Professor Potter

Chapter 32

Chapter 32 

Harry sat with his legs stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankles. He was leaning back on his elbows, his eyes closed. He had tried sitting in the classic lotus position like he had see in a muggle book once but when he tried to get his left knee past ninety degrees it began to protest. He was enjoying the feel of the warmish breeze coming in off the ocean and the sound of the waves breaking against the base of the cliffs. He was sitting in the grass in front of Shell Cottage about half way to the edge of the cliffs. 

It was the Saturday after his meeting with Professor McGonagall and he was feeling somewhat satisfied with how things had worked out. He wasn't sure if his threat to leave Hogwarts was really genuine but he couldn't see how he could maintain the proper student/teacher relationship if he had to worry about being undercut by the Head. He also noticed that having cleared the air he wasn't prone to getting irritated when he was grading the other projects. 

At the invitation of Fleur, he and Ginny and James had come for a visit at the cottage. It was getting close to the point that Ginny wasn't going to be Disapparating until after the baby was born. Harry found himself drawn outside by the sound of gulls crying. He saw two bobbing and weaving in the breeze, sometimes moving about and other times just hovering, balancing the combination of lift and drag to maintain position. After a while they both turned and dove out of sight below the edge of the cliff. Now he was just listening to the sounds around him when he got that itch on the edge of his awareness that told him someone was close. 

"Hello again, Fleur," he said, without opening his eyes. 

"Mon Dieu, 'arry. 'ow do you do that? You can't 'ave smelled my perfume." 

"No, but I could feel someone approaching and anyone else would have said something as they walked up," he replied. 

He did look over as Fleur came to sit at this side, pulling her legs up in front of her so she could rest her arms on her knees as she looked out towards the sea. Harry could see a small smile on her face. 

"I see you 'ave deescovered one of my favorite places, 'arry. Beell and I used to come out 'ere to watch the sky change colors as the sun set. Now weeth the leetle ones we 'ave to be more careful. We all stay een the rear garden these days. Once they are older and understand the need to be careful about the cleeff we can seet out 'ere again." 

"I like to feel the breeze on my face and hear the gulls and the waves," Harry said. "I was watching two gulls earlier riding the breeze. It was amazing, the way they could balance everything to just be able to hover." 

"I 'ave seen you 'over in one place several times, 'arry." 

He nodded, more to himself and said, 

"I thought about changing and joining them, but it wouldn't be the same. They do it so well because it's their nature to do it. Me, it would be about magic." 

"'ow do you mean, mon ami?" she asked. 

"A gull flies the way it does because that's the way nature made it. A dragon isn't designed to fly like that. The body is too big and heavy for the wings to hold it up, let alone get it airborne. It's a magical creature and the magic is what allows it to fly. I'm glad it works that way, but there's something special about the way a bird does it." 

Now it was Fleur's turn to nod her head. Then she looked over at Harry, seeing the quiet, contented look on his face. She smiled and asked, 

"'ow are you feeleeng otherwise, 'arry?" 

"I'm doing well, Fleur. Didn't you ask me that when we first arrived?" 

"Yes, but that was more out of courtesy, 'arry, although I deed want to know. Now I am askeeng seriously," she asked.