her face.
Ugh...
Whenever he first caught sight of Fleur, Harry always found himself unable to exist properly. The woman was so damned beautiful, she seemed to damage him deep inside, or maybe alter him in some subtle, metaphysical fashion. All Harry really knew was that he didn't have a good track record with these impromptu greeting slash rude comment sessions that Fleur seemed to crave so much. He wasn't aiming to be a Don Juan at this point, since he didn't have any delusions that he was charming the girl in front of him. By now, Harry would quite happily settle for being a gentleman or even just that bloke you can't quite remember, who was kind of nice, that one time, you think...
Ugh...
"Good afternoon Fleur," Harry began in a carefully casual tone of voice. "That's some very passive aggressive clapping you've graced me with."
Damn... He'd blown it again...
"I just couldn't figure out if I'm impressed or not to be honest," Fleur replied coolly. "The recovery really was spectacular, but it wouldn't be necessary if you could ever just stay on your feet in the first place."
Ouch…
It went without saying that Harry was no better at dealing with Fleur than he had been a week earlier when they'd first met. On the one hand, it did appear that something about him had caught Fleur's attention. On the other hand, it was painfully obvious that whatever regard she had for him was almost, if not all, of the negative variety. Yeah... No matter how you looked at it the beautiful French girl seemed determined to think the worst of him.
The aspect of this situation that made it extra uncomfortable for Harry, was the fact that Fleur was making herself just as unhappy as she was making him... More than anything, Harry wanted to understand what was driving the girl's current behavior, but he didn't understand, and she wasn't volunteering any answers. Armed with that knowledge, Harry squared up his shoulders, and tried once again to just speak to the woman on some normal plane.
"Well Fleur," Harry began in a casual tone of voice. "I've used the Floo exactly seventeen times today and that's the very first time I didn't smash into the ground. I've decided I'm going to call it a win... I suppose I just don't have your exacting standards."
Dammit!... That was one too many lines!
Abruptly deciding to cut his losses, Harry turned in place and started walking towards the door.
"You're still flooding the entire house with your presence," Fleur called out towards Harry's retreating back.
With a wince, Harry paused in his walking.
Fleur noticed Harry's discomfort at her bitchy remarks, but she couldn't seem to help herself. A pit of extreme resentment towards the boy's magic just wouldn't allow her to back off like she wanted to. Instead, she found herself launching more and more abuse at the boy every time she saw him. It appeared that today would be no exception. "I came in here to read a book in peace, 'Arry... I had no desire to rub up against you like a lover would."
As Fleur continued to chip away at him, Harry made it to the door, so he didn't bother turning around when he replied to her abuse. "I... I have no desire to infringe upon your personal space Fleur... It's a very difficult situation for me as well, and you're aware of that..."
When he didn't hear an acid laced response, Harry decided that this was as close to a victory as he was ever going to get… He left the room without ever looking back.
As Harry left the room to free himself from her bitchy, poisonous, endlessly rude commentary, Fleur shoved a pillow against her face and then punched that pillow with her other hand. "What the Hell is wrong with me?!" Fleur had asked the question to a completely empty room. No answers were forthcoming...
Gods that had sucked. Harry'd run into Fleur in the Entry Hall several times during the last few weeks and yet it wasn't getting any easier. After the fact, he was always left wondering if Fleur was so used to default attention from people because of her beauty that she'd never been forced to develop any variety of social skills.
One thing that Harry could see for sure was that Fleur was extremely frustrated both by him and her own reaction to him. On a regular basis it looked like she wanted to just tie him down and study him like a specimen or something. It wasn't her curiosity that he had a problem with, but he wasn't a fan of how she continuously refused to just be straightforward and talk to him. Under those circumstances, Harry didn't feel like being under that particular microscope.
Of course, Harry would've liked to be Fleur's friend, but he refused to enslave himself to her merely for the pleasure of her company...
After locating Appoline in the Main Lounge of the house, Harry took a seat on the couch to her right, and then picked up the coffee that was waiting for him.
"Good afternoon 'Arry," Appoline exclaimed happily, as she drank her own exceptionally sweet coffee. "Have you been working on the exercises we talked about?"
"Yes I have," replied Harry calmly. "I've started circulating my aura shroud around in various ways. I can make it move around my body as if I'm the center of a vortex, I can manually direct my magic closer to me for about a minute, and I can become the focal point of a figure eight or many figure eights. This last one drastically increases my level of information gathering, because I'm directly bringing the magic back through my body. Actually it's somewhat similar to what you Veela do. The Primary difference between me and a Veela is that even as I manually channel the magic back through my body my core is violently pushing it back away. It feels as if I'm having an arm wrestle with my core and my core is relentless... It never quits. Eventually my focus comes to an end and my magic is violently blasted out in every direction."
Appoline nodded and patted Harry's arm consolingly. "So the problem is not your magic control. You are capable of manually manipulating your magic to an extent that even Dumbledore would be jealous of. The problem, as has always been the case, is your core. Your core still believes it needs to do what it is doing for your very survival. Your core is attached to your subconscious mind. I fear you'll need to master the memories of even your years as a toddler. I know that Dumbledore feared you would hurt yourself by accessing those memories and that is in fact a possibility. That is where I come in. I will use my Veela nature to assist you. Are you staying here tonight like we planned?"
"Yes. I already made the arrangements with Poppy and informed Dumbledore," Harry explained with a wry smile on his face. "I appreciate you making space for me."
"Nonsense. Gabrielle will be thrilled to have you," Appoline replied, with a mischievous grin. Then her face softened as she continued. "As will I. I suggest you take off the Translation Bracelet at some point today to see how much of the French language you can take in. The bracelet doesn't teach you anything, it just changes what you hear."
Harry smiled at that and stuck out his arm to show Appoline his new and improved Runic bracelet. "I actually altered the bracelet just a few days after you gave it to me, Appoline. I apologize for meddling with such a wonderful gift, but to leave it the way it was felt like an opportunity wasted. Now the bracelet only translates words that I don't know. It also conveys meaning and context and warms up slightly while doing so. I'd wager I already understand one quarter of the French language, and I'm improving daily."
With a shocked expression on her face, Appoline leaned towards 'Arry on the couch. "Wait what? You magically altered the runes on the bracelet with such specific results? Could you recreate such a thing? Could you create an Arithmantic equation explaining how you did it?... 'Arry... If you can do those things you can patent those changes and make a lot of Galleons. You've made an ingenious alteration to an existing magical item. It changes the nature of the item entirely. Instead of wearing the bracelet forever and being completely reliant on it, it has become a learning tool. It allows you to use your own knowledge supplemented by magic... Oohh wow, I love it 'Arry!"
Sometimes Appoline marveled at the young man sitting beside her while at other times he was just a normal fourteen year old with a lot of emotional baggage. She did love him though... Harry Potter was hard not to love.
Harry smiled even as he shook his head in the negative. "While I did successfully alter the bracelet, I'm not sure exactly how I did it... At the time, I just focused on feeling the magic inside of the Runes with my aura shroud and all of the changes I made were intent based on my part. I could definitely recreate the results, but so far at least, I wouldn't be able to explain how I implemented them. I did start studying Runes and Arithmancy this summer, but I'm still an extreme beginner. I hope to change my courses this year to join those two classes, but at the moment, I'm far from adept at them. If you think I should, I'll devote more of my time to those subjects within my Mindscape. If I channel more magic into my Mindscape, I can speed up time even more relative to the rest of the world and get a huge amount of work done."
"How fast can your brain move inside of your Mindscape 'Arry?" Appoline was extremely curious now because 'Arry was talking about having a lot of extra time.
"When I first started building my Mindscape I was moving three times faster. If I actively focus on channeling power into the Mindscape, I can go as fast as five. Over time, I'm finding time dilation within my Mindscape is becoming easier. In a night, if I'm pushing myself, I can have approximately forty hours of free time."
"You know what," Appoline exclaimed, while rolling her eyes. "I'm not going to make any more stupefied expressions over you doing the impossible." Appoline did look completely exasperated despite her words and she knew it. "Yes 'Arry, yes. I do suggest you devote some time every night to those two classes, so that you can write up the Arithmantic formula. Until that happens, keep what you've done a closely kept secret. It may mean early retirement for you. Oh and find me if you need an investor."
Appoline winked at the boy in front of her, but she was also being completely serious and she knew that he understood that. Harry was already coming from extreme wealth, but she knew that he'd want to provide for himself and his future family. It appeared that he was already an accomplished inventor and he just didn't know it yet.
Harry laughed softly at the idea that he'd have his own business, but when he came back down from It he nodded his understanding. "You'll be the first person I go to of course Appoline... You're family." At his slip of the tongue, Harry was a little surprised and bashful, even as his aura remained friendly. "You know... I've already said that to two other people this summer... With my magic brushing up against everyone, it appears I'm not as big a loner as I've always thought I was. I feel close to people for the very first time in... ever… It was scary to me at first, but now with familiar people I've come to enjoy it."
Glancing sideways at Appoline, Harry started looking nervous. "I'm not saying that to mean I like rubbing up against anyone inappropriately... I just enjoy feeling things, people and the life around me." Harry looked at his hands in his lap before he continued. "I had no idea I was floating adrift in space, until the bindings broke."
Appoline nodded and slid her arm through Harry's in a comforting fashion. "I wonder if that desire to feel the world around you is adding to your current problem? It's understandable that both you and your magic feel this way 'Arry. I think you need to realize that this new ability of yours is a part of you now. It's never going to go away. Once you can control your aura-shroud, you can use it with varying levels of intensity from extremely subtle to this intense mass of magic that we're currently sitting in."
Over the next few moments, Harry started beaming a smile at the very intelligent witch sitting beside him. "Appoline, you're brilliant and I'm certain keeping that in mind will help me. My magical core needs negotiation because it's become extremely stubborn. It screams at me what it wants instead of whispers some days, and I've done several very magical things at its insistence."
In response to his words, Appoline gave Harry a very questioning look.
Looking up at the ceiling, Harry cast out for a really good example. "Well... For instance, have you met my house elf? He's a perfect example of what I'm talking about."
"Indeed, he is special, very special," Appoline agreed, with a nod. "His speech patterns are that of a human's bilingual and sharp. He's highly intelligent and oddly elegant for one of his kind as well."
"Yes," Harry agreed. "Dobby's special. My magic was insistent that I keep pouring magic into him for about half a minute during our bonding ritual. He received at least a thousand times more magic than was required for him to become my family's house elf, and he's become extremely unique in the process. I'm not complaining of course. Dobby's a dear friend. Still... You get my point. Are these powerful acts of magic just me acting on instinct or is it something else?"
This time Appoline was slow to respond because she was lost in thought. 'Arry's question was quite literally as old as magic itself, but it had never been definitively answered... yet. It appeared that 'Arry was so strong magically, he was the answer to the question. Is magic sentient or not? Belatedly, Appoline snapped out of it and turned back towards her young friend. "Arry... It doesn't happen to me often, but sometimes I feel like my magic guides my hand when I'm acting in the moment or in a stressful situation. I think our magic aids us as we live. You have so much magic inside of you, 'Arry. Is it any wonder you feel its intentions far more clearly than the rest of us? If I were you, I would listen to those moments of insight unless they look like they lead you toward grave peril."
While Harry completely agreed with Appoline, he didn't immediately respond because he was thinking about the ramifications. Then he snapped out of it and returned his attention to Appoline. "Okay so we've decided I'll meditate and reach out for my memories after dinner. Is there anything you think I should be doing in the meantime? I practice a lot of different magics in my Mindscape, have an exercise routine, and I've started sparring with Lupin most evenings at Hogwarts. At this point, I'm a little thrown off by having any free time at all." Harry grinned as he threw up his hands in a helpless gesture.
While giving 'Arry a sidelong look, Appoline ended up taking his question far more seriously than he intended her to. "Well... Now that you mention it... There are a number of rather mundane skills that I'm not sure you know how to do."
Harry looked at Appoline quizzically.
Leaning to the side, Appoline took a hold of both the boy's shoulders, so that he would take her question seriously. "Arry... Do you know how to play cards, dance, swim, horseback ride, play billiards, fish, play catch, ride a bike, play tennis, golf, paint, sing or play an instrument?"
The look of surprise on Harry's face was genuine. He was very, very surprised at that extraordinarily loaded question. "I'd be quite an accomplished man indeed if I was good at all of those things. I've played the odd game of exploding snap at Hogwarts, and I painted before in primary school, but not with any great skill. Quite a few of the skills you've listed, I've never had a chance to try. I'm curious what you mean by the question though?"
"I have two reasons for asking about those activities 'Arry." Appoline looked like she was hedging towards a difficult topic. "You don't appear to have a hobby of any kind, except for this new self-improvement montage you're taking part in. I would very much like to see you take up a wide variety of hobbies. I want you to find all those things that you enjoy to do in your downtime to relax. The second reason is that you will need to dance, at some point, at your school, this year."
"Does this dancing have anything to do with the reason Fleur's outside lifting hundreds of cinder blocks, using a single Wingardium Leviosa spell?" Harry grinned because this was his newest game. No one seemed to want to divulge information about this mysterious thing that was happening at Hogwarts this year... Harry didn't really mind the secrecy, but he did enjoy pointing it out to them. "You know Appoline... Everyone's still being pretty evasive about why Fleur's pushing herself so hard."
Since she knew exactly what the boy was up to, Appoline just grinned at Harry and shook her head. "Nuh uh uh 'Arry. As you know, Dumbledore has asked us to keep it a secret from you. I wouldn't worry though. It won't affect you beyond the fact that you should learn to dance. Come 'Arry. We will find Gabrielle. She will enjoy bathing you with her allure, while you dance with her."
"Isn't Gabby a little on the... small side?" Harry was seriously wondering how this was going to work. Gabrielle was only about four feet tall and if he stepped on her dainty little toes he might never forgive himself.
"I fear you are correct," Appoline replied with a mischievous grin on her face. "We shall still involve her because it will break her heart if we don't, but I think we also need to impose on my eldest daughter."
At the mention of Fleur, Harry gave Appoline a sidelong look. "Are you sure that's a wise decision Appoline? I don't know exactly how your daughter feels about me, but I do know that it's complicated. My magical senses give me many contradictory messages, from several different directions, where she's concerned. They tell me that she changes her mind often, has a massive conflict of interest, or is..." Harry grinned at Appoline again before dropping the word... "insane."
At Harry's words, Appoline immediately broke down into a powerful and heartfelt fit of giggles that forced her to shove her knuckles up into her mouth. When she finally calmed down again, she hugged Harry's side just because he's so darn entertaining. "Arry... Fleur is a teenaged Veela. Insane doesn't even begin to describe her mental state at the moment. Not to mention, you're a boy with the magical strength of a Merlin. I'm a fantastically happy, married woman and even I find myself seeking out this wonderful bonfire of magic swirling around you."
Appoline giggled again and lightly slapped Harry's arm in her amusement. "Fleur's Veela heritage will be compelling her to find and investigate you. The fact that your magic is literally leaking out of your body makes that compulsion feeling an almost inevitable outcome for her. I gather, she doesn't appreciate the feeling of manipulation this pulling feeling is causing her."
Harry snapped his fingers in excitement, because at long last he finally, finally understood some of Fleur's actions. He wished he'd just bit the bullet and asked Appoline earlier, because he was extremely grateful for the clarification. Turning back, he noticed a look of confusion growing on Appoline's face and knew that he needed to explain. "Appoline... Your daughter keeps showing up in places that she knows for a fact I'll end up, but then she's always rude to me when we do inevitably run into each other. Because of you, I finally understand what in Gods' name she's up to. I see now that Fleur's being compelled to enter my presence, but she completely resents me for it the entire damned time. Ah jees... If I ever want to have a normal friendship with Fleur, then I'll need to get my magic under control first..."
After finishing that thought, Harry suddenly realized something else that had him looking at his lap in defeat. The fact of the matter was that if he ever did manage to get his magic under control, he wouldn't have a legitimate reason to come over here in the first place. It was beginning to look as if he and Fleur were never going to get along.
Appoline smiled at Harry as once again he proved that he had a heart of gold. He was currently going way out of his way to understand her rather difficult daughter, instead of just writing the girl off and disliking her. After buffing Harry's shoulder with her own to get his attention, Appoline whispered into his ear. "Arry... We are going to get your aura shroud under control and then you will start to have a very good life. You will see."
After linking arms with the boy again, Appoline drew him up to his feet. "Now be brave 'Arry because you are about to dance with both of my daughters, including Fleur." Appoline laughed out loud, when in response to her words she actually felt Harry gathering up his courage within his shroud.
When Harry walked into the Dance Studio/Music Hall of the manse, it was with Gabrielle wrapped firmly around his back like a backpack. She was snuggling into him as hard as she could and now that he knew what to look for he could sense her giving her all with her allure. Bless her heart, she was trying her best, but she wasn't quite there yet. She might get an ice cream cone out of him but very little else at this point. It was hard to say what Gabrielle's allure might be able to do to a Muggle man or a normal wizard like Ron.
The thought was a little bit on the arrogant side, but Harry figured he wasn't the normal standard in regards to resisting allure. He'd been obstinate and stubborn even before he'd built his mind Occlusion barriers. Now that they were in place, he assumed very little on earth could magically influence his thoughts.
Sitting in the corner of the studio, Appoline was waiting for them near a piano and a record player arrangement, while Fleur was standing in the middle of the dance floor, stretching.
Oh wow...
Fleur Delacour was currently a walking, talking, stretching contradiction, and screaming her polar opposite intentions/feelings towards Harry at the top of her lungs. She was giving Harry an icy cold look as if she really didn't want to help him, but she was also dressed in a leotard and tights combo and warming up her muscles. Fleur was clearly super duper prepared to take part, but she just as clearly wanted him to understand that she resented him for it. Her magical aura was an even worse tangle of intentions, coiling towards him aggressively and then roiling back as if she were taking part in a super violent magical tug of war.
Even knowing why Fleur felt the way she did, Harry's psycho senses were currently going off and he shivered involuntarily. No, he berated himself mentally. None of that. It's time to start improving the situation. Screwing up his courage, Harry injected every scrap of his desire for friendship into his aura. "Thank you for helping me Fleur... You're a good person, a good friend."
Over Fleur's shoulder, Harry could see Appoline trying to stifle a random fit of mad giggles, with a knuckle shoved deep into her mouth.
On the other hand, Fleur was completely frozen in place as she'd been completely poleaxed by his comment. Harry had just forced her to either accept or deny their friendship. She could no longer fly all over the map like a lunatic...
Appoline threw a thumbs up at Harry, before breaking down again and returning to chewing on her fist.
"I need to use the bathroom," Fleur suddenly declared, before marching out of the room with Delacour levels of dignity.
When Fleur was finally out of the room, Appoline began openly laughing as she walked towards Harry with a wide and happy smile on her face. "Ah 'Arry... That was a nice try and it may even have worked, but she pulled the old bathroom defense. It works every time, no?"
"Arry I want to dance," Gabrielle interrupted with an angelic smile on her face. "Let's start the music."
Appoline smiled down at her absolutely thrilled daughter, before kneeling next to her. "Okay Gabby. He's all yours, but start slow. 'Arry is a complete amateur. He desperately needs our help..."
Fleur Delacour was boiling over. She was an overheated cauldron of poorly channeled frustration and misdirected, irrational anger. What's more, she realized just how unreasonable she was being and that was making her feel even more out of control.
It really wasn't in her character for Fleur to be this bent out of shape by anything. Fleur was an extremely intelligent witch, top of her class and qualified for several Masteries. She was also a Veela, thus, under normal circumstances, she was far more in touch with her feelings than a regular teenager could hope to be. For that reason, Fleur knew that 'Arry had just manipulated her by saying thank you like that. She also knew that he'd used the term friend in tandem with his aura shroud, to show her his good intentions.
"Gods that boy is so damned infuriating," Fleur muttered as she stared at the bathroom mirror.
Of course, Fleur was self-aware enough to understand exactly why Harry just did what he did. Fleur could see that her own persistently rude behavior was inconsistent with all of the attention she was giving him, and she suspected that he was picking up massively mixed signals with his magic as well…
What was she to do about it though?
Harry was only a little boy, and Fleur refused to roll over and bask in his magic like a dog or worse, like a Gabrielle. She was being drawn to his presence though, and that much was obvious. Her allure was all over the place for the first time in years, and she found herself sitting in that damned Entry Hall reading when she could be doing something more productive.
Needless to say, Fleur couldn't wait until Harry got his aura shroud under control. In an ironic twist, she thought she might even understand how men feel around the allure of a Veela. It wasn't a fair comparison because Harry's magic didn't enthrall her like an allure would, but Fleur wasn't in the mood to be fair.
This situation could no longer continue. Something had to change and Harry wasn't really the problem... Fleur decided to take charge exactly like Harry had... She was going to be extraordinarily direct and then see what he makes of it. It was time to see how Harry likes taking some of his own medicine...
Harry was dancing very, very slowly with Gabrielle... The reason for that was simple. The little girl was far, far too adorable. Harry was absolutely petrified of stepping on her tiny little feet, to the point that he was having a hard time moving at all.
Gabrielle didn't care in the slightest. She was having a fantastic time holding onto Harry Potter while pouring out every scrap of allure that she could muster.
Even as Appoline played the slow piece on her piano she was paying special attention to her youngest and Harry dancing. Appoline had every intention of making this a Pensieve memory. Her daughter was just sooooo cute.
All of the sudden, Fleur Delacour stormed back into the room, all business, large and in charge.
"I feel better now," she declared, while looking at her mother. "'Arry!" Fleur pinned the boy with her eyes. "'Arry, you are a good person and I am your friend."
Everyone in the room could immediately sense the massive, incoming BUT...
"I also hate you with a passion just a little bit," Fleur declared bluntly. "Don't try to understand me because even I don't. Just deal with it because I am trying my best."
At Fleur's declaration, Harry just stood there, completely stunned and he began to wonder if this is how other people feel when he says and does crazy things. Then finally, after several very long moments passed, Harry started laughing. Soon enough he was laughing so hard that he was bending over and holding onto his kneecaps just to stay on his feet. A tear of mirth was falling down his face when he finally stood back up, and he quickly wiped it away. "Fleur... I have friends at Hogwarts that've felt exactly the same as you since the very first day they met me, and they've never once told me the truth about it. One of my two closest friends decides at least once a year to have a jealous fit and hate me for a few weeks. I have more reason to trust you than I do any of those people."
At the tail end of his words, Harry smiled apologetically down at Gabrielle before looking over at Fleur again. "Would you care to teach me to dance?"
To Be Continued
Author's Note:
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