"Harry!" A voice hissed to Harry as he walked towards the headmaster's office, Dumbledore had sent for him. He turned to try and find the source of the voice and found Rita Skeeter standing there "Come here! Quickly!" She said, gesturing to an unused classroom.
"Now Miss Skeeter, I am flattered" Harry said but he wasn't able to get to the refusing part because she grabbed him and pulled him into the classroom before locking and silencing the room. "Again, I'm flattered but I have a girlfriend"
"Just shut up" Rita said "now I wanted to thank you"
"Again, I'm flattered but I have a girlfriend."
"Not like that" Rita rolled her eyes "it's just I became a reporter because I always thought that people deserved to know the truth, at the start of my carrier I targeted bad people who deserved to have their truth shown in front of the world, somewhere along the line I got caught up with ratings and I changed. But you reminded me about why I started all of this, so I wanted to thank you."
"You're welcome. But again, I'm flattered but I have a girlfriend"
"I mean I want to help you out with your public image" Rita sighed "and if you ever want me to make some one look bad, say...Dumbledore, then just say the word."
"I have a meeting with the old prick now" This time it was Harry who sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Oh, can I come?" Rita asked.
"I don't think Dumbledore will..."
"No, I'm an animagus" Rita explained "don't tell anyone, I haven't registered yet. Anyway, I can turn into a beetle and hide throughout the whole meeting."
"Go on then" Harry nodded.
"Great, now I just need to get changed and get in your..."
"Again" Harry interrupted "I'm flattered but I have a girlfriend" Rita's hand went to her face and proceeded to do a very loud facepalm.
"Goddamn it!" Harry cursed as he entered Dumbledore's office to find the headmaster sitting at his desk with Professor McGonagall standing next to him "Why did you call me here this time? Is your life really so boring that you have nothing better to do than mess with mine?!"
"Mr Potter! Show some respect!" McGonagall admonished.
"You've learn nothing over the last few years, have you?" Harry said with a small but sad shake of his head, he then turned to Dumbledore "what do you want?"
"Mr Potter, please take a seat" Dumbledore gestured to the chair in front of the desk.
"I will stand" Harry refused "now what do you want?"
"Very well" Dumbledore sighed "firstly I want to discuss your interview with Rita Skeeter"
"I know, it's horrible" Harry said "she didn't even use half the swear words I said and she censored the few that she did, I should mention that the next time we do an interview."
"Mr Potter, I'd prefer it if you don't do another interview. Your last one has not only caused several problems for me and the ministry, but also encouraged chaos throughout the country" Dumbledore said, and it was true, the interview had caused lots of problems, not just for him but also for the ministry. A lot of time was, and is still, being put into the calming the public down. The minister and himself had publicly announced that the goblet of fire would be destroyed as soon as the tournament is over. A shame, seeing as a lot of the magic necessary to create it is lost in time, making the goblet a one of a kind artifact.
The interview had also damaged his image a lot, people were now claiming that he had lost his marbles and was getting to old to lead. There was also the section of the interview where Harry discussed him, thanks to it people were beginning to call him dark for tricking their saviour into two magical contracts. That, plus the fact that Harry basically said that he joined Libra because Dumbledore had put him with abusive muggles and didn't check on him, made him far from popular with people.
In the past Dumbledore had always subtly encouraged the idea that he was Harry's mentor, it helped with his popularity and he did intend to be Harry's mentor when he came to Hogwarts. The fact that the saviour of the wizarding world was abused by the muggles that Dumbledore had chosen to put him with and turned into an assassin because of their abuse and Dumbledore's neglect had caused him to lose a lot of trust with people.
"You see your lips are moving, but the words I am hearing are 'do whatever the fuck you want'." Harry confessed with a small shrug. "The way I see it, you used a dark object in a tournament, you failed to keep me out of it and this is the second magical contract that I've been put in because of you. I think you pretty much deserve whatever backlash you've gotten. Also, it's my right to speak my mind and accept interviews, just don't give me any more things to throw at you and we'll be fine. Is there anything else?"
"I have been looking for all the information I can find about Libra, I've started doing this since your trial, there is barely even a mention of them in current British history. It took some time for me to find mentions of them in very early history, and several mentions of them in other countries. I would like it if you could tell me what you know about them."
"Where are the aurors?" Harry asked as he looked around the room.
"Aurors?" Dumbledore asked.
"I figured that if I was being interrogated then there would be aurors." Harry explained
"Harry, this isn't an interrogation, I just…"
"Swell, that means you don't have the right to question me."
"Harry, I need to learn more about Libra. The more I know the better the chances are of not just stopping them but also protecting you. Please just work with me!" Dumbledore pleaded.
"You?!" Harry snorted "Please old man, you're a few days from being found dead on the toilet. What are you going to do against expert assassins? It's not like they're going to challenge you to a one on one duel, they're assassins! They 'assassin' people!"
"The correct term is assassinate" McGonagall pointed out.
"The correct response to your correction is 'suck a cock'" Harry replied he had set that up and he was proud of it, plus the look on her face was worth it. She was about to respond but she was beaten by Professor Dumbledore.
"Mr Potter, you will show Professor McGonagall some respect!" He said sternly.
"You've learn nothing over the last few years, have you?" Harry said with a small but sad shake of his head "Now listen Dumbles, I currently have the deadliest assassins alive after me, my situation will not be improved by an old man who is to cowardly to get the job done."
"I am not a coward, I am a pacifist, I am..."
"A coward who is patting himself on the back" Harry interrupted "tell me something, if you're not willing to get the job done then why are you even trying? These Libra assassins would easily kill their own mothers and fathers if they were ordered to do so. If you don't finish them off, then when they get back up they will kill you. I am not betting my life on someone who follows a moral code that I don't follow or care about. This is Libra, not a dark lord that you can defeat in a duel and not a dark lord that takes any and every person willing to join."
"Mr Potter, surely you are exaggerating a little, they might be deadly assassins but they..."
"They train us as soon as possible!" Harry glared at Dumbledore for dismissing his words so easily "They train us and put us through rituals to increase our healing and enhance our bodies to peak human capabilities, that's why you've got to kill them. In fact, if it wasn't for the rituals then the training they put us through would have done serious permanent damage to our bodies. We heal faster, we're stronger and we're deadlier. Two low level Libra assassin would be able to easily deal with five death eaters. I am done wasting my time trying to convince a stubborn old man, I have got nearly a year left before they come after me."
"We can protect you, it's..."
"I..." Harry cut him off "am going to spend what is possibly my last year of life enjoying myself, and that means staying away from you. So from now on, unless somebody I give a shit about is dying, do not call me to your damn office because I will not come. Is there anything else before I leave?"
"Very well" Dumbledore sighed, his voice a combination of sadness, exhaustion and disappointment "I have to inform you that a yule ball will be announced later today, as a champion you will have to be a part of the opening dance."
"Dancing" Harry muttered with disgust before he sent Dumbledore a glare and walked out of the room.
"That was brilliant!" Rita said once she transformed back "I've never heard anyone talk to him like that, especially to his face"
"Yeah, well I don't care about his hype. Now are you going to be revealing this meeting in the next edition of the daily prophet?"
"Oh yes" Rita smiled "I'll tell the readers than an anonymous source had informed me that the headmaster was trying to stop you from talking to the press, and..."
"No" Harry cut her off "don't say an anonymous source, say me. Say I told you, that way you can use the whole conversation and print it in the story. It also has more of an impact if the source is in fact me."
"But won't you get in trouble?" She asked.
"Probably" Harry shrugged uncaringly "goodbye Rita" he smiled and walked away.
Harry wasn't in the best of moods as he sat at the Ravenclaw table, Fleur sat on his left and was slightly leaning into him. Tracy sat on Fleur's left, Delphi sat opposite Fleur with Daphne opposite himself and Fay opposite Tracy. The reason for Harry's bad mood was because of the fact that many boys had been approaching Fleur and asking her out since the announcement of the ball. If Fleur wanted to leave him and go with them then it'd be fine, well not fine but he'd tolerate it, but she was clearly uncomfortable and some of them couldn't take the hint and leave.
Harry was also rather pissed since Delphi and Fay had shot down his idea of burning the boys so they keep away.
"Hey" A voice called as an older Hufflepuff boy approached the table "w...ould you l...like to be my date to the ball?" He asked Fleur hopefully.
"No" Fleur rolled her eyes "I'm going out with my boyfriend"
"Him?" The Hufflepuff pointed to Harry with disbelief "wouldn't you like to actually go with someone who has a face that isn't multiple colours?" He said referencing Harry's scars, Apparently his desire for Fleur superseded his survival instincts. Fortunately for him, and unfortunately for Harry, he would not be killed thanks to Fay and Delphi.
"You know what else is multiple colours?" Harry said to the Hufflepuff before any of the girls could express their anger at the comment "My dick"
"What?!" The Hufflepuff blurted out in confusion.
"It's multiple colours" Harry said "at the moment it's every shade of your mothers lipstick" The girls laughed at the comments, the Hufflepuff looked enraged, he was about to say something when he saw Harry's hand catch fire and suddenly he remembered he was talking to an assassin. He gulped and walked off, just as he was far enough away he heard Harry shout "and her butthole". His friends who had heard the whole think were now laughing at him, he was never going to live this down.
Harry returned to his dinner along with the girls and continued thinking, he had also overheard someone mention something about him hogging all the best looking girls, he looked around and he supposed that the girls were all pretty good looking. A few years ago he couldn't have imagined having this many friends, it may be a small amount for some people but it's more than he ever expected to have. Daphne and Tracy had a brilliant and sarcastic wit, while also being intelligent and kind, making them good friends to hang out with. Fay had a rather pure heart, she was also loyal and kind. Delphi as basically his sister in all but blood, he was pretty sure he would kill to protect her.
Harry also had Bellatrix and Sirius in his life now. Sirius was a man with a few faults, such as having the mental age of a child, but it can't be denied that he cared for Harry, he was also Harry's last link to his parents and Harry would enjoy listening to the stories he told about them.
Then there was Bellatrix, the closest thing he had to a mother at the moment, he and Bellatrix had a connection, one that he didn't have with other people. They were both judged people, they had both suffered because of Voldemort, they both cared for Delphi and they were both controlled. Harry also got the sense that Bellatrix hid who she was, he knew that Bellatrix was feared because of her skill and if he had to guess then he would say that she loved duelling, she certainly had the talent for it. But it always seemed like she was hiding that part of her self, probably because people would start screaming murder the second she began looking remotely violent.
Then there was Fleur, Fleur was a beautiful person, that could not be denied. It wasn't just because she was a veela, she had natural good looks. Blonde hair, blue eyes and a beautiful body. Harry had never expected to have a girlfriend, especially not one that looked like Fleur, or anyone who was like Fleur. She was talented, kind, intelligent, she was brilliant. When they first met he didn't believe that she liked him, after that he thought it was only because of her veela nature, but she really liked him and he really liked her. That did cause him to worry, he was essentially a dead man walking, what would happen to Fleur if he died? What would happen to his family, his friends, if he died?
Harry was soon brought out of his thoughts when he realised someone had approached the group, he looked up to see Ronald Weasley had wondered over for some reason, this ought to be good.
"Uh...ummh...hi...uh..." Ron said, in the form of a greeting.
Fleur looked up at the boy who was number twenty on the list of boys who tried to ask her out today, couldn't they all see that she was trying to have lunch with her boyfriend and his friends? It was getting really tiring to constantly refuse all these boys. Looking at the stuttering red head she remembered this to be that drooling boy from the world cup, what was his name? Ryan or Ronald or something like that. The last time she had saw him he drooled constantly and now he thought he had a chance? Especially when her boyfriend was here?
"I...uh...I was just...um...I was wondering...wondering if you..." Ron stammered and Fleur's annoyance rose, couldn't he see she was eating? She had better things to do then watch Englishmen speak English worse than the French. "Well...I was just wondering if...you know? The dance...if you would like to go with me...and uh..."
"I do not dance with little boys" Fleur sniffed "besides I would like a date that can speak and not drool all night. Also in case you don't know, I have a boyfriend and am going with him." Fleur emphasised the point by wrapping her arm around Harry's, this caused several approaching boys to stop and Ron to look like he was just informed that magic existed.
"But...but..." Ron began stuttering again, Harry and Fleur turned to each other and through an unspoken conversation had decided what to do next. The two turned to Ron, their eyes began blazing and glowing, a blue fire behind Fleur's eyes and a green one behind Harry's. The two glared at Ron, who quite quickly backed away and ran off. They turned to the other boys that wanted to approach and glared at them, they all gulped and backed away.
Once Harry and Fleur were sure they wouldn't be bothered they closed their eyes and their eyes stopped glowing brightly and turned back to normal.
"Wow" Delphi said as she and the girls gave the two a small clap.
"Thank you" Fleur smiled "it's a trick that Harry showed me, works wonders in scaring off boys."
"No, I'm not teaching you lot that" Harry rolled his eyes when they gave him a hopeful look.
"I can't believe that they think it's a good idea to ask out the girl who is the girlfriend of an ex-assassin" Tracy shook her head at their stupidity.
"Don't underestimate the powers of boners" Harry shrugged "with that being said the next person who approaches will get theirs cut off" Several near boys crossed their legs and looked away, not entirely sure how serious Harry was.
Soon it was time for the ball, Harry was currently waiting outside the hall, Krum and Cedric Diggory were there. Cedric had Cho Chang for his date, Harry supposed the two made a good couple, neither bothered him much. Cedric was wearing black robes and Cho was wearing a white floral dress that was a nod to her Chinese heritage. Harry and Krum were currently waiting for their dates to arrive, both didn't look at each other. Krum because Harry was a member of Libra and he hated everything Libra, Harry because Krum's constant scowling was beginning to annoy him.
Krum was wearing a red jacket with a fur cloak hanging from one shoulder, Harry meanwhile had chosen to go with a simple black suit. He figured it looked better on him than the robes and that he was more able to move in these than the robes.
Soon their dates arrived, Krum's date was Hermione Granger of all people. 'Brilliant' Harry couldn't help but think sarcastically, Hermione Granger was currently wearing a pink dress and had done her no-longer-bushy hair up in a bun a lot of preparation to make herself look good. But Harry noted, with a lot of pride, that she paled in comparison to his own date.
Fleur was wearing a stunning silver dress that ended at her ankles but possessed a cut that allowed her right leg to be exposed if she wished to expose it, her beautiful hair was let lose and cascaded down her shoulders, her blue eyes were bright as a smile appeared on her lips. She almost seemed to glide towards Harry, who for once in his life felt speechless.
Harry was looking at her, and felt many things: desire, happiness, pride, confusion. When had he started feeling so strongly about Fleur? Why did he decide to start liking this, for lack of a better term, goddess that was walking towards him? He knew he liked her but this...this was different. His body stiffened, his heart was pounding, his stomach felt weird, weird in a way that he knew was no because of something he had eaten. His eyes were locked on her, after looking her up and down a couple of times they had decided to lock on her face, alternating between her soft lips, the small blush on her cheeks and those beautiful, blue bright eyes.
Fleur walked up to Harry, she had put a long time into looking good tonight, and it appeared to be working. Of course she always looked good, but she wanted to look better tonight, look better for him. She had put on some light make up, not enough to be classified as 'too much', just the right amount of make up to look natural. Her mother had sent her the money for the dress, it seemed like Harry liked it...no, loved it judging by the expression on his face.
It excited her, Harry had always been calm and cool, always in control. The allure had never bothered him, so she knew that his current actions were not because of her allure. His eyes were not glazed over, they were just focused on her. He looked at her body for a bit, before his eyes became locked on her face and she used all of her strength to keep her blush at a minimum. He looked at her with such intensity that she couldn't help but feel like she had done something either very wrong or very right.
Through her bond she was able to feel his emotions if she focused on it enough, their was quite a lot of them, most of the positive. She didn't know why he had negative emotions, maybe it was the loss of control, maybe he had remembered something, she knew that Harry had an incredibly bad past.
But the good news was that the primary emotions were happiness and desire. She walked up to him and stopped right in front of him, his jaw tightened and his lips got closer together, it looked like he was holding his breath.
"Arry?" She spoke softly, his eyes widened slightly before he shook his head slightly, apparently returning to reality. It amazed her how she managed to get such a reaction from him.
"You...you look beautiful" Harry said, really surprising Fleur, Harry doesn't stutter, she must really be doing something to him. "Really, I mean it."
"Thank you" She smiled and looped an arm around his and kissed him on the cheek, he didn't blush but he did look at her more wide eyed.
Soon the champions had entered the hall, everyone began gossiping and talking.
"I'm glad Cho went with Cedric"
"So handsome"
"Look it's Krum"
"That's a nice dress"
"Is that Granger?"
"Delacour's with Potter"
"Of course she is, he's her boyfriend"
"Potter looks good"
"Yeah, even with his face"
Harry drowned out the talking, his focus was divided between two things. The first was making sure he didn't fall down or walk into someone, the other was Fleur and how he was feeling about her. The champions were all guided to their table, they all ate and made small talk, well most of the time. Krum alternated between looking at Hermione and glaring at Harry, so far Cedric and Cho were the most normal couple. Fleur made small talk but she also kept glancing at Harry who looked very confused though he tried to play it off as not being talkative.
Soon the champions were called to dance, the boys took the girls hands and guided them towards the centre of the room. Soon the music started and the couples began dancing, Cho and Cedric were alright and showed they had practised before. Krum and Granger needed a bit work.
Harry had put one hand around Fleur's waist and held her hand in the other, she held his hand with one hand and placed the other around his neck. When they danced they didn't pay attention to the music or the steps, which was funny seeing as they were actually pretty good thanks to spending time practising before the ball, they just gazed at each other. To Harry it felt like the sort of thing that he'd find in one of Delphi's books but he just couldn't look away, he didn't want to.
He looked at her, taking in every detail of her face. His hands reminded him of her perfect body while he looked at her like she was a dream, every detail of her face was burned into his eyes. The perfect skin, the small dimples when she smiled, how her face was perfectly symmetrical and how she looked very much like a goddess in human form.
Everyone around them was focused on Harry and Fleur, even the other champions while they danced, the intensity between the two was outshining any of the dancing. Eventually the music stopped, the other champions let go of their partners and walked off. Harry and Fleur had simply stopped, eventually they lowered their arms, though they were still holding hands. Harry looked at Fleur like a puzzle he just couldn't solve. She gave him a dazzling smile and a quick kiss on the lips before pulling him off the dance stage.
The night had continued, Harry and Fleur had danced a couple more times. Each time Harry danced he still hadn't lost the feeling in his heart, he just couldn't understand it and somehow Fleur was making it worse. Eventually they stopped dancing.
"Arry, are you alright?" Fleur asked with a concerned voice, she had noticed that he had been acting strange all night and she was starting to worry.
"I'm fine" Harry nodded quickly "but can you do me a favour?"
"Yes" She nodded.
"Just go get some drinks for us and wait at the drinks table for me" Harry requested "I just have to quickly talk with Delphi and I'll be right back" He gave her a reassuring smile, though she could very easily tell it was more than a little fake.
"If you're sure Arry" She said slowly and walked to the drink table.
Harry quickly scanned the crowd for Delphi, he saw her talking with Fay, Daphne and Tracy. He quickly walked over to her and grabbed her by the arm.
"Harry?" Delphi gave Harry a questioning look along with the rest of the girls.
"We need to talk" Harry said, his breathing had become heavy and his voice low "now" He added and dragged Delphi to a corner of the hall.
"Come on" Fay said to the others "we should probably go and see if we can help"
"Are you sure?" Daphne asked, not sure if this was something they should interfere with.
"If they want privacy then they'll tell us, but right now Harry looks he's about to have a panic attack and I think anything that reduces the risk of him burning down the hall is needed" Fay said as she walked off, the eyes of both Slytherin's widened and they quickly rushed off after them. The girls followed Harry into a corner just as he put a privacy bubble up.
"Alright, I'm sorry for interrupting your dates" Harry said before he paused "where are your dates?"
"We've just come with each other" Tracy said.
"I didn't know you guys were lesbians"
"We're not lesbians, we're just going as friends" Delphi rolled her eyes and slapped Harry on the back of the head.
"Fine" Harry replied.
"Wow, you're shaken" Fay's eyes widened with disbelief "you didn't hit her back"
"Yeah, you always hit me back" Delphi said, agreeing with Fay.
"Let's just say with the mood I'm in, you probably wouldn't survive it" Harry said as he gave her a tight smile.
"Harry, what's wrong?" Delphi asked "Is it something to do with Fleur?"
"Yes" Harry nodded "I...I'm confused, when I look at her my stomach feels weird and my heart starts pounding. I haven't been able to stop thinking about her all night"
"Maybe it's just because she looks good today" Tracy suggested.
"She's a hot veela! She always looks good!" Harry glared at her.
"I'm sorry" Tracy said raising her hands in surrender.
"Sorry" Harry coughed as he began looking at the floor "it's not about her looks, I've spent summers at her house. I've seen her in all types of clothes, I know she's good looking, it's not about her looks. I also...I also..."
"What?" Fay asked softly.
"I can't stop thinking about her!" Harry hissed "I mean what's wrong with me?! I feel like I always want her around! I mean I always liked her but this is different! I feel like I really like her! And I don't know what to do!"
"Alright Harry, just start breathing" Delphi said
"I'd be dead if I stopped!"
"Just listen to me" Delphi said "what did you feel like when you see other boys flirt with her and ask her out? What goes through your head when you see it?"
"Kill, murder, exterminate" Harry shrugged, still breathing heavily.
"You always want her around? Do you always feel happier when she's around?"
"Yes, but that doesn't answer my question, what is happening to me?!"
"Harry" Delphi said softly as she looked him in the eye "I think you're in love with her"
"No" Harry let out a small laugh of disbelief as he shook his head "no...no I can't be in love with her"
"Harry, I think you are" Daphne said softly "we've all seen you with her, you look at her differently than other girls."
"Plus you look a lot more like an assassin when you see someone bother her" Tracy added.
"I can't be in love with her" Harry said.
"Why not?" Fay asked.
"I mean look at my face and look at..."
"Bullshit" Delphi interrupted "Harry I know you don't care about looks and you know that Fleur doesn't. Give a real reason if you're going to deny it."
"Fine!" Harry glared at her "What about the fact that I have a group of assassins after me, the second my time is up I will likely die! Why should I fall in love with her just to go off and get killed later! It's a waste of time and it's just setting us both up for more pain!"
"Harry, you have no guarantee you're going to die"
"Delphi I'll be lucky if I do. Best case scenario I can die a warriors death, hopefully quick and easy. What will probably happen is they make an example of me and I get my head stuck on a spike! Matter of fact if they get to Shadow as well then they'll probably rip his wings off and sew them to the side of my head and place his body on a spike next to my head!"
"Harry, listen to me" Delphi said with a serious voice "listen to me right now. Fleur loves you, she loves you and it'll hurt her if you die. It'll hurt a lot of people, including us. You have people who care for you Harry, you're emotional at the moment so you're not thinking like you usually do. Because if you was then you would have pointed out that everyone dies eventually. Your mother and father died for you Harry, I'm sorry, but they died so that you could live.
Living isn't just waiting around to die and not ignoring life, living is making the most of life. You owe it to them to at least try." As she spoke Harry had slammed into his hands and began massaging his temples, she could see that her words were getting to him so she continued "You've suffered Harry, suffered more than most people. You deserve happiness, everyone does, you deserve it more than most people in this room. Living is not dying Harry, living is having reasons to be a live. Fleur is your reason. Harry, if you don't enjoy your life, then you're just letting them win.
I don't think you'll die, you're a survivor Harry, you are. You've never had a reason before besides self preservation, but now you do. Fleur is your reason to live, don't push her away Harry. You've always been there for me and told me off when I'm being an idiot, now you're emotional and this is a rare moment where you are being an idiot and not thinking straight like you usually do, so I am going to return the favour. Take Fleur by the hand, kiss her if you want, but just tell her that you love her. You know she loves you Harry, and you know you love her. Just tell her." The girls watched as Harry rubbed his hands through his hair for several moments, the veins on his heads looked like they
"Delphi" Harry raised his head and wiped his face with his eyes "if you tell anyone what I'm about to say then I will kill all of you...but thank you...you're right...I was being an idiot. If you'll excuse me"
As Harry stood up, the girls felt the air change around them, they saw a look of determination on his face and they couldn't help but gulp as they imagined what it might be like having a determined Harry Potter out to kill you. They scanned for Fleur and saw her by the drinks table and she was apparently engaged in a conversation with Victor Krum and Hermione Granger, though she didn't seem to be enjoying herself.
Harry walked towards Fleur looking like a man on a mission, people stepped out of his way when they saw him coming, not wanting to risk being in his way when they saw him looking the way he did.
"Harry" Professor Dumbledore was walking up to him "I apologise but I need to..."
Dumbledore was cut off when Harry placed a hand on the old man's chest, air circled up Harry's arm and to his hand before pushing the old man and sending him flying into a table full of food, Harry didn't stop walking though, he continued until he reached Fleur.
Fleur had noticed Harry walking up to her, so did Krum and his date, the Granger girl. She saw the expression on his face, she didn't know what but she knew something big was about to happen. She watched as Harry's headmaster tried to approach only for Harry to send him flying and crashing into a pile of food on a nearby table, he fell off the table and onto the floor, covered in food that ruined his white robes. The whole hall had seen the display and were now gaping at Harry, Harry stopped in front of Fleur, he took her hand in his own.
"Can you come with me please?" He asked, his voice soft and pleading.
"You just attacked the headmaster!" Hermione Granger screeched "Why did you..."
"Please" Harry ignored her and focused on Fleur "please come with me."
"Okay Arry" She nodded, Harry took her hand and guided her out the hall, ignoring the calls from Professor McGonagall.
"Where are we?" Fleur asked once she got in the room, Harry had took her up to a corridor before walking back and forth three times and suddenly a door appeared. He pulled her inside into a large room where the only piece of furniture was a chair.
"It's called the room of requirement, I found it a few years ago, now please go and sit" Harry gestured to the chair, Fleur wasn't sure if it was the quiet and low voice or the tiredness that came with it but she instantly obeyed and walked over to the chair and sat down. Harry was silent for several moments, his face looked pained, he was looking at her with more intensity than she had ever seen anyone look at her. She wanted to speak but felt it was better to stay silent for the moment.
"I hate this" Harry said out loud.
"Arry?" Fleur asked.
"I hate this" Harry gestured between himself and Fleur, she suddenly felt like her heart was going to break. Was Harry going to break up with her?! Harry pointed a finger at Fleur, even though his hand was shaking "I always...always thought that I was going to die alone...I had Libra after me. Then I met Delphi and Bellatrix, I allowed myself to believe for a while that everything would be alright, but then Professor Dumbledore came and tricked me into going to Hogwarts and reality hit me like a train and I remembered that I am probably going to die soon.
After the world cup I knew it'd be soon, a few days after this school year ends I expect there to be a front page headline with my death" he said in a shaky voice that did nothing to help Fleur's worry, not just for herself but also for Harry "I didn't want anyone else in my life, that would be more people I would lose. Then Bellatrix took me to France and I met you" Harry's finger jabbed in her direction before he lowered his arm "I met you, at first I didn't want to care about you. Then I heard about this bond and I wanted to break it so you didn't get your heart broken when I go off and die. Then we got together and I allowed myself to believe everything would be alright again, then the world cup happened and I got sent a deadline for my life. I didn't want to care for anyone...but you...you wormed your way into my heart."
"Arry, I..." Fleur's eyes were watery as she tried to talk.
"Shush" Harry said, stopping her from continuing "I have spent the last few days thinking hard, I always keep thinking about you. You are on my mind all the time, I hate the fact that I now love you."
"You...you love me?" Fleur asked, tears now dropping down her face.
"Yeah" Harry sighed "yeah...I think I do...and I hated myself for loving you. I did. You are perfection and I am broken."
"Arry, you're not, you..."
"I am Fleur" Harry cut her off "I'm not talking about my face, I am broken because I felt that way and I felt that way because I was a dead man who was falling in love. I was scared, terrified, of falling in love with you only to be ripped away. It...it wasn't supposed to happen like this. It wasn't. I wasn't supposed to get friends, I wasn't supposed to get a girlfriend...I wasn't supposed to be happy...I wasn't supposed to have a family. I wasn't supposed to be loved, I wasn't supposed to fall in love. I was supposed to die...I was supposed to die. I was supposed to die! I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE HAPPY! I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO WANT TO LIVE!" He shouted, though it only partly seemed directed at her, most of it seemed directed at just the world, the universe, fate, whoever would take the blame for what's happened in his life.
Fleur cried softly, but didn't interrupt. She didn't know what would happen at the end of this evening, she knew Harry was emotional, he always kept his emotions under control. Fleur's heart was saddened by all that Harry had to suffer, not just because of her but because of all the people in his life, if it wasn't for Delphi and Bellatrix then he likely would have been broken a long time ago.
"I wasn't supposed to want to live" Harry continued in a soft voice, his breath heavier than himself at the moment, tears shedding down his eyes "I wasn't supposed to want to live...then...then you came into my life." He walked towards "I keep thinking about you, when I was in Libra we were told not to make friends and not get attached, it's a weakness apparently. I used to believe it...until I met you." Harry kneeled in front of her and held her hands as the two locked eyes. "When I fought in that forest, I fought for you and I felt stronger than I ever had done. All my life, I knew pain.
Abusive muggles, Libra, I wanted it to end. But then Bellatrix told me about my parents sacrifice and I felt like I would ruin it if I just killed myself, but now I realised that I'm ruining it by not living my life. I've survived by I've never really lived. That changes now!" Harry vowed, determination re-entering his face, his eyes not moving from hers. "Because now...now I have a reason to live...reasons to live, not just Delphi and Bellatrix and the rest. But also you, your mother told me that your magic had chosen me for a reason. I think it wasn't just you that it was trying to help, because I know that I've just gotten better since it chose me. I know this is probably one of the worst ways to go about saying it but fuck it because I'm too deep to back out now and I don't care. Fleur Delacour, I love you!" He said sincerely as tears slid down her face, she wore a big and bright smile despite the tears. "I love you and I promise you, I am going to survive Libra."
"Arry?"
"I am going to survive Libra for you, when they come for me...I will kill them, I will kill them all. I will fight, beg, run, kill, scratch and claw and do whatever it takes to survive. I will live through this, I will live not just for my parents and my family, but also because I love you!"
"Oh Arry!" Fleur wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a crushing hug she sobbed into his soldier as he rested his head on hers. The two remained silent for several minutes.
Harry thought on his words and the words that Delphi said to him earlier, and he would keep his word. He would survive, not because he needed to, he would survive because he wanted to. He had more reasons than ever to live and he would be dammed if he let Libra stop him.
Fleur meanwhile was crying tears of joy and sorrow. Sorrow because her bonded mate and love of her life was suffering so much, sadness that he had already suffered so much, even more when she realised he still will suffer. She wasn't an idiot, she knew that he could die and she really didn't think that she could handle it if he did die. But she had faith and hope, her mate was not a common wizard, he was intelligent and powerful and determined.
She believed that if anybody could survive then it would be Harry Potter.
Her tears of joy and happiness came from knowing her boyfriend loved her, she had always loved him but to see and hear him say it had made her beyond happy. No word could describe how happy she was right now, she could feel his sincerity when he said and hear his determination when he said he would survive. He didn't merely say he would survive, it was a promise, he was promising he'd survive. He was her reason for living, just like she was for him.
"Arry" She pulled away and grabbed each side of his face "I love you too" She said, the two pulled closer and engaged into a passionate kiss.
Harry's hands had also grabbed her face as he began kissing back, the two were full of love and passion at the moment. Harry's hands went to her waist just as her arms slid around his neck, his hands went even lower just as wrapped her legs around his body. His hands grabbed and squeezed on her backside for several moments before he grabbed her by the legs and lifted her off the chair, he now held her up with her legs wrapped around his waist and arms around his neck. He began walking away from the chair, a bed had appeared in the room.
Harry placed her down on the bed and was now on top of her seeing as she was still wrapped around him, her arms were no longer wrapped around his neck. Now her hands were working furiously to remove his tie, jacket and shirt. The two stopped kissing for a moment. Harry gave her a questioning look, asking the question on his mind without saying a word.
"Make love to me Arry" She said softly as she continued to remove his clothes.
"I love you" He whispered with a massive smile.
"I love you too" She smiled back and the two continued kissing, Fleur continued trying to remove Harry's clothes while he began removing her dress.
The next day, Harry woke up, a smile on his face as he remembered the events of last night. He currently found himself with Fleur's body pressed against him, one hand wrapped around her waist and the other had reached around and grabbed a tit, it was then that he remembered that they were both naked and it was also when he realised that she was awake. The second biggest reason for him to believe that she was awake was the moaning, the biggest was the fact that she was rubbing her backside against his crotch.
"I take it you're awake" Harry kissed her neck.
"Yes" She gave him a sleepy smile as she looked over her shoulder at him "how are you?"
"Keep moving your backside like that and you'll find out" Harry groaned with pleasure.
"If you insist" She said with a cheeky smile as she continued to rub it against it him. "Were you serious?" She asked suddenly.
"Don't stop and serious about what?" Harry said as he struggled to concentrate, he challenged anyone else to try it when they have a veela in bed with them.
"About surviving...for me"
"Yeah" Harry nodded "Shadow, Delphi, the rest, you, you're all my reasons to live and I will live, for all of you. I promise."
"Thank you Harry" She smiled at him.
"Hmm, I have lessons today" Harry said out loud.
"True, you could go there...or we could spend the whole day making love to each other?" She said with a straight face "I mean...it's your choice" She added with a shrug which was countered by the sudden increase in movement from her lower half.
"I've corrupted you and I love it!" Harry grinned as he kissed her.