His Angel

Chapter 20

Never before had Harry so thoroughly enjoyed a birthday as he did today. He wasn't cooped up in the tiny room in Privet Drive, talking with Hedwig and reading letters from his friends. He was with friends, family…all of who were determined to give him a proper celebration.

The presents he got from them had him stammering his thanks every few minutes much to their amusement. Amy had gotten him a set of Quidditch gauntlets, property of the Bulgarian National team.

"Viktor 'elped me acquire zem." She said with a smile at his unspoken question as he looked at her incredulously.

Caroline had gotten him a wallet which was charmed to never open for anyone but the owner. If anyone else tried, it would have rather interesting consequences…or so she said but knowing her and the loving way she said it sent chills down his spine and decided immediately to make sure to not let it come in contact with anyone other than him.

Aurélie had gotten him the strangest gift of all; a brand new muggle mp3 player. What made it strange was that according to Aurélie, it didn't suffer the drawback of not being able to work around a magically charged atmosphere which was the reason why the wizarding world hardly associated with anything to do with electricity. To top it off it used magic as a power supply.

"You're one of the first few of us to be using one of zese too!" She said happily. "Eet's not going to be revealed to ze wizarding world for some time but papa agreed to let us 'ave ze prototypes. You can even tune into wizarding and muggle radio too."

It had been 'tweaked', courtesy of Aurélie's father who was experimenting with a new business idea of mixing muggle technology with magic. Her family owned several large establishments in magical gadgets which is a lot similar to 'Dervish and Banges' in Hogsmeade and if this kicked off as they hoped it would, it was certainly going to make a lot of changes in the wizarding community as a whole.

"Thought you could use something to distract yourself at Hogwarts." Caroline said with a smirk.

"Don't let anyone know where you got eet from." Aurélie added warningly. "Papa isn't planning on releasing eet anytime soon."

"I won't." He assured her, eyeing it with interest.

Fleur had gotten him a new set of books on obscure magic. It was amusing watching his eyes light up as he rifled through the pages, looking as if he'd just been given several new toys to play with.

"I don't want to 'ear anyzing about you collapsing in 'Ogwarts again zough." She warned.

"Yes ma'am." She grinned before handing him another book which she had been hiding behind her back. It looked more or less like a diary. "Zis is a way for us to keep in touch." She explained, picking up another one that was exactly like his. "Zis is mine, we can write to each ozzer and whatever you write will immediately appear on mine and what I write on yours."

He gazed at it for a few moments before pulling her into a hug, lifting her off her feet. "I guess you like eet?" She asked playfully after he'd kissed her cheek in thanks.

"Think you saved a lot of owls from the torture of carrying letters from Hogwarts to France and back on a daily basis." Caroline observed.

Towards the afternoon Sirius and Remus dropped in along with Dominique.

"Happy Birthday!" Sirius said with a grin, pulling him into a hug before stepping aside and letting Remus and Dominique give their wishes too. "And here, Fred and George wanted me to give this to you and along with their wishes."

"Thanks, hey Sirius mind transforming for me?"

"Sure…why?" He asked curiously. As an answer he discreetly pointed towards the living room where Aurélie and the others were sitting with Fleur. The evil grin he got on his face mirroring his godson's made the two of them look startlingly identical.

"Why do I get the feeling those poor girls are going to faint…" Remus muttered, shaking his head.

"Oh lighten up." Dominique said brightly. "Go for it." This made all three of them look at him in surprise. "I like to pull a prank every now and then." He added a little defensively.

"Am I the only adult here?" Remus asked, looking in amusement at the three. "Harry I can understand…even Sirius…but you?"

"Not all of us have forgotten how to have fun Moony." Sirius deadpanned. "Besides, I want to hear some screaming." Remus shook his head muttering something that sounded along the lines of 'mentally disturbed'. With that he transformed into the great black dog but before they could go the back door opened and Apolline stepped through it making them all freeze.

"I don't have anything to do with it." Remus said hurriedly, stepping away from the group as she eyed them, Sirius in particular who gave a small whine, to Harry and finally coming to rest at Dominique. She seemed to be putting two and two together as her lips curved upwards in a grin as she eyed the girls who were still unaware about the new arrivals.

"I want to see zis too, wait for me." She said before disappearing and Sirius turned back human, staring after her with his mouth open. His expression mirrored on all of the men's faces.

"Think I'm falling in love with her all over again." Dominique sighed dreamily.

"Seconded." Harry banged his head lightly against the wall. Of course it was something his godfather would say.

"Stop looking at my wife so lecherously. Go get your own…a man even…whatever works for you." Remus couldn't hold himself as at that precise moment his eyes met Harry's and the two burst out laughing while Sirius scowled at them.

As soon as Apolline joined them Sirius was back in his Animagus form and they trooped into the living room where the girls squealed in excitement and moving to pet Sirius who was sitting on the floor, enjoying being fawned over, his tail wagging vigorously. Gabrielle who was now in Remus's arms was giggling. She knew that the dog was none other than her uncle Sirius.

Fleur leaned against him, whispering in his ear, "You're all so cruel." He could only grin in response as they looked on eagerly; waiting for the inevitable while the unsuspecting girls were still petting their cuddly black dog.

Without warning in place of the dog was now a man sitting cross legged on the floor with a huge grin on his face as he was still getting petted. The girls didn't notice immediately and Harry had to work hard to hold in his laughter as he saw Aurélie's eyes widen in astonishment.

3…2…1

From the outside, one could have sworn the Delacour household shook from the force of the screams.

Sirius was doubled over, laughing fit to burst. Amy looked like she'd been shocked still, Caroline and Aurélie's knees had given away as they were on the floor, their faces as white as a ghost's and were holding onto each other for dear life.

It took some time for them to calm down and come to terms with the fact that the dog was in fact an Animagus by the name of Sirius Black, a muggle criminal who at the same time was Harry's godfather.

"Just so you know, the method of introduction was suggested by none other than…" He paused, looking at Harry who looked horrified and trying his best pleading look on him. With a bright smile he continued. "…My own godson." Aurélie, Amy and Caroline's smiles became fixed as they eyed him, a dangerous glint in their eyes and Fleur slowly edged away from him. Sirius had a look of profound relief on his face although he did look slightly guilty.

"Is that true?" Caroline asked, making him stand up and edge behind the sofa.

"Er…" She took another step towards him and it was then that his courage failed him as he fled up the stairs with the three of them hot on his heels while the others watched in amusement.

"Poor boy." Apolline said softly as they heard the girls screaming in French upstairs.

"How long do you think he'll…" Sirius was cut off when a distinct male voice yelled in pain.

"Zey got 'im." Fleur confirmed, wincing slightly at his voice.

"Occupational hazard." Sirius added sagely.

10 minutes later they came back downstairs. Harry looked like he'd been molested; His hair band nowhere to be seen, glasses askew, shirt missing a few buttons and a dazed look on his face to top it off. If anyone didn't know better, they'd have come to the conclusion that he was used by the three girls. Repeatedly.

"Oh…what did zey do to you?" Fleur cooed, pulling him into her arms. He buried his head in her chest without a word. "No really, what did you do to him?" She asked, narrowing her eyes and looking up at the three girls who looked sheepish.

"Let him catch his breath." Apolline said gently, seeing the look on her daughter's face. "Come on you three, I'll show you your rooms. Leave them alone…" She added, tugging Dominique up too and beckoning Sirius, Remus and Gabrielle. "That goes for all of you too, Harry in particular who still had his head buried in Fleur's arms while she was running her hand through his hair with absolutely no concern for any of them.

"Those two…" Sirius murmured quietly, coming up beside Apolline who was watching Harry and Fleur from behind the counter in the kitchen. The 3 girls had started unpacking, helped by Gabrielle. "Are they…?" She nodded at his unasked question as Remus and Dominique joined them.

"You remember 'ow eet was for us when we got togezzer?" She asked, looking up at Dominique. He wrapped an arm around her before nodding.

"Best times of my life." His face softened as he looked at the two. "They couldn't have picked a worse time though, with him returning to Hogwarts in a matter of weeks."

"But…" Sirius began before being cut off by Apolline.

"She knows. Both of zem know, I already spoke to zem about eet. Eet's somezing zey will 'ave to get through."

"I've got our people working on his case." Dominique cut in before Sirius could speak again. "And yes it seems Fleur's records have changed to reflect her new status." He grinned at Apolline's pleased smile while Sirius and Remus were looking between the two in confusion. "Veela magic takes priority after all." Sirius smirked, realizing what he was saying although Remus still looked confused. Now he could understand what Fleur had been talking about. "Hopefully we can put your plan into motion sooner than we expected."

Soon they were all gathered around the dining room while Apolline brought in his birthday cake; large and covered with chocolate frosting which had everyone eyeing it hungrily. Even Alana had gotten back in time although she refused to reveal where she had been the last few days.

Harry looked like he was going to spew steam out of his ears at the rate he was blushing as they started singing 'Happy Birthday'.

"Zis is from us." Apolline beamed, handing him a small box with Dominique who was standing next to her.

"It's a bit early to give you something like this, but…" Dominique began as he opened the box and gasped as he pulled out a brand new silver watch. This was not like the muggle counterpart he always wore. Etched with Roman numerals around the edges its hands ended in a crescent shaped moon and a sun respectively.

"…It's normally given when a wizard comes of age, but seeing as you're already skipping years it seemed appropriate." Dominique finished with a grin, waving away his stammered thanks while Apolline fondly ruffled his hair.

Remus had gotten him a set of books which had him grinning a rather predatory grin as he saw the titles. At least his time in Hogwarts was not going to go to waste.

Sirius coughed as he stepped up next, something hidden behind his back.

"Don't ask about the price." With that he held out a long, thin package that caused Harry's jaw to drop as he took hold of it. The familiar weight ringing the warning bells in his mind.

"Go on." His hands were trembling as he unwrapped it to find a sleek, inky black broom. Almost identical to his Firebolt other than the color and the 'Firebolt 1000' emblazoned on its handle in gold.

"This far outstrips its predecessor. It's recommended that a special training program be undertaken in order to get accustomed to the speeds but I'm sure you have it in you."

"Sirius…my Firebolt...I already have one of the best brooms in the world. Why would you…"

"You HAD one of the best brooms in the world. You don't think I'd let you use an outdated piece of log would you?" He chuckled at the scandalized look on his godson's face. "I did trade it in though. Your old broom I mean. You didn't notice it was missing?"

"No I…"

"I sent it to 'im." Fleur spoke up, grinning at his expression. "Last week when…"

"…When you said you wanted to use Hedwig for something." He finished for her. He shook his head, grinning ruefully. "I should have known when you wouldn't let me open my trunk for anything." She pouted in response.

"Think of it as an upgrade. Besides, we all know how much you hate portkeys and floo powder." Sirius said happily.

"Adopt me as your goddaughter?" Caroline asked innocently, sidling up beside Sirius who blinked before grinning.

"No, but if you have something else in mind…" He finished suggestively with a wink.

"Hm…maybe I do. How about it?" She purred, trailing her fingers along his arm making him squeak and jump away from her with an expression of pure horror. Everyone were staring between Sirius and Caroline, trying to figure out if what happened really did. The Marauder, the known womanizer falling victim to a 17 year old girl's flirting? It didn't hold for too long as Apolline gave in first, breaking out in full blown laughter before the others followed.

"It's been a while since I saw anyone other than Lily do that to you." Remus choked out after finally calming himself down.

"Oh you shouldn't play so close to the fire..." Caroline whispered leaning against Sirius who looked scared out of his wits. "…If you aren't willing to get burnt." She finished, flashing him a bright smile before moving next to Harry and slipping her arms around his waist.

"I expected more from older men…pity." Both Dominique and Remus looked like Christmas had come early while Apolline was still trying to get her laughter under control much to the amusement of the others although Fleur looked slightly disgruntled. Caroline who noticed this only tightened her hold on him and winked at her while Harry smiled timidly, gazing at Fleur and trying to wriggle out from the redhead's grasp.

Before long they were seated for dinner, two more tables added to accommodate everyone. It was an enjoyable affair and after the plates were cleared, it was evident that no one was going to be able to stand up for a while.

The girls were constantly badgering him and Fleur about their summer and they were already under pressure to take them to the festival in town. Harry kept his face hidden in Fleur's shoulder for the most part as she explained in loving detail about his new found liking in dancing. Furthermore he was bullied into promising each and every one of them a dance, including Apolline the next time they all went out.

"I'm supposed to be the one asking for things." He grumbled, earning pitying looks from Remus and Dominique.

"Don't know why you're complaining." Sirius moaned.

"Oh don't worry, we'll take our turns with you too." Aurélie said with a grin making his face light up as he turned to Remus.

"Can't we…"

"No. We have to get our things done. You can dance with them later." Remus deadpanned, the corners of his lips twitching. "I said no Sirius." He added sternly when he continued to look at him beseechingly.

"Aww, don't worry we'll be waiting for you next time." Caroline said, her eyes twinkling. "He's a jealous one isn't he?" She nodded towards Remus who choked halfway between his drink.

Harry chuckled as he watched Sirius roaring in laughter and high fiving Caroline while Remus was being thumped on the back by Dominique. He was happy at how fast they had all warmed to them. He also appreciated that none of the girls were asking any questions about Sirius. Whether they already knew about him from Fleur or whether they were just choosing not to address it, he didn't know but he was grateful all the same.

"How are things back at number 12?" He asked, stretching lazily. It had been about an hour and Apolline and Alana had gone to put Gabrielle to bed and had ducked outside to talk in the garden while Fleur and the others were talking about what they were going to do once summer was over. Remus and Dominique were talking about something which was apparently too boring for Sirius.

"Unbearable." He grumbled. "Oh…they all got their Hogwarts letters today. That dam woman has been harping about her son all day."

"Why?"

"They got their prefect badges. Ron and Hermione I mean." He added at his questioning look. "Been a right pain. They're making such a big deal about it. Molly even asked me…" Here he got a scowl on his face. "If she could get a loan from me so she could get her ickle prefect a new broom." Harry chuckled.

"Ickle prefect?" Sirius looked confused before grinning.

"The twins do grow on you after a while. But honestly, I don't understand that woman's guts. First she's been at our throats and now she comes around asking for a loan like nothing ever happened." He snorted derisively. "I have no idea how you stuck with those two. Hermione looked like she'd been given the order of Merlin and Ron has already taken to wearing the badge over his normal clothes."

Harry felt a twinge of disappointment at the mention of Hermione's name but quelled it immediately. He had received nothing, not even a simple letter from her. He wasn't an attention seeker…nor did he want every single person that knew him to remember his birthday but she is...or at least had been a friend and for the past few years she had always written to him for his birthday. From Ron, he didn't expect much. But Hermione, it looked like she had her priorities straight and truthfully, he wasn't too surprised.

This in turn irked him; he had no idea how she was going to react when she finds out he'd done his O.W.L's. He'd known long since that it would be a blow against her pride. Even though she always tried to hide it behind a veil of modesty, it wasn't hard for anyone to see she loved being at the top each year.

Sighing he leaned back against the chair and winced when he felt Fleur pinch his hand which was intertwined in hers. She always seemed to know when something was bothering him. He shook his head at her questioning look and squeezed her hand gently. Even though she'd been talking to Aurélie and the others he knew she'd been listening in on their conversation. It wasn't only them as it turned out.

"I'm surprised zey didn't make you a prefect." Aurélie said thoughtfully, eyeing him like this was the first time she was seeing him.

"Yeah, I mean…you won the Triwizard tournament and you've done your O.W.L's already." Caroline added. "If you were in Beauxbatons you'd already be declared Head Boy." Both Sirius and Harry's faces took on identical looks of disgust.

"Me? Prefect?" He asked incredulously. "You two act like you don't know me. I've managed to break more rules than anyone had in their lifetime at Hogwarts already. Besides, I'd much rather go to sleep earlier than spend my nights in the corridors."

Fleur giggled. "My naughty little boy." She whispered, her lips just brushing against his ear making his eyes close involuntarily as shivers of delight ran down his spine.

"Don't break him." Caroline said with a smirk before her jaw dropped as she watched Harry kiss Fleur's cheek before whispering something which made the Veela blush furiously but was too quiet for anyone else to hear. Her astonishment was mirrored on everyone else who had caught the exchange; Sirius looked torn between a mixture of pride and wistfulness while the others had only one thought in their minds; he definitely was not the same person they'd known last year. Neither was Fleur.

Soon it was time for Sirius and Remus to leave. They dropped a bombshell before disappearing through the floo however when they informed him that according to Dumbledore, his results should be arriving within the next 3 or 4 days. Harry looked like he was going to faint just by being reminded about it.

After bidding the girls goodnight they returned to their room although not without a generous amount of teasing from them when they learnt about their sleeping arrangements. The power had gone out for some reason and seeing as the Delacour household was not much different from a muggle household, they didn't have lighting either. The town, even the clock tower outside had no lights on it.

He shivered slightly, drawing his arms more tightly around him. He was sitting up in bed, his knees drawn up to his chest as he watched the dark clouds gathering outside, hiding the moon from view. They had candles provided by the house elves but Fleur had taken them inside with her while she had a shower.

It normally never bothered him. He wasn't afraid of the dark. But there was just something about this day, something he'd kept locked away that always resurfaced. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how many times he'd suppress it, these memories always came up on this single day, repeating every single year.

Getting up he walked towards the window, letting the bit of moonlight that shone through the clouds bathe him, illuminating him as he stared down at his arms. Exactly 5 years ago, his body would have been covered with scars, bloodied and bruised. His arms would have been broken.

It was how he had been after all for the better part of his 10th Birthday.

He had been in his cupboard under the stairs, the night of the 30th, watching as the minutes slowly ticked by according to the wristwatch he'd salvaged from the room where Dudley's broken toys were stored. It had been only 6 minutes before he'd turned 10 when the door was wrenched open and standing outside was his uncle.

He knew how his uncle got on his birthdays, especially after a few drinks. He wasn't a stranger to being beaten. He'd accumulated a lot of injuries due to his uncle's actions over his lifetime. It was his fear that they would do something horrifying to him that kept him from talking to anyone about what happened to him inside the Dursley household. Something which his uncle made painfully sure of; when asked he, with the help of his 'family' always managed to convince anyone bothered enough to be curious that they were injuries he'd sustained while playing.

His aunt knew full well what his uncle did to him. She never took part in it, yet she never did anything to stop it. However she always did step in whenever things seemed like it was getting a bit too out of control. This time however, she was nowhere to be seen and for the first time of his life since he'd realized he wasn't wanted in this house, he wanted her near him.

He didn't know what he'd done. He didn't know why. But he was seized by his uncle who proceeded to beat him again and again, all the while growling about how he was continuously being a hindrance to the family. The stench of alcohol was thick on him and it was one he could still remember vividly, even today to the point that it made him sick in the stomach. His uncle seemed to be too far gone to stop as he felt his already fragile bones beginning to crack; his ribs giving way to the blows.

He could only remember himself slowly slipping to unconsciousness before it felt like something in him snapped, filling him with a terrible urge to do something, anything to protect himself. He had no idea what he did, or how he did it, but Vernon Dursley was blasted back away from him in a flash of yellow, hitting the wall opposite before slumping to the floor unconscious.

The next day his aunt had found her husband asleep on the floor in front of his cupboard. When shaken awake he couldn't seem to remember anything about last night and was unable to explain about the lump at the back of his head. They came to the official conclusion that a burglar had broken in and ambushed him while he was having a drink and they searched the house twice over to find if anything was stolen.

Harry stayed in his cupboard, shaking in fright and too scared to step outside for fear of what his uncle would do to him. While the pain was still there, he'd watched with morbid interest as his scars closed, the darkened purple skin turn back normal and the pain in his ribs slowly recede over time.

He stayed inside for two whole days, not daring to step outside before his aunt finally opened the cupboard and dragged him out, yelling at him for getting blood on the sheets. When he'd finally seen his uncle face to face, the man had looked uncertain, almost afraid of him. Since that day he'd never laid a hand on Harry although his viciousness only increased as best it could without physical abuse.

Since then he'd never gotten harmed. It was like the incident had been wiped out of everyone's minds but had changed everyone at the same time. Even Dudley who constantly ganged up on him at school didn't lay a hand on him anymore.

He never said anything about this to anyone. Fleur, Sirius or Remus…none of them knew what had really happened with the Dursleys. They only knew about the neglect he suffered at their hands, how he'd been starved and basically been the house elf to them.

He didn't want anyone's pity, the extent they knew was because of his bitterness towards his so called 'family'. He didn't want anyone to see them, or even think about them as gentle, kind human beings. There was also the part of him which he hated that took comfort in knowing that some people knew about it, even though it was the watered down version.

He flinched when he felt a pair of arms slide around his waist before a smile flickered across his face. He hadn't even heard her stepping out of the shower.

Those hands, their touch, it was imprinted to the back of his mind. Glancing over his shoulder his eyes met Fleur's bright blue ones.

She didn't say anything, cuddling at his side as he put his arm around her and together they gazed at the sky where the stars were slowly becoming visible. The moon was shyly becoming more and more visible as the time ticked by, their room lighting up in the moonlight causing her silvery white hair glow faintly.

She never looked more beautiful. Every time he thought she couldn't possibly be more perfect he was proven wrong. With a start he realized, perhaps for the first time that she was exactly the same height as him. He could distinctly remember that she had been taller than him, just by a little bit.

Even with that he couldn't look away from her eyes, they carried a certain amount of sadness behind them and it was worrying him. He didn't know how best to approach it so he stayed silent, choosing instead to enjoy the feeling of having her near him.

"'Arry?" Her voice was quiet and there was something about it that told him something was wrong. Yet the gentle tone she always used when saying his name was still there. "You know you can never 'ide zings from me."

He felt his heart clench. At that moment he knew what she was talking about. He knew it was crazy, but he could almost feel her in him, her heart beating alongside his. At that moment he knew what he had kept hidden for so long had been found out by her.

She tugged him back to bed with her, making him lie down and resting her head on his chest.

"Why didn't you say anyzing. Why didn't you tell anyone about zem?" She asked carefully, her voice was even but he could tell she was trying hard to keep it under control. "'Ow could you 'ave calmly stood zere and said goodbye to zose people after what zey did to you?" Her voice shook slightly at the end.

It was an intriguing question. He honestly had no idea how to answer her.

Yes he hated them. But it was a different kind of hate. Somewhere, somehow, he pitied them. If they died he wouldn't shed a single tear. He would most likely say 'good riddance' to their graves before walking away.

He pitied how low they had fallen. They always thought they were better than everyone else, the homeless people on the streets…the neighbors…yet they never saw themselves the way everyone else did.

At the same time, there was a part of him. A traitorous part of him that will always carry a shred of gratitude for them for taking him in when they could have easily left him outside or dumped him off somewhere. If asked about an year ago, he wouldn't have cared what his life would have been like. But now, he wanted what he had now, he did not want it to change.

"I don't know." He said quietly, running his hands along her soft hair. "I know I should hate them. I know I should do something about them. But…" He was silent for a moment, trying to find the right words. "I just don't care. It doesn't happen anymore." He could feel her hand stiffen on his chest. "It's nothing but a distant memory."

"'Ow do you do eet." She whispered, trailing her fingers gently along his arm, on the exact spot which he could remember had been a dark purple 5 years ago. The way she was touching him as if he was so delicate, it was like she could see the wounds and was trying to soothe them. "Why did zey do all zose 'orrible zings to you?" He felt his heart sink when he saw that her eyes were wet.

"Hey…" He murmured gently, wiping her tears away as softly as he could with his finger. "It's just the way they were I guess." She buried her face in his chest and he hugged her closer to him, not knowing what else to do.

"You are never going back zere." She whispered, looking up at him. Her face was set and he knew from her determined look it was pointless to even try to convince her otherwise. "I don't care what anyone says. You will never go back near zem." He smiled in response and nodded, glad to see that there were no more tears in her eyes.

"How did you find out though?" He asked after a while. She had resumed to using his chest as a pillow but neither of them were even close to falling asleep.

"I can't really explain eet." She said softly. "Eet was like I could feel a connection between us." She gently caressed the spot near his neck where the mark was and it burnt slightly under her touch, although it wasn't an unpleasant sensation. "I don't know 'ow, but I could feel you in me."

He nodded in understanding; he knew what she was talking about. "I wasn't really zinking at zat time, but I…leaned into eet and suddenly eet was like I was seeing, feeling everyzing zat man was doing to you." She shivered as she said it. "I'm sorry if I…"

"No. I'm glad you found out that a way." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Saved me the trouble of trying to tell you about it someday." She smiled slightly.

"Coward." He couldn't help but gaze back at her, taking note of the way she seemed to almost glow under the moonlight. She was nothing less than a goddess in the flesh and she was his. He would gladly have done his life again from the beginning without changing a thing just to have her with him.

He felt her hand on his cheek, cupping it before her lips were on his almost immediately afterwards, wiping all thought from his mind as he returned the kiss. The moon seemed to have finally emerged from the clouds and their room was bathed in a pearly white glow while the curtains were swaying to the biting cold wind. It didn't bother them at all, their arms protecting each other from the cold and it was a long time before they broke apart, she was breathing hard as she rested her head against his so that their lips were still lightly brushing each other.

"You're mine" She whispered, gazing at him. "I can't imagine what I would have done if I didn't meet you that day."

"I love you." He said softly, his breath warm on her lips as she put closed the distance between them again. He didn't know what made him say it but it rolled so easily out of him.

"I love you too."

"Go on." Fleur said gently. He was literally shaking, it was funny how he could do everything he'd done and still be so nervous over something so trivial.

Well…trivial compared to what he'd done.

His O.W.L results had finally arrived 3 days later during breakfast which brought him to where he was now. Standing frozen in the middle of the dining room and eyeing the official looking letter with an expression close to horror.

"You don't 'ave anyzing to be scared about." Aurélie said softly. "Just get eet over wiz. Quick and painless." He was biting his lip in worry and kept fumbling with the envelope which bore the seal of the Department of Magical Education.

He finally got it out and flipped it open as the room grew quiet.

It was a long time before anyone spoke, Harry looked speechless as did Fleur who was reading over his shoulder.

"'Ow'd you do?" Apolline asked tentatively. He handed it to her wordlessly as Caroline and the others crowded around her to read it, even Gabrielle was trying to peek at it as she sat down at the dining table.

Name: Harry James Potter

School: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Britain)

Attended years: 4

Pass Grades

(O) - Outstanding (E) - Exceeds Exceptions (A) – Acceptable

Fail Grades

(P) – Poor (D) – Dreadful (T) - Troll

You have received the following;

Ancient Runes: O*

Astronomy: O*

Charms: O

Defense Against the Dark Arts: O**

Herbology: O

History of Magic: E

Potions: O

Transfiguration: O*

(*) You have achieved among the top 10 results in the world for Ancient Runes, Astronomy and Transfiguration.

(**) You have achieved a perfect score for Defense against the Dark Arts.

The letter ended with the seal and signature of the Department head.

Apolline looked up at Harry who still looked shocked and chuckled before sternly asking. "Well? 'Ow are you going to explain zis 'E'?" He tried to speak but his words were caught on his throat when she pulled him into a hug.

"I'm so proud of you." She said softly. "I'll send a letter to Sirius. Even zough 'e won't show eet 'e's been worried about zis."

"You were?" He asked in a hurt voice making her laugh before pecking his cheek.

"Of course not." He still continued to look disbelieving but she merely winked before walking away.

"You are insane." Caroline muttered under her breath, still reading his results. "A perfect score? I didn't know such a thing existed."

"Now zere's nozzing else you 'ave to worry about anymore right?" Fleur asked, guiding him to the couch and making him sit on it before dropping herself to his lap. "Well?" He grinned mischievously before poking her side where making her squeak as he found her sensitive spot.

"'Arry…" She growled warningly, trying to wriggle out of his arms which had firmly locked around her waist. "I'm warning you. Don't even zink..." She trailed off as he slowly relaxed his arms making her sigh in relief before screaming "NO!" and broke out giggling as he started tickling her while they watched in amusement.

The past couple of days the three of them had observed the two closely. Back then, sure…any fool could see what was going on between them with the way they looked at each other but they always sought to be on their own. Now though it seemed like neither of them cared who was around them anymore.

It was Fleur who was more surprising. The 4 of them had been inseparable at Beauxbatons yet they'd never seen her so…euphoric than how she is now. It was like the expressionless mask she'd used back in Beauxbatons when facing anyone other than them was no longer possible for her.

While losing the power to make Harry's face go beet red with a few choice words, which was done mostly because there was no word other than 'cute' to describe him when he did that as Fleur maintained. Something which the three of them agreed wholeheartedly on, it seemed like a small price to pay.

They'd always thought Harry was more than just 'good looking'. Now he was that and more to a point that it was almost painful. Even Caroline confessed shamelessly that when she teasingly asked Fleur if she would be willing to share him, she was only half kidding.

It came as no surprise to them that Fleur had used her own unique magic to bind herself to Harry and vice versa. They knew all about Veela; Beauxbatons made it a point to educate its students about different beings to stop prejudice early on. Something which was a wasted effort due to the harassment Fleur…or admittedly any Veela endured even though it did gradually improve over the years.

They could still remember the horror stories that surrounded any Veela to have ever set foot in Beauxbatons. One of them being about a distant cousin of Fleur's who had been on her final year at Beauxbatons when she had just started on her first.

Nevertheless it still made the three of them incredibly jealous of them for having something as special as they did. It wasn't every day you could find a couple completely and utterly devoted to each other to a point that their lives depended on it.

But even through all that, they were happy for them. After everything the two of them had been put through, they deserved a break.

"How long before the tables turn on him?" Caroline asked conversationally, sitting back down to resume with breakfast which had been lying forgotten on the table ever since the owl had come with Harry's results.

"'E's making a mistake." Aurélie said in a singsong voice although she was still reading his results. It was only the three of them sitting at the table now, Apolline had gone to send Sirius a letter with Gabrielle tagging along behind her and it seemed like Harry and Fleur had forgotten all about breakfast.

True to her word, within seconds Fleur was in control and had him writhing under her as he pleaded with her in between peals of laughter to stop.

The days seemed to accelerate from then on. Amy unfortunately had to leave just two weeks after she'd arrived due to her enrollment in a Magical Academy close to Bordeaux for further studies and training for her position in the ministry in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Something she had picked up interest on after the Triwizard Tournament, which was what she said but both Caroline and Aurélie stood firm on their position that it was only because of her new boyfriend in Bulgaria.

They still managed to attend the festival before she had to leave though, this time with the whole family and the girls minus Alana who had gone back home a few days after Harry's birthday.

At the festival it was like the Yule Ball all over again except in a much, much more informal setting. They did make for a striking group, what with Fleur, Apolline, and even Gabrielle who despite just turning 11, still had the same traits as her mother and sister. Adding Aurélie, Caroline and Amy who were among the best looking girls Beauxbatons had to offer meant poor Harry and Dominique were the subjects of mutinous mutterings from the male population.

It also didn't help that Harry and Dominique were the prey of almost every single female that caught sight of them. Harry who looked a few years older than his real age by his outward appearance in addition to his rather exotic looks was uncomfortable as he felt the leers of women around him. Dominique was no better off. Despite being much older, he still had the rugged, handsome looks most women would give anything for.

Of course it was to no avail. The icy glares Fleur and Apolline sent at them were enough to scare them away as they stuck close to their men. It was then that Harry saw just where Fleur got her possessive nature from by looking at Apolline. Dominique caught his eye and both burst out laughing at the similarity of their situation although they did pay for it by rather painful knocks on their heads by their respective Veela who were, at least for the time being far from amused.

The entire Delacour family and the girls finally saw what only Fleur had been able to see as they watched Harry and Fleur together, dancing under the bright lamps around them as the crowds around them cheered, clapping and egging them on. It was like the usually shy and somewhat closed off boy they knew Harry to be was no longer there. In place of him was a boy who had the power of making anyone who watched him smile, his laughter spreading like a plague.

Apolline had a few tears in her eyes as she watched Fleur, her bright blue eyes alive with happiness as Harry twirled her around. Even Dominique looked rather emotional as he watched his daughter, the same person who had been afraid to let a man other than him touch her, looking the happiest he'd ever seen in the arms of the raven haired boy.

It still didn't stop the girls from taking their turns with Harry, getting their promises fulfilled. He was still chuckling as he watched Fleur getting dragged in to dance with Aurélie despite her protests earning quite a few wolf whistles from the crowd.

This night served to be one of the best of his life. He could not remember Voldemort, he could not remember Death. He could not remember anything other than what was happening right now.

He was just another face in the crowd, enjoying a summer festival with his family and friends.

They finally visited the magical part of Paris, dubbed "L'autre rue". The entrance was closed off by a brick wall in a darkened alley, facing the Eiffel tower however it seemed like muggles didn't even notice the alley, or the amount of people that went into it. Just like platform nine and three quarters at King's cross, they only had to walk through the brick wall.

It was…a lot more organized than Diagon Alley. He could understand why Fleur had stuck so close to him when they had been walking down the crooked street, here there was actually a lot of space letting large groups of people walk either up or down the streets side by side in relative comfort. The danger of brushing against someone else was not as extreme as it was in Diagon Alley.

A Gringotts building still dominated the view though, standing majestically at the distance looking every bit as grand as it did back in England. He also caught sight of familiar shop names such as 'Twilfitt and Tattings', a 'robes for all occasions' shop just like Madam Malkin's which he'd seen in Diagon Alley even though he'd never visited it.

They spend the whole day there, which mostly consisted of him being dragged around by Fleur and the others. It did unfortunately mean that he was dragged into clothes shops as the girls were intent on doing a bit of shopping. Thankfully he avoided the torture of having to try anything on since Fleur assured them she had taken care of his wardrobe problem.

As an added bonus he was treated to by them modeling their clothes for him. Aurélie and Caroline broke down giggling at the sight of Harry when Fleur came out of the changing rooms with a wide smile on her face, having dragged Harry in with her so he could pick out her more private clothing accessories. His cheeks looked like they'd taken a permanent red glow and he had a slightly dazed expression on his face which didn't improve at all when she kissed him in thanks before moving on to pay for her clothes leaving her friends to try and snap him out of his daze.

Later in the afternoon they were sitting at a coffee shop just outside the entrance to muggle Paris.

"You're taking ze apprenticeship at Nantes zen?" Aurélie asked curiously.

"Oui, I'm just going to complete eet." Fleur replied, taking a bite from her cake. "Eet isn't somezing I've settled in doing zough…but for now…" Aurélie nodded in understanding.

"What are you two going to do?" Harry asked

"I 'ave a part een papa's new idea." She said in embarrassment.

"Hey! Tell them the truth! It was something you thought up of." Caroline said brightly, budging Aurélie's elbow making her glare at her before blushing under the identical looks of astonishment on Harry and Fleur's faces.

"No way…you thought up of that?" He asked in wonder. "Brilliant!"

"Zat's amazing!" Fleur exclaimed.

"I know…" she sighed. "I just didn't zink eet could become such a big deal, eet was just an idea I 'ad but papa was so excited about eet. 'E 'as already invested 'alf ze company's resources in eet and I'm just nervous zat…"

"What are you talking about? It'll be fine." He cut in firmly making the blue haired witch look up in surprise.

"Oui, trust us Aurélie." Fleur said warmly. "Eet will work out. Eet's one of your ideas after all non?"

"Merci." She said softly, still trying to get her blush under control from the praise. Catching sight of Caroline who was smirking she jerked her head towards her. "She's going to enroll in ze Auror academy."

"Aurélieeee" The redhead whined, her smirk disappearing.

"Why are they hiding…why are they hiding everything from us?" Harry suddenly asked, looking at Fleur and ignoring the two of them completely, a mock hurt expression on his face.

"I don't know 'Arry, looks like we aren't zere friends anymore." Fleur returned, just as sadly without missing a beat. Their faces broke into identical evil grins when they saw Aurélie and Caroline staring at them.

"You two are similar in so many ways, it's unnerving." Caroline muttered under her breath.

"Congratulations on getting into the Auror academy." Harry said sincerely while Fleur gave her best wishes too. It was quite an achievement, getting enrolled in the Auror academy meant that a witch or wizard were well on their way to becoming one. They didn't take anyone but the best schools had to offer.

The redhead blushed, thanking the two. After spending about half an hour more of lazing around they finally paid their bill which Harry insisted on getting and stepped back outside to the muggle world. It was late at night when the four of them got back home however, having spent most of the night at the top of the Eiffel tower, enjoying the view as they talked about what else would change the next time they meet.

In what felt like almost no time at all, Caroline and Aurélie had to leave.

They were all going their separate ways. While back then after summer the girls had looked forward to getting back together in the new year at Beauxbatons, that was no longer possible. Fleur was finding it hard to stop crying as she hugged her two lifelong friends. Despite the promises of seeing them again by Christmas, it was still heart wrenching, knowing that they could no longer spend time together as they used to.

Harry felt like there was a large lump at his throat watching them. This was different than the last time when he'd said goodbye to them; he'd had something to count on, he'd known he was going to see them again soon. This time there was no such thing' He was trying his hardest not to think about the feeling of loneliness that was gripping him as he remembered he was going to be back in Hogwarts soon and that this time, none of them were going to be around to make him smile like the last time.

"We'll see you again soon." Caroline said softly. Her eyes were not dancing with the mischievousness he'd grown to see in her eyes whenever he looked at her. They were wet. Her bottom lip was trembling. Aurélie was still being hugged by Fleur who had her face buried in her shoulder.

"Soon." His voice was quiet. He tried to manage a smile but failed miserably as he was pulled into a tight hug by her. As hard as he tried, he couldn't help the few tears that leaked out. "You'll make a great Auror." He whispered in her ear. She tightened her arms around him before leaning back and giving him a watery smile before pecking his cheek and assuming a stern expression.

"You better be cuter the next time I see you." His lips curved upwards before nodding.

Aurélie came up to him next. Seeing her he felt his heart throb painfully. She was the one other person apart from Fleur he was closest to. He didn't know why, but she always felt a lot closer to him than the other two, despite how he saw them all as his best friends. She didn't say anything, wordlessly pulling him into a hug. After several long moments she pulled away, a small smile on her face except for the tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Be good." He nodded, not trusting words to come out. "And don't go looking for trouble." He managed a weak chuckle at this, but nevertheless nodded again.

"I won't." After kissing his cheek and hugging Fleur and Apolline one last time, the two witches stepped outside, vanishing into the night.

It was a long time before either Harry or Fleur got to sleep that night. Fleur was holding onto him tightly, as if her life depended on it yet they both couldn't stop the thoughts plaguing their minds. Time was running out, and it wouldn't be long before they were going to have to be apart from each other.

Fleur's birthday was the only happy occasion after that. It enabled them to put the thoughts of Harry's impending departure from mind for the time being.

Fleur woke up on the morning of the 26th, instinctively feeling around for Harry before her eyes snapped open when she realized he wasn't there. After getting ready she walked downstairs, her face breaking into a wide smile when she saw Harry, her mother, father, grandmother and little sister all standing at the bottom of the stairs, singing 'Happy birthday'. Laughing she dived into Harry's arms before turning to her family.

Harry nervously gave her a box which turned out to be…a set of perfumes. After properly thanking him she turned to her parents who had given her yet another dress except this one was plainly muggle made and black. Still it was beautiful and when she moved to give her mother a hug after her father, she murmured in her ear softly "Don't put it away."

"By the way." Harry said with a small grin, reappearing after disappearing upstairs momentarily; bringing out a rather large box. "Caroline, Aurélie and Amy left this with me before they went. Said to give it to you when the time was right."

It turned out to be another mp3 player, just like Harry's courtesy of Aurélie. Unlike him Fleur already had taken to music from a long time ago. It also contained set of books, all in French which turned out to be novels.

"You never told me you liked this sort of thing." He asked curiously, rifling through the pages of one of them.

"You never asked." She quipped, making him groan. Winking at him she replaced them and proceeded to write a quick note before giving it to one of the house elves to send.

They cut the cake a little early in the afternoon which surprised her. She was even more surprised when almost immediately afterwards she was dragged upstairs and into her room which she hardly used anymore by her mother and grandmother.

"What's going on?" She asked, looking at the two of them.

"Go take a shower quickly. Leave the rest to us." Alana ordered, sitting at the edge of her bed. Her mother had brought the dress she'd given in the morning up with her. Puzzled, she did as she was told.

About an hour later she was dressed in the elegant one piece black dress which modestly covered her chest, most of her back exposed except for the strings criss-crossing and ending just above her hips from where the dress lightly hugged her body. Her mother had done something to her hair, tying it in a ponytail backwards and to top it off she was wearing matching black high heels.

"You look so beautiful." Apolline said softly, gazing at her proudly.

"Thank you. But why am I wearing this?" In answer her mother stood up, a huge grin on her face with Alana who had a similar expression before pushing her gently outside. Halfway down the stairs she came to a complete halt when she spotted Harry, waiting patiently for her at the foot, sporting the familiar lopsided grin on his face.

He was wearing formal muggle attire, which looked extremely good on him. He had his hair tied back just the way she liked it. All in all she couldn't seem to be able to look anywhere else.

"You're staring dear." Apolline whispered in her ear making her blush while Alana chuckled beside her.

"If I believed in male Veela, I'd say he's one of them."

She silently agreed.

As soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs he took her hand gently, brushing his lips against hers in an almost feather light touch. "Will you do me the pleasure of accompanying me this evening my dear lady?" She giggled at the formal tone he used but deciding to play along slid her arm through his.

Outside a car was waiting for them, the driver jumped outside and after a quick salute to them, opened the door at the back before standing aside. Turning around she saw her father and mother leaning against the doorway, watching them. After a quick wave they shut the door as she climbed inside, followed by Harry who nodded his thanks to the driver who proceeded to shut the door after him and going around the front, slid into the driver's seat. A few minutes later the car was quietly pulling out of the driveway and into the main road.

"You arranged zis?" She asked quietly as he shifted nervously.

"Yes. Are y-" She cut him off by kissing his cheek, effectively stopping him from trying to explain himself.

"Zank you." The smile he got on his face almost made her lose control again, it was like her very being was calling to him, to feel his touch.

They spent about an hour in the car as it took straight to Paris. The driver didn't ask anything of them, leaving them free to snuggle up against each other as they took in the sights. Paris at night was beautiful; there was no other word for it. The blazing lights, the tower, it caught the eye and didn't let go.

They came to a stop right underneath the Eiffel tower. After paying the driver who offered to wait for them, they proceeded to enter the tower and got into one of the elevators. Fleur knew that the restaurants here were pricey, adding to how it only got more expensive the higher up you. They finally reached the one where Harry seemed to be heading when he gently pulled her out of the elevator with him somewhere near the peak at the top. It was crowded but at the sight of them, they parted, watching in awe as the two of them walked through.

At the front a neatly dressed waited approached them with an apologetic expression. But Harry muttered something quietly to him and the waiter checked through a list, his eyes widening before he quickly moved to open the door, granting them entrance as another one came up to them and led the two of them to a rather enclosed space which was set a pleasant distance away from the other diners before giving them their menus.

"So zis was where you were when we couldn't find you for about an 'our ze last time we came 'ere?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him who grinned sheepishly.

"This wasn't my first choice, there was one a few levels above us but it was already booked."

"'Arry zis is too much, even if…" He waved his hand airily.

"I wanted to." He said simply. "I always did want to do something like this with you." She smiled coyly up at him.

"Confessions confessions…" She sang quietly, laughing at the mock glare he sent her way.

The rest of dinner passed too quickly for their liking. The food was nothing less than excellent and they spent most of their time talking about things of little importance. The shadow of what was to come still loomed somewhere in their heads but they were able to fully forget it.

Afterwards they took the elevators again and, going to the highest they could go up the tower. She was shivering when they came out to the cold night air. Something which Harry quickly countered by covering her up with his jacket. Smiling her thanks up at him she casted a discreet warming charm over them before leaning against him as he wrapped his arm around her.

It was a long time before either of them moved, taking in the vast city from their dark corner. "If anyone told me I'd fall in love wiz someone before meeting you, I would 'ave laughed at zem." She said softly after a while. He gazed at her in amusement.

"I'll take that as a compliment?" She grinned back.

"You should." He chuckled, giving her a brief squeeze before falling silent again as they were entranced by the view once again. She sighed before tilting her face towards his, his eyes meeting hers.

"Zis was ze best birthday I ever 'ad 'Arry. For zat I zank you." She murmured before planting a light kiss on his lips. He was going to say something but stopped when he felt her fingers on his lips, lightly tracing them. "Zis…Is for everyzing else you've done for me." She whispered before kissing him again.

She slowly drew away after several long moments but was pleasantly surprised when he tugged her back, the kiss deepening with every passing second. It was when a quiet moan escaped her did she realize what they were doing here on top of the Eiffel tower with people just a few feet away from them. He didn't even seem to realize that he had been trailing kisses along her neck.

"'Arry…we can't…" She gasped as he hit a particularly sensitive spot. "We're still 'ere…we need to get back…" She lost all train of thought when his lips moved back to hers. Her hands had a mind of its own as they were tugging at his shirt collar, desperately trying to loosen it. She could feel herself giving in and knew if he didn't stop, she would cease to care how many people were around them. "We need…wait…go back home." She paused, pulling herself together as best she could before gripping his hand firmly and concentrating hard as the suffocating feeling engulfed both of them.

Harry couldn't believe what he'd done and was still trying to recover from the sensation of apparating. He wasn't given a chance as after only managing to take a couple of deep breaths he felt his back slam against a wall as he was roughly pushed up against it.

"My turn." He was still trying to come to terms with the fact that he'd almost taken her right there in front of all those people. He couldn't believe he'd lost control like that but it was wiped from his mind when he felt her warm lips on his neck. He could only just recognize the corridor, they were back at the Delacour residence. They had disappeared into thin air in plain view of the muggles that had been on top of the tower with them.

A small part of him felt sorry for the poor driver waiting for them at the foot of the tower.

He felt himself fall back on the bed in their room, the door shutting with a click behind them. He hadn't even noticed Fleur had guided them through to their room.

She had a look of unbridled lust on her face as she climbed on top of him. Her dress was on the floor beside them and he couldn't tear his eyes away from her. She paused, letting his eyes rove over her and shivering with pleasure at the way he couldn't look away. She straddled him, causing them both to moan as he felt his clothes being ripped apart. It seemed like whatever was left of her inhibitions were long gone.

This time there was no pain, no awkwardness. They reveled in the feeling of closeness, the relief as they felt complete. It was as if the bonds they already had were getting stronger, tighter, as if magic itself was doing its best to give them what they wanted, a way to be closer to each other. They knew they had something truly unique. Mo matter how hard it was, how long it took, they would go to any length to be with each other.

Perhaps for the first time in her life, Fleur was truly thankful for her heritage.

September 1st found Harry sitting at the edge of the bed, watching the old clock tower as the minutes ticked away. He'd woken up a few hours ago only to find that Fleur wasn't with him as he'd grown accustomed to. He didn't try to find her, instead concentrating on getting himself ready bringing to where he was now; His trunk packed and Hedwig locked inside her cage.

The owl seemed to sense her master's sadness, it was a wonder she wasn't making an uproar as she always did when she had to be locked in the cage.

Harry buried his face in his hands, trying not to think about Hogwarts. It was different this time, he was going alone. He hadn't realized how much he'd depended on Ron and Hermione back then. The thought of having friends had been comforting, but now it wasn't the same.

Who could blame him? Everything seemed to have started to go downhill. Sirius and Remus had dropped by a few days ago to drop his new school things off for the 6th year but they had bad news with them. They weren't going to be able to see him at Hogwarts. The risks of them getting caught was now high. The Ministry had decided to keep a closer watch on Hogwarts for the sake of protecting the students against any 'absurdities' and the 'ravings of an old madman'. To think they'd go so far…he didn't have it in him to care anymore.

He hated not being able to see his godfather and Remus at school. He'd been counting on them for comfort, a way to get by. Hogwarts wasn't exactly welcoming anymore.

He wasn't just the laughing stock or the fame crazed liar of the wizarding world anymore. Rita Skeeter, the woman who had written all the poisonous things about him last year had been released somehow and she'd attacked him viciously. The end result…in their eyes he was disturbed. He was dangerous.

Fleur…the one person he needed, the person who could make everything okay was not going to be with him. He couldn't begin to explain how it felt not having her with him, the thought of not having her with him.

The door opened and he hastily wiped his eyes. It was Apolline. She didn't say anything; instead she closed the door and sat beside him.

"All packed zen?" She asked gently. He nodded, unable to find his voice. He kept his head facing the floor, his hair covering his face as he fought the emotions warring inside him. Apolline who he'd come to view as a mother, Dominique who had easily become someone like Sirius, Gabrielle who was like his little sister…it was the first time he was feeling the pain of leaving family behind.

"You and my daughter are so alike…" She said softly after a while. "Both of you 'ide yourselves away and never like to show what you're feeling to ozzers. Even your own family." He kept quiet, stiffening slightly when he felt her hand on his cheek, turning his face towards her while the other brushed his hair aside so that she could see his face, watching as the determined expression was slowly getting chipped away, breaking down before her eyes.

"Eet will be alright." She said with a small smile, hugging him to her chest. She heard him gasp before he relaxed and she knew he was finally letting himself go.

Doing her best to comfort him she held him tightly. Even though Fleur always refused to tell her what he had gone through, she could see the hidden pain in his eyes. She wanted to be there to comfort him. She wanted him to see her as his mother. In her eyes he was already her son.

She couldn't begin to imagine what he and her daughter were going through. When she'd met Dominique and established a relationship, they hadn't let each other out of their sight. It still hurt her to see her husband leave for work. If they had a choice, she wouldn't have let him and Fleur be separated at all from the moment she marked him.

She wouldn't accept anyone other than Harry as her daughter's mate but she did wish he did not have the burden of being the boy who lived. Things would have been so much easier then.

It was a long time before he finally calmed down. She finally let him go and moved to get up when he spoke two words, so quiet that it was barely above a whisper but those two words caused her to freeze, giving her a profound feeling of happiness.

"Thank you...mother."

She could sense another person in the room and turned to see her daughter leaning against the door with a smile mirroring her own as her eyes started to blur. Getting up she walked towards her, stopping to grip her shoulder reassuringly before she stepped out, shutting the door behind her.

"'Arry?" He looked up, not bothering to hide his face which still had dried tear tracks on it. Not like she was any different. Her hand closed around his and pulled him to his feet and his lips curved upwards in a small smile when he saw her hairband in her hand.

She put her arms around his neck, tying his hair back the way she'd taken a liking to. He stood there, letting her do the work as he watched her, trying to memorize every little detail about her as he could. Once she was done she leaned closer to him as if to kiss him but stopped when her lips were hovering just a few centimeters from his.

"I know you lose a lot of zese zings. Zere will be 'ell to pay if you lose zis one."

"I won't." She nodded before moving closer, her soft lips moving over his gently as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him. They stayed together for what felt like several hours, both trying to memorize the unique taste of each other. When they finally broke apart he buried his face in her hair making her smile before leaning back.

"I never did apologize for zis one." She murmured, touching the darkened purple bruise on his neck which she had given him last night. He chuckled before leaning his head against hers.

"You have your own. We're even." She smiled softly, cupping his cheek before kissing him chastely again. "Come." She gripped his hand firmly before leading him out the room.

Downstairs they found that Sirius and Remus had arrived too.

"We better get going Harry, it's almost time." Sirius muttered, gazing at the clock. He didn't even try to tease Harry or Fleur like he usually did.

"You'll be back by Christmas right?" Alana asked, although from her tone it was more like an order. He managed a smile at this before nodding and moving to give her a hug. "Don't get into too much trouble." She ruffled his hair before allowing him to slide out of her arms.

"Can I?" Sirius asked innocently, his arms out wide and moving towards Alana making everyone, even Harry and Fleur laugh as Alana smirked before obliging. When he finally let go of her he had a dazed grin on his face and from the look in his eyes, they all knew he had caught a healthy dose of her allure.

"Mother!" Apolline exclaimed incredulously, looking between her and Sirius. Alana merely winked back while Remus sighed before moving to Sirius, poking him very hard on his ribs and jerking him out of his stupor.

Harry felt someone tugging at his hand, looking down to find it was Gabrielle he immediately picked the little girl up. She merely peeked at his hand, nodding in satisfaction when she found the band she'd given still tied firmly on his wrist.

"Do I pass?" He asked humorously.

"Oui." She pecked his cheek, giggling as he teasingly tickled the back of her neck.

Apolline hugged him tightly as soon as Gabrielle jumped off his arms. "I'm sorry but I and your grandmuzzer 'ave to be somewhere soon." He grinned sheepishly at this but nodded, briefly tightening his arms around her. He didn't know what made him call her mother, but he didn't regret it one bit. She smiled before kissing him just over his scar before releasing him.

Both Sirius and Remus were watched this exchange in surprise albeit happily. What was surprising was that Harry wasn't trying to shy away from her, it was the opposite.

It was exactly how they'd imagined how Lily and her son would have been like.

"I won't be able to come with you to the station either pup." Sirius said apologetically, pulling him into a one armed hug. "Even though we can't see you as before, we'll find a way to come visit you. And…" His voice dropped lower. "Please don't do anything reckless. I know it's hard to believe coming from me but neither me or Moony will be around all the time. Just keep your head down and let the idiots around you keep being idiots. You'll be out of that place soon. I promise."

"I will." He grinned up at his godfather. "Thank you."

"You're going to hate this, but I can see 2 floo jumps and 1 apparition coming up in your near future." Dominique said with a small smirk when Sirius let go of Harry who upon hearing this groaned.

True to his word, Harry honestly felt like throwing up a half hour later as he was leaning against a dark alley just behind King's Cross with Fleur was rubbing his back trying hard not to smile while he was muttering venomously under his breath, casting dark looks at Remus every now and then.

They had to take the floo to the French ministry where 5 minutes later they took another floo to the Leaky Cauldron before almost immediately being squeezed through the airtight tube of apparition by Remus. He did apologize though but he reasoned he didn't want to run be accosted by the masses at the crowded pub.

Fleur didn't let go of his hand the whole time as they walked into the station. His trunk had been charmed to be featherlight by Remus which he was pulling easily from behind. He'd let Hedwig out with instructions to fly to Hogwarts seeing as magical travel didn't agree with owls. Something which Hedwig was quite pleased about and admittedly if he had a choice, he too would have preferred to just fly all the way to Hogwarts on his new Firebolt just to avoid the horrible sensations of travelling by magic.

He saw familiar faces all around him as they walked quickly through the crowds with Remus and Dominique just behind them. Each time he met someone's eyes they didn't seem to recognize him, their eyes sliding to Fleur before their eyes widened in slow realization as they recognized her and in turn, him.

Remus watched Harry sadly, noticing his stiff posture and the mask that he was slowly slipping back on. The usual warm glow in his vivid green eyes slowly disappearing with each step they took to be replaced by the same icy look in them he could so vividly remember.

Harry and Fleur went in first, as soon as they were sure no one was looking right at them. He smiled slightly when he saw how Fleur was watching the bright red train, momentarily distracted by it before sobering quickly as he saw Mrs. Weasley standing a few feet away from them. She was looking away, waving at the train but he did not want to get more than a few feet near her. Most of the crowd had thinned as most of the students had already boarded the train, all that was left on the platform were the parents and the last few students who were frantically trying to get their luggage loaded on board.

"Try and have a good year pup." Remus said softly, hugging him briefly.

"Don't worry." He murmured. He knew what Remus meant. "Things are different now." He added with, gazing at Fleur who was at Dominique's side. Dominique was saying something quietly to her, his arm on her shoulder. Remus smiled, looking at the Veela before ruffling his head.

"Things are indeed different. I don't need to remind you what she'd do to you if you step out of the line do I?" He asked making him chuckle weakly.

He moved towards Dominique and Fleur who were at the side, giving him and Remus some privacy. Harry was momentarily surprised when he was pulled into a one armed hug briefly by the Auror who chuckled at his expression.

"I look forward to having you back with us Harry." He said softly. "We already feel like something's missing." He looked towards Fleur who had her face turned away and after patting his shoulder one last time, he moved away with Remus.

She buried her face in his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. She felt so fragile, as if she could break at any moment and it nearly took away his resolve to get on the train.

A warning siren pierced the air but he paid no heed to it as he continued to hold her, not wanting to let go.

"'Arry." She whispered. He stiffened before releasing his grip as he gazed in her gleaming blue orbs. Tears were freely running down her cheeks and from the wetness in his eyes, he knew he couldn't hide his own any longer. "You 'ave to go." Even as she said it, a second warning siren blared.

He nodded, pressing his forehead against hers even as she wrapped her arms around his neck, turning his face so their lips could meet. It was soft and gentle as before, she poured all her love, all her feelings for him into it. Trying to make him remember it just as he did the same. It held a promise, a vow that they would be waiting for the other.

He whispered the three simple words that made her feel complete as he hugged her tightly one last time just as she did the same, fighting the desire to turn on the spot with him and disapparate with him, whisking him away to somewhere where no one would think to look for them and they could live out their lives in peace.

Then he was gone, disappearing into the train without a backward glance. She turned away, barely keeping herself together as she found her way into her father's arms and together they walked back out into the muggle world.

Harry took a few moments at the back as the train gathered speed. Thankfully everyone were inside their compartments and he had no wish to face anyone as he was now. After splashing some cold water on his face at the bathroom near the front of the train, he walked back, trying to find a compartment that wasn't filled.

People stared shamelessly as he passed, most of them surprisingly didn't seem to recognize him at all as they only gazed at him with interest. He had no wish to sit with anyone at all, a small part of him wanted to find Daphne but as soon as he saw her, Tracey and another a girl sitting together he decided against it. He didn't really feel up to facing anyone.

Finally finding one at the very end of the train which was blissfully empty he slipped inside, tucking his trunk into one of the overhead containers before dropping into the seat, leaning against his seat and watching as the train steadily picked up speed, just beginning to enter the countryside, his mind still on Fleur.

He was distracted momentarily when his compartment door slid open and a 4th year Gryffindor he didn't know by name stumbled in, her mouth open in mid question before freezing. He looked blankly at her, watching as she her cheeks colored. He could see the recognition in her eyes as they settled on his scar.

He twitched irritably when she didn't move after a couple of seconds. Whether she was flustered, scared or whatever it was that was making her freeze he didn't care. It was still rude for her to stare at him.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" He asked tonelessly. She jumped before blushing which only served to irritate him more.

"N-no. Sorry." She was gone in a flash.

After what felt like hours he finally dug into his pocket before drawing out the earphones, the mp3 player inside his pocket. He'd used it a couple of times over the summer when Fleur had tried to get him to listen to some music. While it hadn't been too bad, he wasn't too fussed about it. But now seemed like a good time to try it. After all, he had to make the time pass somehow until they reached Hogwarts.

He drifted off to sleep, listening to something he caught on muggle radio. He was however woken up a few hours later by someone poking him.

"See! I told you it was him!" A voice said.

"Oi Harry!" An identical voice said loudly.

"Get that thing off his ear." He blinked before pulling them off, gazing up at the grinning faces of Fred and George.

"Hey." He said quietly, managing a half smile at them. His thoughts kept jumping to Fleur and the raw feeling of emptiness had not subsided at all. Fred's smirk vanished momentarily.

"You alright there mate?" He nodded, straightening up as the two dropped into the seats in front of him.

"Yeah."

"Why are you here by your lonesome? You could have joined us." George said while his twin nodded vigorously.

"Didn't feel like it, sorry but I…"

"Was too busy thinking about your lovely French Veela?" Fred finished for him. "Man she's got you properly whipped." He shrugged. George leaned over, tugging at the long strand of his hair that covered his ears, reaching towards his cheeks.

"You know that Katie, Alicia and Angelina all saw you and were trying to figure out who you were? They'll be so disappointed when they find out that their 'hottie at the end of the train' was you all along."

"Too right my brother, ickle Harrykins has me questioning my own sexual preferences."

"Agreed!" Harry couldn't help grinning at them.

"Fleur will never know, if you want to say…experiment with new things, you know where to find me…" George said with a disturbing leer.

"Me too." Fred added.

"Please tell me you two are kidding." Harry asked warily, looking between the two of them. "Please." Fred looked at his twin.

"I think we brought him back to normal?"

"Indeed we did. Don't worry Harry, we only think about certain members of the fairer sex when we get really lonely at night. You are definitely far, far away from them."

"For example, Angelina." George added.

"Alicia." Fred said brightly without missing a beat.

"Katie…"

"Fleur…" The twins burst out laughing at Harry's expression. "Okay…so in light of wanting to get out of this compartment alive we will cross that name off the list and pretend you never heard that."

"Thanks." Harry said dryly.

"I assume you know our dear brother made prefect? I swear if I didn't know better, from the way our mother was showing her affection for him we'd think something incest…"

"NO!" He yelled, covering his ears while George grinned ear to ear.

"Harry you sure you don't want to join us? It's only us, Lee and the girls. We could squeeze you in." Fred said thoughtfully.

"Pretty sure the girls will like having you in between them." George added. "Oh and Angelina's Quidditch captain by the way."

"I really don't feel like it guys." He said apologetically although the twins nodded. "Thanks though and tell Angelina I said congratulations."

"Will do." Fred said, getting to his feet and stretching as his twin followed suit.

"Well brother, our work here is done. We cheered him up, teased him, revealed two very disturbing secrets and potentially scarred him for the rest of his life."

"Too right." Fred agreed. "We're off to a great start. And I take it you haven't used any of the uhm…tools we provided you with? We'll be giving you a crash course on them later." Harry couldn't help smiling at the two of them, they just had their way of infecting anyone around them with their cheerfulness. After bowing simultaneously they made their exit.

Time passed on as he slipped back to his earlier stupor, absentmindedly caressing the pendant on his necklace as he listened to a lively tune. He didn't even know how long he'd stayed still, his thoughts still drifting towards Fleur before there was a knock on his compartment from the kindly old lady that pushed the lunch trolley. Buying a few cauldron cakes along with a few chocolate frogs, he proceeded to have an early lunch.

He was just taking a bite from his second to last chocolate frog, watching the farmlands speed by when his compartment door slid open again.

"There you are Potter."

"Hey Daphne." He smiled at her as she poked his forehead hard with a finger before dropping to a seat in front of him.

"I was wondering where you'd hidden away." Her face softened as she took in his features. "I did see you getting on the train back at the platform but I wasn't really sure it was you."

"That hurts you know." He grumbled making her grin. "And what was it that you and Fleur kept refusing to tell me about." She grinned and started curling a strand of her hair with her finger.

"Not yet."

"Come on…I waited all summer."

"It's technically still summer, seeing as the school term hasn't started yet." He groaned but remained quiet. There was no way he could win with her. "Fleur wrote to me about your O.W.L's. I heard you got a perfect score in Defense?" He nodded. "Insane's the word."

"Yeah I heard that one before."

"Anyway how was your summer? Where'd you two go?" Time slipped by as he happily recounted about his time with Fleur and the girls and she told him about hers in turn which was rather uneventful seeing as she was confined to her home for the most part.

The sky was turning a pleasant yellow/orange by the time she decided to get back to her compartment saying that Tracey was probably going to kill her for leaving her alone with Millicent who was admittedly, one of the ugliest and demented girls in the school. It was reality, there was no point trying to sugar coat it.

Not long after her however Hermione and Ron dropped in.

He had gone back to sleep and locked his compartment door so that he wouldn't be disturbed. It did take them quite a long time to wake him though, probably because of the music blaring in his ears.

Then again, Ronald Weasley was never one for tact.

"Stop it." He snapped, a little more loudly than he realized when he couldn't take the banging on his door. When he saw who it was it only added to his irritation but nevertheless pointed his wand at the door unlocking it.

"Why was the door locked?" He stared at Ron, trying to figure out what had changed. When he'd been in Grimmauld place, the redhead had been unable to even face him. It seemed like he'd gotten some confidence back.

"Because I was asleep." He said evenly. "And I wanted some peace and quiet."

Ron puffed out his chest importantly and suddenly Harry got a rather vivid image of Percy Weasley. "You shouldn't lock it, it should always be accessible for anyone in case of an emergency."

"I'll remember that." He said with a nod before adding, "Congratulations on becoming prefects." Ron seemed to swell with pride once again bombarded him with an image of Percy.

Painful silence settled in again and he could see Hermione eyeing the earphones dangling around his neck along with his wand interestedly. He knew she was holding her questions about them back.

"Is that all?" He asked, tilting his head sideways.

"Harry, Neville and Ginny are back in compare…" Hermione began but was cut off by him.

"No. Sorry Hermione, I have a few things to do." He said politely, slipping his earphone back on and hoping they'd take the hint. Ron nodded but Hermione still looked conflicted.

"Harry I…sorry I couldn't write to you for your birthday. Professor Dumbledore said sending letters would…" She was again interrupted by him as he shook his head with a small smile although his eyes remained cold.

"It's alright. I need to get changed though…could you…?" She nodded, getting the message and after a hastily muttered good bye, she was gone.

He sighed before getting to his feet. He really, really was not looking forward to being in Hogwarts.

An hour and a half later they were getting off the train. He was dressed in his school robes, which were rather uncomfortable for him, having gotten used to muggle attire over the summer.

The people around him had finally recognized him, judging by the low and rather hostile mutterings around him. They weren't even bothering to keep their voices down and he heard the words 'deranged' 'mental' and 'liar' more than a couple of times.

He was no stranger to this kind of hostility; perhaps the only thing that was different this time was the knowledge that the hate against him was not only confined to Hogwarts, but all around Britain.

He met these angry glares and mutters head on with a cold, expressionless face that could make the Ice Queen of Slytherin proud. Anyone who made eye contact with him either flinched or backed away. He didn't care what these people thought of him. He had nothing to prove to these people.

It still did amuse him at how girls grew flustered when they met his gaze. He wasn't narcissistic, but from his experience in France he knew what kind of effect he had on the fairer sex. Still, he found himself suppressing shivers of disgust at the way they stared at him, wishing that he was back in the arms of Fleur.

He came to a halt in front of the carriages, and was brought out of his musings when he saw that they were no longer horseless.

Pale black and skeletal, these horses held a kind of haunting beauty. Their pupil-less milky white eyes at first sent chills down his spine but something told him they meant no harm. None of the other students seemed to be able to see them as they clambered into the carriages talking happily with their peers.

As he drew closer, one of them took notice of him and tried to edge towards him. Taking pity on it he walked closer to it and held out his hand, grinning as it nuzzled into it playfully. Looking around he saw a gaggle of second years staring at him in fear. Nice going Potter, you just gave them reason to believe you're a lunatic.

Deciding no more harm could be done, he smiled brightly at them which only caused them to gulp in fear as he clambered into the carriage with a few 5th year Hufflepuffs who immediately started talking together in hushed tones while throwing glares at him occasionally.

At the entrance hall he saw Professor McGonagall waiting for the first years as she parted the way for them to pass. As soon as she saw him a smile appeared on her face which unnerved him slightly and for one mad moment, thought he'd done something wrong and was going to be handed detention before the school term had even started. She did have a way of making anyone feel they'd done something wrong.

"Well done indeed Mr. Potter." She murmured softly as he passed her.

Inside the Great hall his eyes immediately jumped to the staff table. There was Dumbledore, dressed in deep purple robes who's twinkling eyes came his way, nodding at him with a small smile before turning back to his conversation with the tiny charms professor. Snape as always in all his greasy glory except he seemed to be directing his venom at someone further along the staff table, someone that he'd never seen before.

His first thought was a giant toad. A toad dressed in something so pink that it seemed to emit its own light. On closer inspection it turned out to be a woman, although his earlier assessment wasn't too far off. Seeing as all the other chairs were filled except for professor McGonagall's, she could only be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

He immediately knew he was not going to learn anything useful from her and something about her disgusted him. Possibly even more than his dislike for Snape.

Sitting a few chairs down was professor Sinistra who upon catching sight of him, waved before flashing him a thumbs up making him chuckle before returning the gesture while the rest of the staff looked amused at the lack of formality. Toad woman on the other hand looked positively appalled and glared at her and him in turn.

He took his seat at the end of the Gryffindor table, ignoring the gaping stares as he did so. A few minutes later Neville dropped into the seat beside him, greeting him timidly to which he relaxed his face to a warm, genuine smile as he questioned the boy about his summer.

He also caught sight of Draco Malfoy who was deep in conversation with Pansy Parkinson and realized with a start that the tradition of him dropping into his compartment had been broken this year. That or the git hadn't been able to find him.

Soon the halls were filled and the group of first years were standing at the middle, looking around in fright and awe while professor McGonagall brought the sorting hat. Dumbledore as usual got to his feet, the same drill as before…welcoming the new students, old students – welcome back before allowing the sorting to commence.

To be honest, Harry didn't pay attention to anything at all as he switched himself off, trying to remember the runic alphabet from scratch. It wasn't too hard to do, blocking everything else out with a generous amount of help from the Occlumency training that had been drilled into him almost to perfection by Remus.

He found himself inwardly criticizing the Hogwarts food, smiling inwardly when he realized he was channeling Fleur as she had done so time and again last year. He could understand where she was coming from. Both of them were jaded from the food they had back in France.

He still did bring himself to pay attention when the headmaster got to his feet after the food was wiped clean from the plates.

"Another year at Hogwarts awaits you." He began, smiling benignly through his half moon spectacles as he surveyed the hall as if nothing was making him happier than to be here. "I'm sure you are all anxious to engage in another, and in some of your cases, a brand new year filled with so many things to learn and experience. Before that however there are a number of rules…" He knew all of those rules by heart and had probably broken all of them except for trying to sneak into the girls dormitory.

"We have a new faculty member to welcome into our ranks. May I introduce you to professor Dolores Jane Umbridge, the new professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts." The applause was weak at best, but she didn't seem to be deterred.

"Hem-hem." The sound made the back of his skin crawl as they stared at the woman who was interrupting Dumbledore mid speech. It seemed she was getting ready for a speech.

He watched with muted interest as she stood up, an interest which dropped below zero and fuelled his disgust when he heard her sugary sweet voice. He didn't know how, but he had finally found a person that he hated more than Snape even before he'd met them face to face.

She went on and on, by the end of it from the faces of everyone the most they had managed to do was to stay awake, an accomplishment at best. But he could gather one thing from the garbage the toad woman spewed. She was the Ministry's informant who was here to keep an eye on Dumbledore and 'protect' the students from the 'absurdities'.

Finally Dumbledore was able to speak again and after giving out his announcements, introducing the new prefects – Ron and Hermione from Gryffindor, Ernie Macmillan and Susan Bones from Hufflepuff, Terry Boot and Padma Patil from Ravenclaw and finally Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson from Slytherin.

He had been wondering, and hoping against hope that this wouldn't come up but it did.

"I also have a special announcement to make. Academic achievements for us are few and far between, however it is my greatest pleasure to announce that two of our own students took their O.W.L examination this summer an year early and both have managed to place themselves among the highest rankings in world for this year's results."

His ears pricked up at this when he heard the part about 'two students'. It didn't take long as something clicked into place as he snapped his head up, directly towards the Slytherin house table just as Daphne met his gaze with a sly smile.

"So let us give a big hand for Miss Daphne Greengrass of Slytherin and Mr. Harry Potter of Gryffindor. Both of who have achieved their O.W.L's and made their mark among the most brilliant minds of their generation." The applause that followed was only just above what Umbridge had gotten. Between the deranged boy who lived and the Ice Queen of Slytherin, it wasn't like they were expecting much. The hall seemed to be stunned into silence as they were trying to process what they'd just heard.

"That's all for today, off to bed then…pip pip!"