"You look happy" Abella noted as she and Fleur sat for dinner
"Why wouldn't I be happy?" Fleur shrugged, though she still had a smile
"Okay, you've been smiling for ages, just tell me why!" Abella begged
"Fine, fine" Fleur rolled her eyes "I am happy because now I finally have a boyfriend" All nearby heads snapped towards her direction
"You have a boyfriend?" One boy said, disappointment evident in his voice
"Who is it?!" Abella asked excitedly
"Arry Potter" Fleur answered, her smile growing wider
"Wait what...wow...that actually happened?!" Abella asked
"Yes, he came to stay in my house this summer with his new guardian and he asked me to become his girlfriend!" Fleur smiled, happy to finally be able to tell someone
"Really?!"
"Yes, we spent the summer talking, kissing and cuddling, it was so perfect" Fleur sighed wistfully as she remembered her summer
"Sounds romantic" Abella smiled "he doesn't look the type"
"Oh but he is" Fleur insisted "he was incredibly kind and polite to me"
"Why on earth would you want to be with Potter?!" Emilio, a boy in Fleur's year demanded "Have you seen what he looks like?!"
"He looks perfectly fine!" Fleur glared at him for daring to insult her mate
"Yeah right" Emilio snorted "he's ugly, his face is burnt and everything"
"I don't know" Abella said thoughtfully "the scars sort of add character"
"Yes, they do!" Fleur instantly agreed, though she'd agree with anything that complimented her mate
"Please" Emilio snorted again "what on earth do you see in the little brat? Why on Earth would you go for someone like him when you could have someone like me?" Emilio gave what he thought was a charming smile and gestured to himself
"I can think of quite a few reasons" Fleur sniffed
"Oh please" Celine, a girl in Fleurs year, huffed "I bet you probably just want him for his money and fame. You probably used your veela powers to seduce him"
"Wrong" Fleur replied with a smirk as she raised her nose at her "he knows all about me being a veela, he worked it out the first time he came into my house and this summer he had studied veela before he became my boyfriend. He knows all about veela and he is still with me"
"Well he probably thinks you'll be a good shag" Celine mumbled
"Unlike you, I do not shag any and every boy that is willing" Fleur replied, though she knew that she would gladly shag Harry the second he asked her to
"How dare you?!" Celine demanded "I...what are you doing?" She said when she noticed Fleur closing her eyes.
A second later Fleur opened her eyes, Celine and Emilio along with everyone else nearly jumped back when they saw her eyes had become a glowing, bright and shiny blue. They also appeared to have flames inside them. She focused her eyes on Emilio and Celine, the two stared back at her but were feeling very uncomfortable, after several seconds they decided to get up and leave. Fleur smirked and closed her eyes, she opened them and her eyes were back to her usual blue.
"What the hell was that?!" Abella blurted out
"A trick that Arry showed me" Fleur grinned "he told me it was perfect for driving away idiots, it appears that he was right"
"Wow" Abella breathed out "he taught you to do that? That's amazing, he must be powerful"
"He is" Fleur said proudly "his studies are more advanced than that of his fellow year mates and he has already mastered silent casting"
"That's impossible!" One student blurted out
"Yet it's true" Fleur gave the student a sweet smile before continuing to talk to Abella "he is so powerful, though me and him seem to be attracted to power." Her eyes had taken a slightly dreamy look before she shook her head to clear it.
"Wow, you've got it bad" Abella couldn't help but say
"You have no idea"
"What classes do you have?" Delphi asked Harry after they both received their schedules at breakfast
"All the basic classes, my electives are Arithmancy, Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures" Harry answered "what about you?"
"Same except I'm not taking Arithmancy" Delphi replied
"Hmm, doesn't really matter I suppose" Harry mused "we can just change them if we don't like them"
"That's fair" Delphi shrugged.
Shadow chose that moment to fly into the hall, though he made a brief stop before that where he released the contents of his stomach right on Draco Malfoy's food. Shadow landed right on Harry's shoulder just as Draco Malfoy looked towards him. Harry raised an eyebrow, daring Malfoy to challenge him or do anything, and he could see that the blonde boy looked tempted but he backed down and averted his eyes. Harry was rather glad, it mean that Malfoy was capable of learning after all. Though it also sadly meant that he couldn't hurt the little ferret but sadly you can't always get what you want.
Soon it was time for the first care of magical creatures class, Harry had learnt that it would be with Rubeus Hagrid, the games keeper turned Professor. Now on the one hand it was well know that Hagrid was a massive Dumbledore supporter so Harry couldn't help but feel like the man was an idiot. On the other hand, Fay had told him that he was actually just a rather nice guy who owed Dumbledore for giving him a home and a job.
So Harry could understand why the guy supported Dumbledore, after all it was unlikely for anyone else to offer him a job.
Also he'd only met the man a couple of times over the years, the man had offered Harry some tea and invited him over but Harry had told him he didn't want to. To his delight, the man seemed to understand and didn't try to bother Harry, nor did he seem too upset about it. In fact it appeared like he didn't mind, Hagrid even occasionally said hello to him and left the option to come over open. Also the man always complimented Shadow, so he was alright in Harry's eyes.
"Alright, open your books and turn to chapter three" Hagrid had instructed them
"And how exactly are we supposed to do that?" Draco Malfoy asked as he held his book up, the monster book of monsters had a habit of trying to bite anything and everything it could, which was why most people had theirs closed with a belt to prevent it from opening.
"Hasn't anyone managed to open them?" Hagrid asked, his eyes then landed on Harry "Ah look, Harry managed it. Tell them how it's done Harry"
"It opened and tried to bite my hand so I punched it repeatedly" Harry replied as he held up his book which looked a little damaged. It was missing it's teeth and a few of it's eyes were now black, everyone looked at Harry with disbelief and a little bit of amazement "What? It worked. Thing doesn't dare bite me now"
"Well...the rest of you just stroke the spines" Hagrid said to the others though he kept his eye on Harry, he then walked off to go get the study of his current lesson.
"Punched it until it was afraid of you" Delphi rolled her eyes "only you would do that to a book Harry"
"Hey, if you're going to bite the king then you'd better kill the king" Harry shrugged
"Well, we are just going to open them like civilised people" Daphne commented as she, Tracy, Fay and Delphi opened the book
"You lot may be civilised but at least I'm original" Harry quipped just before Hagrid returned with the creature that they would be studying today
"Tada" Hagrid gestured to what appeared to be a half eagle-half horse, it had the wings and heads of an eagle but the body of a horse except the front two paws were eagle claws. "Say hello to Buckbeak, isn't he beautiful?"
"Hagrid, what exactly is that?" Ron blurted out
"That Ron, is a hippogriff" Hagrid "the first thing you need to know about hippogriffs is that they are very proud creatures, very easily offended, you do not want to insult a hippogriff. It may just be the last thing you ever do. Now who'd like to come and say hello?"
"I'll do it" Harry volunteered, not noticing that the rest of the class had taken a step back
"Well done Harry" Hagrid smiled "well done, come on" Harry took a few steps forward and looked at the hippogriff "now first thing you need to do is bow, then you wait and see if he bows back, if he does then you can go and touch him, if not then...well we'll get to that later. Go on, take your bow" Harry slowly bowed towards the Buckbeak, he did his best to seem confident yet respectful. Buckbeak eyed him for several seconds before he decided to bow back "ah, well done Harry" Hagrid said before tossing Buckbeak a ferret to eat
"Oh he eats ferrets?" Harry noted with a hint of surprise "you should probably be careful then Malfoy" He called to Malfoy "I hear that Albino ferrets are a delicacy" A few people sniggered and chuckled at Harry's comment while Malfoy just turned red with anger and embarrassment.
"Now" Hagrid looked like he was holding back a smile "you go and try and touch him. Go on, nice and slow"
"Got it" Harry nodded as he slowly and calmly made his way over to Buckbeak, there was a brief moment where he thought Buckbeak was about to attack him but it didn't happen. After a few moments Harry had gently placed his hand on Buckbeak's head and stroked him.
"Oh, well done Harry" Hagrid clapped "well done. I think he may just let you ride him now"
"I beg your pardon?" Harry blinked just before Hagrid picked him up and placed him on top of Buckbeak before Harry could burn the man's hand
"Don't pull out any of his feathers, because he won't thank you for that" Hagrid tapped (slapped for non-Hagrid people) Buckbeak's back and the Hippogriff tore off with Harry holding on to his neck.
Buckbeak took off into the air, and flew up above the skies. Harry couldn't help but enjoy the experience, he loved flying in the air. Something about flying on a hippogriff felt natural, not as fast as a broom but still brilliant. He could see that Buckbeak enjoyed it as well.
"You know what" Harry shouted through the wind "I like you"
Buckbeak squawked out a thank you and increased his speed, he lowered himself to the lake, his claw touching it as he flew across. Eventually he pulled up and flew back to the class where he landed and immediately got praised by Hagrid as a few other people clapped.
"All good things must come to an end I guess" Harry whispered to Buckbeak as he slid off, Buckbeak let out a sad trill and rubbed his head against Harry's
"It wasn't even that impressive" Malfoy mumbled as he glared at Potter
"Watch yourself Malfoy" Theodore Nott, a fellow Slytherin, warned Malfoy
"Why should I?" Malfoy sneered
"Because I am not having Potter get pissed off just because you can't control yourself" Nott glared at Malfoy "you remember what happened the last time he was pissed off better than anyone else, but if he directs his anger on more than just you then the entire house will be baying for your blood"
"I...I'm not scared of Potter" Malfoy said unconvincingly, especially when he glanced at Harry to make sure he hadn't heard
"Pull the other one Malfoy" Nott snorted "after last time, I know you still shit your pants when you see him"
"What did he do?" They both turned back to see that Neville Longbottom had listened in on their conversation "What did Harry do?"
"Beat it Longbottom" They both sneered and walked off, though now a little bit terrified of what would happen if Harry had found out they let it slip
"Now, can anyone tell me what that is?" Remus Lupin, new defence against the dark arts teacher, asked as he gestured toward a shaking cupboard at the front of the class. Several hands went up "Yes Mr Thomas?"
"That's a boggart that is" Dean Thomas answered
"Very good, ten points to Gryffindor, can anyone tell me what a boggart looks like?" Again several raised their hands "Miss Granger?"
"Nobody knows" She answered "Boggarts are shapeshifters and can take the form of..."
"Whatever some fears the most" Lupin finished for her "that's what makes them so terrifying. There are ways to combat boggarts, would anyone like to tell me them?" Several hands were raised "Yes Mr Potter?" Lupin gestured to Harry, curious to see how the son of Lily and James would answer
"One method would be to stay in groups so the boggart is confused and doesn't know which form to take, another method is to keep them contained and controlled, just like how you have put yours in a cupboard. They can also be affected by physical attacks but most common method is laughter, they don't like that."
"Excellent" Lupin smiled, it turned out that the boy took after Lily "ten points to Ravenclaw, now the way to combat a boggart is to force it to take a shape that we find amusing, therefore we are laughing instead of being scared. There is a spell for this, the incantation is 'Riddikulus'. Everyone try" Lupin had the class repeat the spell a couple of times before he had everyone line up, Neville was first.
Lupin helped Neville out seeing as he was the first one in the whole class to do it, after a few whispers to Neville, Lupin opened the cupboard and Snape came out, or at least a boggart disguised as Snape. Neville used the spell and forced Snape to dress as his grandmother. Even Harry smirked at that.
A little while later, after various different fears such as clowns, snakes and spiders, it was Harry's turn. Many people were curious to see what was the fear of the boy-who-lived and Ravenclaws smartest raven. Some like Daphne and Tracy were curious, while others like Ron were hoping it'd be something embarrassing. Harry stepped up to the boggart which had been turned into a jack in the box by the last person to face it, Lupin stood nearby and was prepared to intervene if he felt like he needed to. As soon as Harry got close enough, the boggart shifted, it then shifted again. It appeared to be trying to decide on a form.
At first it was a little boy, a little Harry, screaming and moving wildly as his face was on fire. It then shifted and a surgeon briefly appeared.
Seconds later, the boggart had settled and was now Harry sat on a chair. Though it was no normal chair, the chair was wooden and filthy, the legs looked like they were about to break. It also didn't seem like your average everyday chair either. Metal straps held Harry's legs to the chair legs, the same straps were available on the arm rests and kept Harry's arms attached to the arm rests. Harry's head was held back by a rubber band that started from the back of the chair and held against his forehead.
The boggart Harry didn't have any shoes on, in fact his feet and hands were burnt. Many resisted the urge to vomit at the sight of his freshly burnt skin. His clothes were some grey and torn trousers along with a matching shirt, all in all he looked like a prisoner after being tortured.
"Of course" Harry sighed, ignoring the reactions from everyone else. Some were horrified, some were shocked, most were both. Harry pointed his wand at the boggart and changed it into a bouncing ball, he then banished it back into the cupboard and closed the door.
"Harry?" Lupin was the first one to break the silence
"What?" Harry said defensively "I couldn't think of anything funny"
"What was that?!" Hermione Granger blurted out
"It's a boggart, weren't you paying attention?" Harry frowned
"Class dismissed" Lupin said, looking a bit pale
"Meh" Harry shrugged as he calmly picked up his stuff and left the class room with Delphi chasing after him
"Are you alright?" She asked
"I'm fine, why?" Harry asked
"Harry" Delphi sighed
"I'm fine, really I am" Harry assured her
"Fine but I'm still telling mum"
"If you must" Harry said, not really bothered by it
"You're acting awfully fine for someone who had just experienced their worst fear" Delphi noted
"Fear is fear, it only wins if you let it"
"I swear Potter is just downright creepy at this point" Ron said as he talked with Neville and Hermione later that evening "I mean what kind of sicko do you have to be to imagine that stuff up?"
"Oh Ron" Hermione groaned with exasperation in her voice "boggarts show our worst fear, there is no way that would've come up if he didn't genuinely fear it. That means two things, either he had nightmares about being strapped to a torture chair or he was strapped to a torture chair at some point"
"No" Ron said disbelievingly but he stopped and began to consider her words "do...do you reckon? Do you really think that he was tortured?"
"Maybe he was" Neville said "I mean look at his face, we don't know how he ended up like that. Maybe it was an accident, some people have guessed that it was because of a spell gone wrong. I know that a lot of people think he got it from you-know-who, maybe he got it from..."
"From being tortured" Hermione finished for Neville and her eyes widened as she realised what he was saying "you think the boy-who-lived had been tortured?"
"It makes sense" Neville nodded "I mean nobody knew where he was all of these years, and when he came to Hogwarts everyone was surprised by him, including Dumbledore. Plus he's with Lestrange and she knows all about torture" Neville finished with a scowl as he thought about Lestrange
"You think that Bellatrix Lestrange tortured him? The woman he wanted to become his guardian?" Ron asked with evident disbelief
"No" Neville sighed "I don't think that, unless she somehow managed to put Harry under the imperious curse but someone at Hogwarts would have noticed if she had and her daughter likely doesn't have the power to pull of a long term imperious. I don't know how Lestrange is involved in this but I know she is in someway or form"
"Hmm" Hermione bit her lip "maybe we should tell Professor Dumbledore"
"Yeah" Neville agreed "I'll try and talk to him tomorrow"
A knock was heard.
"Come in" Fleur said from inside her room, she was currently sat on her bed and reading a charms book, she had to stay best at class after all, how else would she impress her mate? After permitting entry she glanced back at her book when her senses began tingling, her magic felt good, the same way it did when Harry was nearby
"Hi Fleur" Fleur looked up, her eyes widened as her jaw and book dropped.
"Arry?!" She jumped off her bed and rushed towards him and pulled him into a hug "What are you doing here?! How did you get here?!"
"Glad I put the silencing spells up" Harry joked as she let go to look at him "as for your questions, I'm here because I missed you and I wanted to see you. As for how I got here, I have a couple of different methods of magical transportation that can get me nearly anywhere"
"You came here for me?" Fleur asked, her emotions heavily affecting her
"Yeah, I missed you" Harry nodded "plus...I wanted to ask a couple of things. Firstly, does the bond affect me?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Because I feel more happy than usual and I like you more than I usually like people"
"Uh...no...not really. The bond doesn't effect the bond mate"
"Huh...I guess I just naturally like you" Harry said just as a blush appeared on Fleur's face "the second thing I wanted to ask was if I could sleep here with you?"
"What?" Fleur blinked, not sure if she heard right
"I liked sleeping alongside you, I sleep better with you but if it's a problem then I'm fine sleeping on my own and...
"No!" Fleur said, a little to quickly "you can stay, I'd be glad to have you sleep with me...I mean sleep alongside me"
"Thanks" Harry smiled "so, want to sleep in fire again?"
"Only for you Arry, only for you" Fleur grinned