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Chapter Text

Harry sat in his room at Grimmauld Place.

When he'd returned from the trial, he'd ignored everyone and just walked upstairs, shutting the door. He needed to think. And yet, he couldn't, his mind kept going in circles.

Guilty. He was guilty. His wand was snapped, and he was expelled from Hogwarts. What was he going to do now? He couldn't return to the Dursleys, they couldn't make him, could they? They'd kill him, especially after what had almost happened to Dudley.

Mind whirling, the young wizard almost missed the knock on the door. It came again after a moment, and he called, voice almost wooden, "Come in."

Sirius stepped into the room, followed by Remus. "Hey, Harry. How're you holding up?" A pause, and he wrinkled his nose, barking a laugh, "Sorry, stupid question." He paused, "So, you ready to talk about what we're going to do about this? I and Remus were discussing a just in case last week, and it looks like our plan is going to be needed."

"What can we do?" Harry asked helplessly. "I have no wand, and can't attend Hogwarts. I either go back to the Dursleys or try to live in the Muggle world, though I don't think Dumbledore will allow me to move. He seems determined to make me live at the Dursleys."

"You're forgetting a few things. And yes, I know you don't like what I'm about to say, but it's important in this case." Remus said gently. "One, you're the Triwizard Champion. Two, you're the Boy Who Lived. Three, you're very good at Quidditch, to the point that Victor Krum himself has talked of your skill in newspapers. And four... you can't purchase or own a wand in Britain."

Sirius cut in, "I had to move fast, as I'm pretty sure Fudge will try to put through a motion to seize your Vaults as a criminal in next week's Wizengamot session. But as I've never been convicted, the goblins were more than happy to let me act as your guardian in relation to your property, especially as it'll let them stick it to the Ministry." He smirked, "I'm having them sell the few properties you own in Britain and move your vaults offshore. You are going with them. Once in France or Italy, you can purchase another wand. Legally."

"Wait, Vaults?" Harry asked in confusion.

"Yes?" Sirius looked confused, "Did you think you had just the one? That's your trust vault. There's also the Potter Family and Heirloom Vaults. You get access to those at seventeen, though I can get things out of them for you. You do know the Potter Family is really wealthy, right? Not quite as wealthy as the Blacks, but more than say, the Malfoys? No one ever told you?"

"No, no one told me." It was all Harry could say for a time. "I never knew, I thought it was just the one vault."

Remus spoke up, "Anyway, once you're in France, we hire tutors. Who needs Hogwarts? Sure, Minnie is good, but Binns? Snape?" He was laying it on a bit thick there, but was trying to cheer up Harry. Shaking his head, he added. "Frankly, it'll probably be better for you, especially with who is supposedly going to be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Harry looked up. Their words sparked a bit of hope, "Who?"

"Tonks called her 'the pink toad'," Sirius noted. "Umbridge. She's noted to be very anti-werewolf, anti-creature really, and is a pure blood bigot."

"I know who you mean, she was at my trial," Harry said. He paused, before looking up. He'd never really had any adults actually try to help him. Not really. "Do you seriously think we can do this, that it'll work?"

"I'm always Sirius," said godfather quipped before nodding, "Yes, we can. Once you're out of the country, the British Ministry has no say about what you do. I'd almost suggest going to Beauxbatons or one of the schools in Italy, but it'd draw the sort of attention we don't want. Tutoring is better."

"Who would I hire to tutor me?" He asked. "Remus, could you?" Remus shook his head, "While I could, I think it best if I stay here to keep an eye on things. I can act upset that you left, keep an ear out so you have warning if they find you. Sirius is going with you, though."

"That's what we wanted to talk to you about. I actually had an idea," Sirius said, preening. "Whoever tutors you should be someone you know and can trust. At first, I was thinking of doing so myself, but honestly I don't think I'd make a good teacher."

Remus cut in, "Then we got to thinking. I noticed that you and the French champion in the Tournament hit it off well, especially after the second task. I heard from Tonks that you had quite a few letters from her. She saw you put them in your trunk when you left Privet Drive. Fleur's graduated now, and was here in Britain for a while. She went home, something about not hitting it off with Molly. Would you like her to tutor you? We contacted her about the idea already just in case, and she seemed amenable."

Harry blinked, "Fleur wants to tutor me? And what happened with Mrs. Weasley?"

"She said she'd enjoy it, and that it'd help her review as she studied for her Charms Mastery," Sirius explained. "As for Molly, I don't know exactly. I know the girl went out with Bill once or twice, but Molly really pissed her off and she left." He shrugged, "Considering Molly's temper, I'm not entirely surprised."

Harry ran his fingers through his hair, "So your plan is to move all of my money overseas, have me go overseas, and learn magic in France?" He shook his head, considering. "Do you think it's possible? Dumbledore seems determined to make me live with my Aunt and Uncle."

"Oh, it'll work," Sirius said with a smile. "I already talked to Minnie, who is not happy about how things turned out, especially with how little he did to stop the trial. She knows what Dumbledore is using to track you, and is going to come disable the charms. Once that's done, I'm going to teach you how to glamour your features. Couple that on us planning on using a Fidelius on where you're staying, and his chances of finding you are pretty much nil."

"Oh, Merlin, Dumbledore will be angry," Harry said. He didn't sound entirely upset about the prospect. "All right. What do we do first?"

"First, you pack up everything in your trunk and I shrink it. Minerva is coming tonight, to remove the charms. Some of them require special spell work, or I'd do it," Remus explained. "Once that's done, I am going to apply glamours and apparate you and Sirius to the Channel Tunnel. I've got a car already parked and ready there. I'll drive us to France, and drop you two off in the parking lot there. Fleur is going to pick you up and take you to her home. Gringotts are already moving your vaults as we speak. You and Sirius will have to visit Gringotts in Paris, but that can wait a day. Tonks has agreed to pose as you for a few days to give us time to get everything done."

"We want to get you out of here as soon as possible in case Dumbledore really is as focused as you think on having you stay with the Dursleys. Plus, better to get out of Britain in case Fudge and the Toad try something else." Sirius smirked. "Lucky for me, Fleur seems to believe I'm innocent. She seems to really trust you. It'll be a lot easier keeping my head down in France than here. With a few glamours, I'll even be able to go out in public once in a while."

"Are we going to stay with Fleur permanently?" Harry wondered.

"No, once we are there, I plan on having the goblins buy a small property we can ward heavily and place under the Fidelius. We haven't really decided who the Secret Keeper should be."

"Fleur," Harry said decisively. "They'd expect me or you, but it's unlikely they'd expect Fleur. I trust her."

"If you're sure, I'm fine with that," Sirius shrugged. "Put your things away, when Minnie gets here, I'll call in Tonks and we can go. Tonks is going to sulk in your room for a few days." Harry rolled his eyes. As accurate as that might be, he was a little ashamed to admit it.

HPHPHPHPHP

The plan, as simple as it was, worked perfectly. Professor McGonagall cast a series of spells on him, transferring some of the tracking spells to Tonks and canceling others. Once that was done, a bit of charm work and an apparition and they were in a car park. It took some time to traverse the Tunnel on the train, but soon they found themselves in France, and Remus dropped them off with a wave.

"I can't believe I'm in France," Harry said to Sirius. "You look good with Malfoy blonde hair, by the way."

"Oi!" Sirius complained, frowning. "You're lucky I don't have a wand yet, or you'd get yours."

There was a soft crack and both turned cautiously to see a beautiful blonde girl approach them. Harry couldn't help it, he smiled, "Fleur!"

She flashed him a smile, teasing, "You look different, 'arry. Hello, Padfoot was it?" She asked Sirius. "Come, I think it best to get you both under my family wards as soon as possible." She offered a hand to Harry, while Harry took Sirius' hand.

Harry felt the squeezing sensation of an apparition and they appeared in an entry hall. "Welcome to Delacour Manor," she murmured. "I've warned my parents of your arrival, and my father wishes to speak to you privately. He and my mother are through that doorway," she said the latter to Sirius. "I will show Harry to his rooms."

Sirius took a deep breath, "Well, let's get this over with," He murmured, turning to enter the rooms.

Meanwhile, Fleur assured Harry, "It will be all right. Well, in the end. I'm pretty sure papa just wants to make sure of him. I trust you, but papa is a little cautious." She led him up the stairs, saying, "Second floor are guest rooms. Third floor are family rooms. Your room is here," she said, opening a door.

As he looked into the room to see a spacious bedroom suite, he heard a voice call his name. "'arry!"

Suddenly blindsided, Harry found a rather tiny young girl hugging his waist, and he looked down at her with a smile, "Well, hello, Gabrielle."

"Fleur told us you were going to be visiting, it's good to see you!" The girl began to talk quickly, and Harry couldn't help but pleadingly look at Fleur. He wasn't sure how to handle this situation.

Lips quirked into a smirk, Fleur just watched Harry struggle, amused, before she stepped in, "Now, Gabi, let him put his things away and change for dinner. Hopefully by that time, father will be finished talking to his godfather." Watching Gabi pout, she chuckled, saying to Harry, "Sirius' room is just across the hall," she said, pointing to a door. "Dinner will be casual, so don't feel the need to dress up."

Knowing he didn't have any fancy clothes anyway, Harry decided to use his school uniform slacks and shirt, they could pass as casual. He didn't want to use his cousin's hand me downs. "All right, I'll shower and get ready," he told her, smiling at both Fleur and her sister before slipping into the room. Harry looked around, placing his trunk on a table, and offered a smile of thanks to Fleur as she tapped it with her wand to unshrink it. As she was turning to leave, Harry said, quietly, "By the way, Fleur. Thank you. I wasn't sure what I was going to do after that stupid trial. Hearing that you were willing to help me was... nice."

"You're welcome, 'arry," Fleur said to him. "I knew that you wouldn't do what you were accused of without reason. I wasn't going to let the young man who saved my sister and myself be treated like that, if I could help." She looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. "We can talk more after dinner."

After she left the room, shutting it firmly despite Gabrielle's protests, he sighed and moved to the bathroom. It was time to get ready for a very stressful dinner.

HPHPHPHPHP

Dinner wasn't as bad as Harry had feared. Apolline Delacour was a wonderful host, and her husband Jean was engaging as well. After being sat, they talked about minor things. Gabrielle talked about looking forward to attending Beauxbatons, Harry about Quidditch, and Sirius talked about Harry and Hermione's rescue of him in their third year.

Near the end of dinner, Jean looked at Harry and asked, "I've heard what happened from Fleur, she mentioned what you said in your letters. Can you tell us what happened in your own words?"

Harry considered his words, not wanting to screw up and have them think badly of him. "Well, I was out of the house, and my cousin was with me. We felt cold, I... well, I recognized the feeling of Dementors, I'd felt it before in my third year." He shrugged, "They were attacking us, had already grabbed Dudley, so I had to cast a Patronus, as I didn't want to lose my soul, or for my cousin to lose his." Being a bully didn't merit losing one's soul. "They fled, and I got a letter saying I was expelled. Then, one saying that Dumbledore would 'handle it' and the expulsion was on hold till a hearing," he said, putting irony into the latter words.

Jean and Apolline nodded, gesturing for him to continue, and Harry did so, "The day of the trial, the hearing was set for later that morning. When we got into the ministry, early I might add, we were warned that the hearing was changed and it was going to happen pretty much at that moment and in one of the trial chambers. Somehow, the notification didn't reach me. I found that suspicious." He sighed, "Anyway, I got there, and Fudge and some woman called Umbridge were managing the hearing. It was a trial before the full Wizengamot, which I'm told is rather unusual. I was charged with breaking the Decree for Underage Wizardry and the Statute of Secrecy. They wouldn't listen when I wanted to talk about the Dementors, or point out that the only one who would have seen anyway was Dudley, who already knew of magic." He frowned in thought, "Not to mention I'm pretty sure self defense trumps those anyway. Isn't that what Obliviators are for? Dumbledore came in when they were declaring me guilty, and snapping my wand. Didn't help me much."

He took a sip of water, adding with a shrug, "I was kind of... well, to be honest, moping in my room and Remus and Sirius mentioned their plan, and we came here."

"Hmmm," Jean said, frowning, "I would like to see memories of the Dementor attack, as well as the trial. I trust you, Mr. Potter, but with those memories it will be far easier to get you French citizenship, which would help protect you. You would be here seeking political asylum from people trying to harm you. France does not extradite citizens."

"Sure," Harry said after a moment, "Can you tell me how? I know what a pensieve is, but have never given memories before."

"It's easy enough. You hold your wand to your temple while thinking of the memory you wish to retrieve, and pull your wand away." Jean paused, "I know you don't have a new wand yet, but I'm sure that one of the wands here will work well enough. I'll go get vials. Try with my wand and if that doesn't work, the others."

Harry picked up Jean's wand, and shrugged, putting it down, "I didn't feel anything." Fleur offered him her wand after a moment, and he was surprised to see a few silvery sparks flare and a touch of warmth. It wasn't as good a match as his original Holly wand, but it would definitely work.

"Oh! It's a fair match." Fleur smiled a bit, pleased for some reason, and Harry lifted the wand to his temple as Jean returned, thinking, and tried to pull the memory away.

It took a few attempts, but eventually Jean had three memories in vials. "I also included the time after the Third Task, in the graveyard."

"Thank you. This will be useful." Jean shook his head slowly, "I'm going to have to talk to a few friends, I'll be busy the next few days."

Harry wrinkled his nose, "I'm sorry to be so much trouble, sir."

"No, it's really not your fault," Jean demurred. "You are a friend of the family, you were willing to save Gabrielle, and helped Fleur during the Third Task. It's not your fault the British Ministry are a bunch of branleurs."

"Jean!" Apolline chided him, frowning as she glanced at Gabrielle.

"Sorry, dear." Jean shook his head and said, "I'm going to send a few letters."

Watching Jean leave, Harry finished his food, and rose to his feet. "I should unpack a little, as we'll be here a few days. Thank you for having me, ma'am," He said to Apolline.

"Non, call me Apolline," she said for the second time, "You are too polite. You saved my daughters, that makes you a friend."

"Yes, ma--er, Apolline." Harry flushed a moment, and then headed upstairs, entering his room. As he opened his chest, there was a knock on the door, and he called, "Come in."

Fleur entered the room, shutting the door gently behind her. "I'm glad to see you here," she said as she wandered over to sit in a chair near the fireplace. "It's too bad it took your Ministry being corrupt to bring you here."

"I would've come before now if I could, it'd have been nice to visit, let alone not be with my relatives. Dumbledore insisted I go, though." Harry frowned. "I honestly don't know why. He just insisted I was safe there."

Fleur made a slight moue, "I know you didn't write much about where you lived, but it was obvious to me that you weren't treated well." She sighed softly, "Well, you're free now, and I'll do my best to help you remain so."

He couldn't help it. Harry smiled at Fleur, "Thank you, Fleur." He moved towards her chair, sitting in the chair across from her, "I appreciate that. Your letters, after the Tournament, they really helped you know. It was nice having someone to talk to. Ron and Hermione didn't write me. Apparently, Dumbledore said their letters might be traced. I think I'd have gone bloody mad if I'd been left alone."

"You're kidding. That's crazy. They listened to him? After all you went through..." Fleur sounded angry, and a flicker of fire appeared in her hand before she closed it into a fist. "That makes me want to go back to Britain and hex his bits off."

Harry started laughing, lifting a hand as she gave him a look. "I was just imagining his face if you walked up to him and cast a boils curse on his bits, or something. I'd pay to see that, but I wouldn't want you to get in trouble."

"I'd be more likely to use a Cutting Curse," Fleur muttered.

Harry winced as he imagined that, and said to her, "I will be sure not to piss you off."

She smirked, waggling a finger at him, "You have nothing to worry about, you're my friend. Worst I'd do is singe your bits a little bit."

"Oh. Thank you so much," Harry said with a wry smile. "That makes me feel so much better."

"It should," Fleur stated with a slight smile. She sighed, "I should let you rest, though. You have to go to Gringotts tomorrow so they can procure a residence for you and properly ward it."

"By the way," Harry said as she approached the door. "I talked it over with Sirius, and he agreed. I want you to be Secret Keeper. I don't think they'd expect you, and I trust you."

She blinked, turning away from the door. "Really?" She offered a smile, moving towards him and pulled him into a brief hug before moving back to the door, "I'd be glad to." Opening the door, Fleur looked over her shoulder, "Sleep well, 'arry."

Once the door shut once more, Harry dug through his trunk and took out a baggy t-shirt and pair of shorts. Changing, he slid into bed and closed his eyes. Soon, he found himself falling into slumber.

For the first time since the Dementors, no, really since Cedric, Harry slept peacefully.

Chapter Text

When Harry awoke the next morning, it took a moment to remember where he was as he looked up at the unfamiliar ceiling. Slowly sitting, he yawned and looked around the room again. It was more of a small suite, and far more than he was used to. He briefly imagined what it'd have been like to grow up in a place like this.

After a few moments, he pushed himself to his feet and headed into the bathroom to get ready for the day. Once again using some of his school uniform as casual clothes, he emerged from his room and headed downstairs.

Breakfast was a quiet affair. The only ones present other than Harry were Sirius and Apolline. Presumably Jean was at work and Fleur and Gabrielle were still sleeping. Sirius observed to Harry, "The lovely Apolline has let me borrow a family wand, so I can apply glamours to us to go to La Rue de la Magia, the magical street in Paris where Gringotts is located."

Said woman snorted with amusement, noting, "Flattery will get you nowhere, good sir. I am pure."

"That's not what Jean told me last night," Sirius began, before leaning back from a swat. "Joking aside, I have to thank you for having me and Harry here, Apolline. Especially Harry."

"It's no trouble. As my husband mentioned, he tried to help both of my daughters. I could hardly not help him when he needed it." She chuckled, glancing at Harry, and leaned in to murmur to Sirius, who lofted a brow, "Oh? Well, then, even better."

Harry regarded them with wary suspicion, and shrugged. Soon, they all finished, and he rose to his feet to follow Sirius as the man suggested they go to the floo. "Apolline told me that the floo address is 'Gringotts Paris'," Sirius said as he threw floo powder into the fire and stepped through.

Harry followed, keeping his head down to avoid choking. He did not need another trip to the Parisian equivalent of Knockturn Alley. He emerged from a fireplace in a building that looked remarkably like the Gringotts in Diagon Alley. Following Sirius, they approached the front desk, stepping up to the goblin there.

"I am here to speak to a manager about the Potter Account and to make inquiries?" Sirius spoke politely, hands clasped in front of him.

"We've been expecting you," the goblin stated tersely. "Hallway to the left. First door on the left, wait and someone will see you shortly."

Nodding his thanks, Sirius turned to head down the hall, while Harry murmured, "Thank you, sir," and followed. Opening the door, they found a room with a small table surrounded by chairs. Sitting down with Sirius, Harry noted, "I found it curious that they have floos here. They don't in Diagon Alley."

"Goblins in Britain are a little more insular. The result of a long series of wars. There have been some wars on the Continent of course, but things are a little more open here." About to say more, the door opened and instead Sirius rose to his feet. After a moment, Harry joined him. "Good day," Sirius nodded towards the goblin, offering a hand.

"Good day, sir," Harry added.

"Mr. Potter and Mr. Black, I presume. I am Sharpfang," the goblin stated. "Welcome to Gringotts." He placed a folder on the table in front of him. "As requested, we transferred the Potter and Black Vaults to Gringotts Paris, charging the fee to the Black Accounts," he said to Sirius. "I believe you wished to purchase a house and hire warders for the property?"

"Yes," Sirius stated. "Someplace in the countryside near Marseille or Nice, preferably. At least three bedrooms, and I'd prefer five or more. I'd like it linked to the Floo Network as well. As for wards, we want everything. Anti-Apparition, Anti-Portkey, Muggle Repelling, Unplottable, Fidelius, and so on. I'd like enough land so Harry can do some flying on a broom."

"We will make inquiries," Sharpfang promised. "Is there anything else you require? When we start warding, we will need your Secret Keeper for the Fidelius."

"We'll bring them when you have need. I need to get money for Harry and myself from the Black Vault." Sirius responded calmly, even as Harry watched all of this, not wanting to butt in.

At this, Harry felt the need to interject, "You don't have to, Sirius, I can use my own money..."

"Let me be your guardian, Harry. I was never allowed, before." The look Sirius gave him was pure puppy dog, but it worked and Harry sighed, nodding. Sirius beamed at him, "Good, good. I want to pick up quite a bit from the alley anyway. You need a new chest, as we're going to have to pick up and store a lot of books for your tutoring. Remus told me you were taking Divination for some reason?"

"I will summon a goblin to lead you to your vault, Mr. Black," Sharpfang stated as he rose and left the room, giving them privacy.

Watching Sharpfang leave, Harry nodded after a moment, saying to Sirius, "I really didn't know what to take, honestly, and Ron suggested I take it and Care of Magic Creatures." He looked embarrassed, "I kind of wish I hadn't now, it doesn't seem worth anything, I'm definitely not a seer. At least Care is fun."

"Hmmm." Sirius considered him. "It'd be a fair amount of work, but you could catch up with Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. Those are what I took, so even if I'm not teaching I could help out. Private tutoring would make it easier. You wouldn't be able to take OWLs on the subjects or the French equivalent, this year. Would you like to?"

Harry considered. He was a little worried. Ron always talked about how difficult Ancient Runes and Arithmancy were supposed to be. He'd never really tried his best with school, too used to being punished and not wanting to upset Ron. "I'd like that. I think I need to try harder."

It was obvious that Sirius was determined to try to be a good parent. He nodded at Harry approvingly, and touched his shoulder. "We'll pick up books. Some of them will have to be in French, but if we're staying here, you'll need to learn it anyway. We'll pick up French language books too."

A goblin arrived at that point to lead Sirius to his vault. Soon after they left the bank, Sirius careful to reapply their glamours.

"First, we'll pick you up a trunk. I plan on splurging a little, as for proper study you'll need a lot of books." Entering the shop, Harry listened as Sirius spoke to the man in French, and soon received a five-compartment trunk with four expanded space compartments and one enchanted library compartment.

After shrinking the trunk, they moved on to purchasing a wand. "This is one that Apolline suggested, there's apparently a few wand crafters here, unlike just Ollivander's in Diagon. I'm going to stay out here," Sirius observed. "A lot of wand crafters can pierce glamours. You are unlikely to have issues, but if they recognize me..."

"All right," Harry agreed, taking a breath. Entering the shop, he called, "Hello?"

Inside was an woman with silver-blonde hair who looked to be in her late forties. "Hello. Are you looking for a wand?" she asked, French accent rather obvious.

"Yes, ma'am. My last one got broken, so I need a replacement." Well, technically it did break, after all.

"What was the wood and core, it will give me an idea of what materials to have you try?" she questioned.

"Holly with a phoenix feather core," was Harry's response.

"Hmm. I don't normally work with phoenix feathers, they tend to be difficult to procure. You need a reliable source to use them regularly." The woman said this musingly. A good analogue might be chalkydri scales. They are serpents linked to the light and sun. They live on mountain tops. We have some in the Pyrenees and I have a steady supply. The magical resonance is similar to a phoenix. Tell me if you feel a connection."

When she offered a stone vial to Harry, he frowned, "It feels very warm, like a rush of energy flowing into my arm."

"Good, good. Now, woods. You want a determined wood if you had a Holly wand..." the woman murmured. Harry was curious, she still hadn't given him her name.

She nodded to herself, selecting a selection of small wooden rods from a cabinet and offered them to him to hold, one after the other. After a few tries, Harry spoke up, "This one feels very warm, as well. Like a solid mass of heat in my hand."

"Interesting. Blackthorn with chalkydri scales. This will be an intriguing wand to craft. It will take three hours to finish, and cost you twenty galleons."

Harry was surprised at the cost, but figured that custom crafting was more expensive. He nodded his head, "I'll be back in three hours, ma'am." She nodded, heading into the back room while Harry left.

As he emerged, he found Sirius waiting not far away, arms crossed as he watched the street. Harry told Sirius, "She said it'll take about three hours."

"That gives us time to shop for your books and then eat lunch," Sirius told him. "Come on, we can go to the bookstore. I looked around quickly while I was waiting," Sirius added, "They offer a lot of books in English, and a few are enchanted to be in both English and French, which will serve double duty, helping you learn your magic and French both. Slightly more expensive, but that's not an issue here."

"I'd like the ones that can be in English or French, if possible," Harry admitted. "I can pay you back." He had to offer.

"Harry. I'm your guardian, your parent. I know you're not really used to it, but let me be your parent." Sirius said this with a sigh, before chuckling. "Come on."

Once in the book store, Sirius and Harry began to look through the shelves. Both new subjects for that year as well as older topics so Harry could review his prior schooling. Sirius included a variety of Ancient Runes and Arithmancy texts as well. French language texts were also prominent, including a rather nifty-looking enchanted dictionary. All Harry could think was, 'I feel like Hermione.'

Emerging, they continued on to other stores, picking up potion supplies, cauldrons, and other odds and ends. Soon, pockets full of shrunken bags, Harry and Sirius headed to La Rose Argent, a rather cozy-looking restaurant considering its fancy name.

Over lunch, Sirius talked to Harry idly, "I spoke to Fleur a bit last night after you went to bed. Interesting bird. She isn't going to be able to help you with Care of Magical Creatures so we'll have to get another for that subject, but she took Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, she can tutor you in those..." After a long lunch, Sirius got up to pay and they went back to the wand crafter. Again, Sirius stayed outside so as to not risk capture.

Who was he and what'd he do with the real Sirius?

Entering the shop, Harry was greeted by a smile from the older woman, "Ah, there you are, young man," she said, "Come in, come in," she declared, gesturing with a hand. "I finished the wand, I'd love for you to try it out." On the cabinet was a dark brown wand, intricately carved with patterns resembling feathers and serpents. "I had a little time to do some carving. I like my wands to be special. I also added runes so it won't break easily."

Harry looked at the woman, curious, and then slowly picked up the wand. A rush of warmth flooded into his arm and the wand erupted with green and gold sparks. "Ah, good! It looks like we chose well, it is a very strong match." As she spoke, she added, "Twenty galleons, please."

Paying her, Harry remembered to ask, "Ah, might I have your name, ma'am? And thank you."

The woman looked vaguely amused, "Finally got around to that, did you, Mr. Potter?" She chuckled at his look of alarm, "Relax. Did you think that a wand crafter would make a wand without knowing who their patron was? My cousin Apolline contacted me saying you'd be in today." She paused, adding, "Adalene Laurent at your service."

Harry blinked. Blinked again. He cleared his throat, "Ah, thank you, Ms. Laurent." About to leave, he paused, remembering something Sirius suggested. "Do you sell wand holsters? I'd like a dragon hide holster, preferably with anti-summoning and notice-me-not enchantments."

"I do, yes. It'll cost you two galleons," she said, opening an ornate cabinet and offered him a black holster. "It has the two you asked for as well as a disillusionment charm. I figured you could use it." She sounded dry there. "What with 'breaking' your wand."

"Well," Harry managed, flashing a wry smile, "It did break, didn't it? Unfortunately it had help, but still." He ran his fingers through his hair before sliding the holster onto his wrist, under his shirt, and slid the wand into place.

"Tighten the holster a bit more," Adalene suggested.

Following her instructions, Harry did so and nodded, "Thank you. I guess I should go."

"It's probably a good idea to finish your shopping. From what Apolline said, you don't want attention, and the longer you're outside, the more likely someone will notice something," Adalene observed.

Nodding, Harry turned and walked outside. Again finding Sirius leaning against the wall, arms crossed, Harry approached him. "Got it and the wand holster you suggested. She said it also has a disillusionment charm."

"Oh, that's nice. Near Auror-level, that is," Sirius said with a grin. "That could come in handy." He gestured with a hand. "Let's go, before we go back I plan on getting you more clothes. Don't think I haven't noticed you needing them. And no 'that's not necessary, Sirius'."

HPHPHPHPHP

Finally. Finally Harry was able to relax. Unpacking his books into his new trunk and then unpacking the mounds of clothing Sirius had bought for him took only a few minutes. Putting the potion supplies and other materials away took hardly more time. Shutting the trunk, Harry moved to sit on the bed, rubbing his face.

Shopping for clothes with Sirius was exhausting. He seemed to have an eye for fashion, and insisted that Harry get clothes that were 'suitable for him'. Dark reds and greens with lighter blues. Black and dark gray slacks. Dragon hide boots. Both 'traditional' robes as well as more 'modern' ones that looked almost like long coats. Half of it was in bloody acromantula silk, like that ponce Draco's clothing!

There was a knock at his door. Glancing up, Harry called, "Come in!"

Fleur came into the room. She flashed a smile, saying, "You look tired. Something wrong, 'arry?"

"No," Harry responded, leaning onto an arm as he looked at her. "Just had to deal with Sirius buying me a whole bloody wardrobe. I admit, I kind of needed it, but he got way too into it."

Fleur laughed softly, "He does seem to be the type. That sounds horrible for you, though I bet you'll look nice in your new clothes. You should wear something new this evening, at dinner."

"Sirius already gave me an entire list of clothing to wear." He deepened his voice slightly, mimicking his godfather, "'You want to make a good impression. Black shirt, black slacks, dark red tie, dark red robes, black silk gloves, and black dragonhide boots, Harry.'" He wrinkled his nose, "I probably will skip the gloves, I'm not used to wearing gloves. I'm afraid I might do something silly like drop something and make a fool of myself."

Fleur chuckled softly at his depiction, and patted his arm, "It's nice having new clothes though, isn't it? You never really went into detail in your letters, but I know that wearing Dudley's clothing was embarrassing."

Harry rubbed the back of his neck, shrugging, "I was used to it, but... yeah," he admitted. "Oh!" As he spoke, he moved his wrist, and a wand appeared in his hand. "Blackthorn and chalkydri scale. It feels even better than my old wand."

"Chalkydri scale? You went to Aunt Adalene, didn't you? She's one of the few who use those, they can be temperamental but she swears by them. Says they work even better than phoenix feathers for those who are attuned. I'm not an expert on wand lore, but she says phoenix feathers are good all around cores, but if you can use a chalkydri scale, it'll work better for you than a phoenix feather will. It won't create a super-wand or any of those silly myths, though."

He couldn't help it; Harry looked confused. "Super-wand?" He wondered.

"There are a lot of myths about wands," Fleur explained with a shrug. "How the proper materials can create wands that make you far more powerful. That's not how wands work, they're merely a focus for your magic. A wand personally crafted for you will make you stronger to a degree simply because it's very much yours, a perfect match, but all it does is let you apply a little more of your magic. It won't turn you into Dumbledore."

"Ah, I see," Harry said as he slipped the wand back into its holster. He ran his fingers through his hair, looking at her. "I wanted to thank you again for all this. Not just for helping me get out of Britain, but agreeing to teach me."

"None of that," Fleur chided him. "I told you I was happy to, and I am. I plan on getting my Masteries in Arithmancy and Charms. I want to focus on spell research and teaching anyway. Maybe also go for a Curse Breaking or Warding Mastery down the line. This will give me some experience to put on my CV. I'm sure I won't be a great teacher right off, but I hope I can learn as you learn."

"One thing," Harry added. "I... kind of chose really bad electives at Hogwarts. Do you mind if I have you tutor me in Ancient Runes and Arithmancy? I'd be starting right from the beginning, so it might be boring for you. But I really want to catch up, even if I can't take the proper examinations for those courses this year. Also, are there other things like that you could teach me? I also warn that my potions knowledge is pretty spotty, the teacher was a wanker and didn't really teach. 'Recipe on the board' was the extent of his teaching, really."

"Oh, that sounds interesting," Fleur said to him. "The hard part will be all the runes you'll have to learn and memorize. If you apply yourself, I'm sure I can get you caught up faster than you might think. School courses tend to be tailored to the average student, and I know you're smarter than you let on. And don't worry. As long as you try your best, I will help you regardless of how much review we need to put you through. As for other electives, not really. You'll need to hire someone if you want to learn things like Alchemy or Healing. You'll have to wait till you take your examinations anyway, though. Those are upper-level electives." She shrugged casually, "I did take Dueling, I can help with that."

Harry perked up, "I'm really good in Defense Against the Dark Arts, I'd love to learn more about dueling. There was a Dueling Club in my second year, but... it didn't work out well. Lockhart was a ponce, and well, the school found out I was a Parselmouth." He'd told her about the talent already.

Fleur wrinkled her nose, "Let me guess, everyone decided you were a Dark wizard." She had experience with such things. "Well, I'll be glad to. I attended a few tournaments, and did well. Only won once, but I placed pretty highly." Her eyes suddenly sparked with mischief. "If you do well, we can have you compete in the ICW-sponsored tournament coming up next year in Paris. Stick it in the eye of Britain's Ministry when you compete for France."

Harry chuckled softly, imagining Fudge's reaction. "Oh, that'd be funny. We'd have to be careful, I bet Dumbledore'd try to talk to me, but... yeah, that'd be fun." He glanced at Fleur, "I should go get ready for dinner, though."

"All right," Fleur accepted easily. "I'll see you downstairs. We can chat more. That is," she added lightly, "If my sister doesn't monopolize your attentions. She is getting rather attached." She sounded amused.

"Don't remind me," Harry said with an embarrassed look. "She's a cute kid, but..." He shrugged, before adding with a smile, "If nothing else, when I start learning French, she'll help me practice."

"Oh good. I had hoped you'd thought of that. Learning French will help a great deal. There's no way to instantly learn a language, but immersion and a few spells will help you learn far more quickly than a non-magical." Fleur smiled, "If you ever decide to attend Beauxbatons in the future, it'll come in handy, too."

"I and Sirius picked up quite a few books that were enchanted so they had both English and French texts. Actually, some of them also have German, so maybe I'll try to pick up that language too, on the side," Harry said musingly. "I find that I kind of like the idea of learning a few languages."

"It's a good idea. I, myself, speak English, Bulgarian, and Latin fluently as well as a smattering of German and Spanish. Plus French, of course." Fleur shrugged. "Latin is useful for magic, as many spells are designed in that language."

"Hmm. Maybe I'll work on Latin instead of German then," Harry said. Now that he'd thought of it and talked to Sirius, he found himself wanting to learn. It felt... nice.

"I can help you with that too. I'll bring over a few of the books I used to learn it, you can borrow them." Fleur smiled and leaned over, hugging him. For a brief moment, Harry felt himself hugging her back tightly before letting her go, flushing. She ignored the slight blush, smiling at him as she said, "I'll see you downstairs, 'arry."

"All right, Fleur," Harry said, as he watched her leave the room. Sighing, he headed into the bathroom to shower and get changed. Right. Dinner.

Chapter Text

After changing, Harry went down to dinner. Meeting Fleur at the entrance to the dining room, Harry moved towards the table and paused to pull out a chair for Fleur. Heading towards his own seat, he sat down, nodding towards those present, "Thank you for having me," the young wizard said nervously, not used to the high-class clothes he was wearing.

"Not a problem, Mr. Potter," Apolline said with a smile. "Sirius told us that you went to Adalene's?"

"Yes, ma'am," Harry answered. "She was most helpful. Even said that if Sirius gets cleared, she'd be happy to make him a wand as well."

"She did?" Sirius interrupted. "You didn't mention that before. I'll look forward to it, I miss having a wand of my own."

"I'm still working on that topic," Jean observed. "It's a little more difficult than your own case, Mr. Potter." He smiled at him, "Your memories were most helpful. We had the Academy - our version of your Department of Mysteries - verify them as accurate. You have been granted asylum, and within the week will be a citizen of France. We just need to expedite the paperwork on the non-magical side."

"Oh." Harry blinked in surprise, "I... honestly wasn't expecting anything to happen so quickly." Putting down his fork, he leaned back in his chair, offering the older man a smile. "Thank you, sir. And please, call me Harry. Both of you."

"All right, Harry," Jean said with a nod. "I'll be honest, after the issues with the Triwizard Tournament with my daughters, I feel a little vindictive towards the British Ministry. When they realize you're here in France and learning magic, they will be most displeased. If we do manage to clear Mr. Black through our courts and the ICW, it'll be even more satisfying."

Sirius piped in, "Imagine. Sirius Black innocent, Minister of Magic in conspiracy to murder him!" He smirked, "The little toad you and and Remus mentioned will be most upset."

Shaking his head slowly, Harry chuckled, "I won't complain. Especially after some of the things I've seen in Britain. With all Fleur's told me, I honestly think even if they were to pardon me, I'd stay in France," He noted, nodding at the young woman.

Fleur smirked at him, "Happy to see you coming to my side." She chuckled, "Honestly, we wouldn't be much different if not for Grindelwald. He killed a lot of the older, rich families during the war. There aren't enough of them left to sway things here." She shrugged, "It has led to us dealing more with non-magicals and people the British Ministry labels as creatures are a lot more accepted here."

"That was one of the things that really swayed me, yes. Poor Hagrid. And some of the comments I heard about you..." Harry shook his head. "I'd probably have gotten in serious trouble once or twice if Hermione hadn't calmed me down."

"Oh?" Fleur's brow rose as she regarded Harry. "Now I'm curious."

Harry shrugged, looking embarrassed. "Well, Malfoy noticed you and I were friends, after the Second Task. He kept making comments about how I should have better taste than to, er..." He shook his head, "I don't want to say it, even thinking about it makes me angry. Anyway, I came really close to attacking him over it a few times, but Hermione calmed me down."

"I understand. There was a lot of that at Hogwarts when I was visiting," Fleur said, placing her hand on his. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that."

"I'm not," Harry said to her surprise, squeezing her hand gently. "Fleur, you're my friend. For you, I'd put up with a lot more than some bloody wankers being annoying."

Unnoticed by Harry or Fleur, Jean and Apolline glanced at each other briefly while Sirius rolled his eyes. After a moment, Harry heard his godfather's chuckle. "Well, considering Britain has a Dementor with my name on it..." He smirked. "But let's talk about less depressing topics."

HPHPHPHPHP

The next few days were busy ones for Harry. He spent quite some time with Fleur, drawing up review and lesson plans. Thanks to the goblins, a large house was purchased near Nice and promptly warded. As heavily warded as the goblins could make it, in fact.

Soon, it was time to move over to the new home, and Harry, Sirius, and Fleur took the Floo. They were currently the only ones with access through the wards. Arriving in a small sitting room, Harry glanced around slowly. Sirius had arranged for furniture to be purchased and delivered, and the furniture was well appointed, if not as lavishly (or macabrely) decorated as Grimmauld.

"Like I told you before," Sirius said to Fleur as they headed into the entry, "You have an office-slash-schoolroom down here, and I'm giving you a bedroom so you can stay here at times if you wish. It's right by Harry's." He watched Harry head up the stairs with his trunk, planning on putting it in his bedroom and unpacking.

"I wouldn't wish to intrude," Fleur demurred, only to be interrupted by Sirius.

"You wouldn't be intruding. You're Harry's closest friend at this point." Sirius glanced up the stairs to make sure Harry was out of earshot. "Before this summer, I'd probably have said that was Hermione's place, but her lack of letters this past summer really hurt him. He needed someone to talk to, and that was you. I can't tell you how much I appreciate that. I wasn't able to contact him much, too many people were watching me all the time."

"He told me about that," Fleur said, wrinkling her nose. "I can't imagine ignoring a friend like that, especially after he saw someone die right in front of him."

"From what Remus told me, Hermione is very trusting of authority. Unfortunately, in this case, that isn't a good thing." Sirius trailed off and shrugged, "I'm more surprised about Ron. He has a tendency to lash out without thinking, but he is loyal otherwise."

"Still," Fleur murmured, shaking her head. "'arry told me a great deal about what's been going on at Hogwarts. I honestly don't know what they're doing there. This... isolation is just the latest in a long line of problems."

"Oh?" Sirius frowned, "He hasn't really told me much. I won't ask for details as he told you in confidence, but was it really that bad?"

Considering a moment, Fleur tried to decide what Harry wouldn't mind her telling Sirius. Finally she decided upon, "This is just an example, but Voldemort was his Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher in his first year." A pause, "And no, I am not kidding."

"... I am going to bloody kill Dumbledore," Sirius growled.

"Join the club," Fleur muttered, before sighing slightly. "Enough of this. Are you truly willing to have me stay here?"

"Yes, why?" Sirius asked curiously.

Fleur said quietly, "Because politeness aside, I would like to stay. I'm worried about 'arry."

"Well then, welcome," Sirius said to her, offering a hand to shake.

HPHPHPHPHP

"Nymphadora Tonks!" yelled Molly, "Where is Harry?"

"I don't know. I was just supposed to pose as Harry to let them get out of the country, really," Tonks answered calmly, not mentioning their other plans. She had lasted longer than she'd expected, only being found out when the Ministry tried to seize the Potter Vaults and were told by the goblins that there were no Potter Vaults in Britain. Knowing the jig was up, Tonks had revealed herself.

"Out of the country? How could you, what if he gets hurt?" Molly demanded. "Where did he go?"

"Again, I don't know where he went. Sirius wouldn't tell me. Better that way, so I couldn't tell you. He just transferred all the tracking spells on Harry to me or canceled them, and left." She didn't want to sell out Professor McGonagall. Tonks wrinkled her nose, "Frankly, it was a good idea. The Ministry did try to steal Harry's Vaults. This way he is safe, has his money, and is incredibly hard to find."

"Dumbledore watches out for him! You had no right!" Molly glared.

"You weren't there, watching him this past summer. They work him like a house elf and treat him like garbage. Dumbledore sent him back there every summer, and he sure didn't save Harry from being smeared in the paper or getting his wand snapped." Tonks was angry now herself, she'd always looked up to Dumbledore, but he definitely was not perfect. "Sirius is his guardian. Dumbledore legally had no right."

This was definitely not the right thing to say to the Weasley Matriarch. Tonks simply sighed, ignoring the vitriol as she thought, 'Now I know why Bill and Charlie left as soon as they could.'

Soon, Dumbledore arrived, and Tonks had to endure the runaround again. "As I told her, I don't know where he is, Sirius very specifically didn't tell me. And stop trying to peek into my head, you know aurors are taught Occlumency."

"Is there nothing you can tell me?" He asked. "Harry must be protected, and we need him here in Britain." Dumbledore asked her.

"No. As I've been repeatedly telling you, I just was posing as Harry to give them a chance to get out of the country. We know they have the Potter Vaults, so they have money. If you can't find him, I'm sure they're safe, probably under wards. I would be if I were him. And why is he needed in Britain? He can't use magic here and Fudge is still pissed that he didn't get the Potter Vaults."

"There are things you don't know," Dumbledore began. "He really does need to be here."

"Bullshit. Listen, you sent him to a neglectful at best home every summer. You did nothing to help him this past summer when he saw a classmate get murdered! You swanned in late after he had his wand snapped." Tonks' voice rose, "You have no legal right to him, you aren't his guardian even if you like to act like you are. So leave me be. And frankly, I hope you never find the kid. He deserves better." She turned to stalk down the stairs. "Remus, if you want to see me, drop by my folks, I'm staying there for a few days." With that, she stalked out of the house.

Dumbledore sighed, shaking his head. "We need to find Harry. They somehow managed to remove all of my tracking charms. I tried to send an owl already, it just flew in a circle, so they are definitely in a warded location. If you hear anything, tell me."

HPHPHPHPHP

"You're doing very well, 'arry," Fleur said after looking over the placement tests she gave him, "You were right about your issues with Potions, though. How did you get to be a fifth year without learning the ingredient reaction tables?" Fleur asked, confused.

"One word. Snape." Harry shook his head, "He literally would just say 'Recipe on the board' and the assigned books didn't really talk about that stuff for some reason." He admitted, "I probably should have looked up more on my own time to improve my grade, but I honestly felt like it wouldn't matter. Snape always gave me bad grades no matter what sort of potion I produced, so I kind of gave up."

"Mmm. We can do some review before starting on the stuff you need to learn for your fifth year," Fleur said. "You did very well on the practicals in Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Transfiguration. You need more work on theory, though," she said as she looked over a few papers. "Astronomy was all right. Your History frankly was horrible. Care of Magic Creatures was good. I can't really teach that, but you did well on the test." Fleur flipped through more of the papers. "Looks like the subjects you need the most review in are Potions and History, with a bit in the other courses, focused primarily on theory."

"That's not surprising. I've always been really good at the practical side of things. Theory... well, I never really studied very much, for a few reasons. I promise I'll work hard though, Fleur." Harry looked embarrassed, running fingers through his hair as he looked at the girl.

"What reasons?" Fleur asked curiously, resting her hand gently on his arm.

"I know I hinted a bit about the Dursleys, but didn't go into details. They got really upset when I did better than Dudley at school, and Dudley wasn't the brightest," Harry said with a shrug, "And I kind of... got used to not trying. It was safer." He ignored the look of anger that appeared on her face, "Also, Ron never did like it when I studied, and he was my first friend. I... well, I admit, I let him affect my decisions too much. That's why I took Care of Magic Creatures and Divination, that's what he took."

Fleur shook her head, "I can understand that. But I expect you to do your best now. Not only for me, but for yourself."

Harry's lips quirk, "I'd already decided that, actually. Sirius had asked me why I'd taken Divination when I don't have the Sight. I admitted it was stupid of me. I seem to do that a lot, sometimes. I need to think things through more."

"You also are very brave and determined, 'arry," Fleur said quietly, patting his arm and taking his hand, squeezing it gently.

"Thanks, Fleur," Harry said, returning the squeeze before suddenly flushing as he realized she was holding his hand. "I, uh, so, what's next?"

Fleur lofted a brow, then glanced at their hands. Her lips quirked into a smile, and she squeezed his hand again, gently releasing it. "I think we should make a schedule. I have to ask, do you want a normal or a full schedule? If you do the latter, it will be harder on both of us, with less free time."

"Full," Harry said with a nod, "If you're all right with it. Like I said, I didn't try as hard as I could have before, I want to do better. I doubt I'll ever be as smart as Hermione, but I did very well at school for a while. I'll do my best, Miss Delacour," he said, trying to use levity to hide his embarrassment.

Fleur laughed softly. "Well, I am your teacher, so Miss Delacour works. Should I wear glasses and a short skirt, 'arry?" She couldn't help but tease him, enjoying the bright blush that her words elicited.

"I, um, that is..." He cleared his throat, trying to ignore the idea of Fleur dressed like that. "So, this schedule?"

She shook her head, smiling, "I'll set it up. You'll be studying from eight in the morning till six in the evening, with your only break being lunch, are you sure you're okay with that? Weekends will be for relaxing, though."

"As long as you're there, yes," He said, not noticing her flush slightly at his words.

"All right, 'arry." Fleur rose to her feet, "Let's go talk to your godfather, there's one or two other things you will need."

"Other things?" Harry asked curiously.

"Yes. One thing I think you should learn that isn't on the normal curriculum is Occlumency." Fleur continued to explain, "It's a magical art used to shield your mind. I heard from your friend Remus that Dumbledore had been making noises to have Snape teach you before you came here. As he cannot, I will try. I'm not an expert," she warned, "I learned it this past year in preparation for the Tournament in case I was selected. Usually, aurors and curse breakers learn it. There are a few books on it, though they aren't easy to find."

"Snape?" Harry asked incredulously, "Considering his method of teaching Potions, I'm not sure I'd enjoy learning some sort of mental skill from him."

"It's... probably a good thing that you won't, yes. Learning Occlumency requires trust, as the teacher has to use Legilimency during the training," Fleur admits. "Legilimency is looking into another's mind, not exactly mind reading but similar. You have to trust the person with your inner thoughts, as while learning they often see more than you might wish. I learned from my father, he was an auror before transferring departments."

Harry frowned. "Well... I don't like the idea of someone peeking into my head," he admitted. "But if someone has to, I'd prefer it to be you. We don't have the same issues, but our issues are similar. Me with my stupid fame, and you with being a veela. Besides, I trust you."

She smiled brightly at this, and leaned in to hug him, before releasing him. "Let's go talk to Sirius. The other thing we need for you are a few books on Wizarding culture and etiquette. From what you've told me in your letters, you've had no education on such things, and you really need some. Think of the Wizarding World as a foreign country, you'd want to learn how to be polite, right?"

Harry frowned, his initial reaction to reject the idea, but after a moment he nodded, "I never thought of it that way, but I guess you're right. That makes sense." He turned, following Fleur. "Knowing Sirius, he's in the family room. The goblins warded the room to block magic, so technology can work there. He's been pretty obsessed with movies. Then again, I probably will be too on weekends, I haven't seen many."

"Oh, good! We can watch a few things too," Fleur said as they opened the door to the family room.

HPHPHPHPHP

The next week passed quickly, and Harry soon found himself actually enjoying his studies, even Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. He even did supplemental reading in the evenings at times, which he found quite odd. He really did feel a little like Hermione. Fleur encouraged him, would often sit with him in the sitting room or his bedroom, reading her own book or answering questions.

Soon, it was the weekend and in spite of his new enthusiasm for learning, Harry was happy to have a break. He found himself and Fleur eating breakfast. Sirius, as usual, was sleeping late. "So, what are you going to do this weekend? Stop in with your folks?" Harry asked.

"They are away for a few weeks on vacation with Gabrielle," Fleur told him. "I was thinking of maybe going flying, if you're up for it? I don't play quidditch, but I love broom racing."

"Broom racing? I'd love to fly though; I haven't really had a chance. That's one thing I miss from Hogwarts." Harry admitted.

"In broom racing, you either fly a course or fly cross country. The point is to get through the obstacles as fast as possible, or take the best route to get the finish line. For cross country there's usually a height limit so you don't just fly high in the air and avoid all terrain," Fleur explained. "I know of a few races where you instead have to avoid hazardous creatures. There's a really famous annual race in Sweden, it's pretty popular in some countries."

"Okay, that sounds cool. I take it it's not popular in Britain? I admit, I mostly like quidditch due to flying, I bet I'd like broom racing even more than quidditch." Harry observed as he continued to eat.

"Not very, no. Britain is focused almost exclusively on Quidditch for broom sports," Fleur said with a shrug. "It's a not more popular here in France. It's also popular in Italy and Germany. Plus Sweden, of course."

"Hmmm, I wonder how hard it would be to setup a course for us," Harry said musingly. He grinned at Fleur, "It'd be fun racing against you."

"Only if we have the same broom," Fleur said with a smile. "My Vitesse is very good, but it's not up to a Firebolt. They are coming out with a new broom this winter that might, though. I've been saving up for one."

Harry laughed softly, "Actually, first thing Sirius did when we got this place is buy new brooms. He went with seven Vitesse Faucon. I guess he wanted his own Quidditch team," Harry quipped. "We can definitely use those." Mentally, he made a note to see how much the new broom cost. It might make a good Christmas present.

"... Seven Faucons?" Fleur just stared at him. "He doesn't hold back, does he? Those are high-end racing brooms." She hopped to her feet, "Let's go! I've always wanted to try a Faucon."

Harry laughed, smiling at Fleur. "You sound like me when I want to fly, you really enjoy it, hmm?" He followed her, "All right, let's go. We definitely should have Sirius pick up some wood. We can transfigure the wood into hoops and things to fly around for a course."

"That'd be fun. We can't do that now, but we can just race around the field, put down rocks and have to fly in loops," Fleur said. She seemed to be really looking forward to flying.

"Works for me." As Harry said this, he turned to follow her.

Chapter Text

Hermione sat at the Gryffindor eating breakfast. Her school year so far had been absolutely horrible, though the problems started even before that when Harry got expelled. She had been worried about him when he returned from the hearing; he ignored all of them, going upstairs and shutting himself in his room for days on end.

Of course, they found out later that for most of that time, it had actually been Tonks and Harry had left Britain. That upset her a bit though she could understand why, especially when all the furor appeared in the paper when the Ministry found out the Potter Vaults were no longer in Britain. They seemed more upset that they didn't get the Potter wealth than anything else.

Finding out that the new Defense professor was this Umbridge woman made things worse. She'd heard from Mr. Weasley about her being at Harry's hearing - no, trial - and how bad she could be. Their lessons consisted solely of reading a book, with no practical experience whatsoever. Hermione kept her head down, not wanting to draw attention to herself. Harry was lucky to be gone.

Suddenly, an owl landed in front of her. She didn't recognize it; it was a tawny owl with black markings and long horn-like feathers near its eyes. She accepted the parcel, slowly opening it and finding a book and a letter. Her eyes opened wide when she saw the writing. She recognized it! The owl quickly flew away, and she sighed. She'd hoped to be able to write back.

"Hermione,

How are things at Hogwarts? I'm doing well. I've been studying a lot, you'd be proud of me! I even changed electives, my tutor has been working me through Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, and I find myself sad that I hadn't chosen them in third year. I always liked maths in primary school and Arithmancy is, dare I say it, fun! I am still studying Care of Magic Creatures, but will probably stop after the OWL.

I'm also learning more about dueling. My tutor is really good! I didn't realize how complicated dueling could be, and they also give me tips on how dueling is different than real fighting. I may go to a dueling tournament in the future, if I can swing it. I haven't won against my teacher yet but I've had some close matches, which is good considering they're older than I am.

It's really strange. I'm working a lot harder than I did at Hogwarts. I get up, have breakfast, and work all day with no breaks except for lunch. Yet, I'm enjoying myself. I think I really let myself coast too much at Hogwarts. I should've listened to you more about academics! (You still worry too much about tests. Sorry, Hermione!)

I don't even really miss Quidditch, other than the team itself. I talked Sirius into getting some wood and transfiguring some hoops and obstacles, so I and my teacher have broom races on the weekends. I think I like broom racing even more than quidditch!

I have a new wand. Kind of funny. I just walked into a wand crafter's shop and had a wand not long after. It was easy. So much for the British Ministry. I like the wand, it feels a little better than my old holly wand. I won't be able to use it in Britain, but I honestly don't plan on going back unless I have to. Did you know that not all other nations have the same laws? It's obvious when you think about it. Britain's one of the most restrictive nations. In Italy, Muggleborn can use magic at home, for instance. Same with Spain!

I suggest keeping your head down. Sirius is getting a hearing here. They plan on having the ICW examine their findings in the hopes that Britain will be forced to clear him. It may be in the paper by the time you read this.

If you want to contact me, write to me care of Gringotts. They've agreed to forward my mail, after checking for spells. I was warned about portkeys in the mail.

- Harry"

Hermione folded the letter, feeling more lighthearted than she had in a long time. She was glad he was safe. She looked down and saw another slip of paper that said, "I thought you might like this!" Sliding the paper aside, she found a book: On the Code Duello. She opened it quickly and found not only tactics but useful spells, and she smiled. This would be a good read!

She'd have to write Harry and thank him.

She looked up, blinking, as another owl landed in front of her. It was one of many about the Hall, each offering an issue of the Quibbler. She wondered why, when she received her answer, looking at the headline.

Sirius Black Innocent? French Hearing Reveals All! Minister Fudge Ordered Dementor's Kiss of an Innocent Man! ICW Investigating!"

Around her, she could hear people beginning to talk in shock. Up at the teacher's table, she saw Professor Umbridge's face take on a rictus of rage.

HPHPHPHPHP

The next few days were interesting, though Hermione found them less than pleasant. It came to light due to the hearing that Sirius and Harry were in France, and the Ministry attempted to extradite them for their "crimes". France refused the request as both had been granted French asylum and citizenship. The ICW had looked over the facts presented by the French from their hearing and officially exonerated Sirius, greatly angering the British Ministry, who insisted that the ICW was interfering.

The ICW had also examined Harry's memories and declared Voldemort to be returned and he was once again declared a Dark Lord. The Ministry again refused to acknowledge this, calling the memories fabricated, regardless of the experts who authenticated them. The Prophet continued to publish propaganda declaring Harry to be a delusional criminal, and that he was fooling France and the ICW.

Britain's reputation in the Wizarding World fell to a new low.

Professor Umbridge was in a towering fury. The only good thing was she was so busy putting out fires that she was basically ignoring her classes, spending most of the periods writing letters and filling out various bits of paperwork. Hermione kept her head down, not wanting to draw attention to herself.

Hermione found herself in the Gryffindor Common Room, reading the book Harry sent her. Glancing up as someone sat in front of her, she saw Ron. "Hey," he said. "Is that the book Harry sent you?" Ron had received his own letter as well as a book on, of all things, chess strategies. "I read mine, it was actually pretty good," he admitted.

"Have you written him back?" Hermione asked. "I did. Haven't gotten a response yet."

"Not yet," Ron admitted. "Been trying to decide what to say. I made a big mistake last year, and I don't want to make the same one again. I was kind of angry he left us, you know? But he really had to. The Ministry trying to seize his money and the way they're putting their heads in the sand now... he'd have gotten tossed into Azkaban or something."

"Wow, you're actually learning," Hermione teased him.

"Yeah, only took one of my best friends being forced to leave the country to make me grow up," Ron said darkly, before shrugging. "I'm almost done with my letter. I thought I'd pop around the Common Room, see if anyone else wanted to include a letter to go with mine. What do you think, do you think Harry'd like that? Katie and Parvati already gave me letters, and a few others have said they'll give me theirs in the next day or so. I didn't want to tell everyone about Gringotts, he could start getting hate mail."

"You're actually thinking," Hermione teased again, before wrinkling her nose, realizing how she might sound. "Sorry, you know I'm not too good at the joking thing, but I'm proud of you." She nodded, "Getting the letters and including them with yours is a good idea. I can help out too, I wanted to write him about my book. It's enchanted to change the language its written in from English to French or German, I want a few more books like that, it'll help me learn more French."

"'k, once I get all the letters, we can split them in half then," Ron agreed. "Do...do you think he'll ever come back?"

"I think it depends," Hermione admitted. "He loves Hogwarts, but Britain always seems to hurt him. He's always adored and then hated at turns. I think some part of him might want to come back, but at the same time want to be free of all of that. I think if things work out and his conviction is overturned, he'll have a lot of decisions to make."

"That makes sense. I didn't help sometimes, especially during the Tournament. I was a right prat to him." Ron paused, and admitted, "I was to you too, though I won't say it again," he said to her with a smirk.

"Oh, of course not," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "Go finish your letter, I'll talk to Lavender and Fay about whether they want to write Harry."

HPHPHPHPHP

Harry and Fleur came into the house, laughing. "I don't believe you did that," Harry complained to Fleur.

"All's fair in love and racing," Fleur said lightly.

"Yes, but telling me that Gabrielle writes my name in her diary in little hearts?" Harry's voice was incredulous. "That's just cruel."

Fleur's smile was serene, if not for the twinkle in her bright blue gaze. "Slowed you down long enough that I won, didn't it?"

"Cheater," Harry pouted, though it was obvious he was teasing her. As they went further into the house, they came upon Sirius sitting in the sitting room, talking to someone. "Hey, Sirius, who-- Miss Laurent?" He blinked as he saw who Sirius was speaking to.

"Aunt Adalene?" This from Fleur, who was blinking at the pair, who were sitting in chairs in front of the fireplace, talking.

"Ah, hello, Mr. Potter. Fleur." The older woman's lips quirked into a wry smile as the looked at them, "Sirius here asked for a wand to be crafted for him. He didn't want to wait, so I was delivering it for him." On the table between them were two glasses of wine.

All Harry could do is glance between them, slowly, then look at Fleur. He reached out and clasped her hand gently, tugging her towards the doorway. Not thinking of how the gesture might look. "I and Fleur were about to get lunch, we'll leave you to your discussion."

"Wait, why are..." Fleur trailed off in confusion as she was tugged into the kitchen. Behind her, Sirius and Adalene just started to chuckle. When they entered the kitchen, Fleur turned to look at Harry, "What was that about?"

"I did not want to stick around. I think Sirius might have been trying to flirt with Miss Laurent," Harry explained.

Fleur couldn't help it; she smirked. "And that bothers you why?"

"It doesn’t," Harry insisted. "Honestly, I was a little afraid our being there might stop it, he has been really lonely."

Fleur smiled slightly, "Oh, I see." She squeezed his hand gently before releasing it. "So, what's for lunch?"

"I was thinking of something simple. How about Monte Carlo sandwiches and a salad?" He asked, glancing over at Fleur.

"Sure. I'll have one sandwich and a large salad. I'll make the salads while you make the sandwiches?" Fleur offered as she began to look in the fridge.

"Works for me," Harry said as he opened the cupboards to get a medium bowl, a whisk, and a basting brush, and plates. He moved towards the fridge, waiting for Fleur to finish before getting a few things himself.

As they made food, Harry and Fleur chatted a bit about various subjects. "I'm really enjoying Arithmancy. I'm really sad it took me this long to start studying it. I especially like the way it interacts to spell theory."

"Oh, are you interested in creating your own spells? I've made a few," Fleur said with a smile. "For instance," she said, "Speculum hominem." Where she stood, seven Fleurs could be seen.

"That's so cool," Harry said, staring. "What do they do?"

All of the Fleurs began to move in different directions. "When I move," they said in unison, "The others move in a random direction. They basically mimic what I'm doing otherwise."

Harry lifted a hand and tried to touch one, his hand passing through. He murmured, "Too bad they're not solid," before realizing how that sounded. He meant tactically. Honest. His cheeks colored.

"Oh?" Fleur smirked, unable to resist teasing, "So you want more than one of me, do you, 'arry?" She reached out and ran a finger down his arm slowly, teasing, "Is there something you want to tell me?"

Harry turned bright red, "I didn't mean it like that, honest, I--" He paused, "--I should go get something from the pantry." He turned and darted through a door in the rear of the kitchen.

Fleur laughed gaily behind him.

HPHPHPHPHP

Albus Dumbledore was frustrated. He had been given the runaround all afternoon. The French Ministry refused to reveal where Harry Potter was staying. Apparently, they really had given him asylum and citizenship, which neatly countered the guardianship papers the British Ministry had given him. Especially as the French were acknowledging Sirius' guardianship of the boy.

He found himself in front of the French Head of Foreign Affairs. "Mr. Durand, it's a pleasure to see you again."

"What may I do for you, Mr. Dumbledore?" asked the French official.

"I need to see Mr. Potter. He is urgently needed in Great Britain," Dumbledore began. "I--"

"Why?"

"Excuse me?" Dumbledore blinked.

"Why is he needed, especially urgently? If I look at the newspapers, no one wants him there. If I look at the most recent communications from the British Ministry," Durand continued, "Him returning to Britain would end with him being incarcerated in Azkaban at best."

Dumbledore shook his head, "Oh, that wouldn't happen, at least for too long. I'm sure I can fix things once he's in Britain. He is needed there."

Durand blinked. "At least for too long? So you're willing to bring a child to a place where they will throw him into a prison with Dementors, even for a little while?"

Dumbledore opened his mouth, surprised, before saying, "Mr. Durand, please. Young Harry needs to be kept safe and Britain needs its hero. He's a strong young man, he wouldn't be unduly affected by a short stay in Azkaban. I'm sure I'd be able to get him out in a few weeks at most."

"I have no words, Mr. Dumbledore." Durand was staring at him. "I will say that I do not know where Mr. Potter is staying, he is in a heavily warded location. So he is safe. However, I will also say that if I did, the last thing I would do is to tell you where he is. He's a citizen of France. We have refused extradition. If you attempt to touch him in any way, we will respond. This meeting is over."

"Mr. Durand," Dumbledore began.

"Out."

HPHPHPHPHP

Sitting at his desk, Harry was reading through his notes on Ancient Runes. Memorizing the various runes seemed to be the most annoying part to him. He glanced up, where Fleur was sitting on a couch, reading through a book of her own. Suddenly, an owl flew in through the open window, and landed on the desk beside him.

"Oh, what's this?" Harry asked lightly, as he collected a small package from the owl. It hooted and flew back out the window. He looked over the package, "Ah, from Gringotts. Mail?"

"Who is it from?" Asked Fleur curiously, as she glanced up from her book.

"Looks like a lot of letters from Hogwarts. I guess Ron and Hermione decided to send them to me." Harry flipped through, "Huh, Katie, Parvati, Neville..." He trailed off. "Lot of people."

"Oh, that was nice of them, you can send letters to your friends," Fleur said with a smile, picking up her book.

"Yeah. Looks like Hermione and Ron asked around Gryffindor. Good on them to not tell them they can contact me through Gringotts, that could have gotten out and caused problems." He flipped through the letters, chuckling, "It's kind of nice to see everyone writing me, even if I didn't really miss them with you here."

Fleur couldn't help but smile at that, saying, "You're getting very smooth. Listening to your godfather, are you?"

"Smooth?" Harry looked confused.

Fleur rose to her feet and moved towards him to perch on the desk, smiling, "You said you didn't miss them because I was there. That was rather smooth of you."

"Oh!" Harry's cheeks colored, "Well, it's true."

"And that, 'arry, is why you're smooth," Fleur said with a soft laugh. She smiled, "How about this weekend, we go somewhere out of the house? I can apply a glamour for you and we can relax and enjoy ourselves?"

Harry perked up. He'd been working hard, and he enjoyed spending time with Fleur. Probably too much, if he was honest with himself. "Sure, what do you want to do?"

"Well," Fleur said with a smile, "I thought we could go to the beach. My family has a beach house in Italy. I figure we could spend a weekend swimming and sunbathing before it gets too cool for such things."

Harry couldn't help but blush slightly as he imagined Fleur in a bathing suit. "That sounds like fun," he admits as he looks down at his letters, beginning to sort through him so she can't see his face.

"I thought so," Fleur murmured with a smile, enjoying his reaction. She shifted, tucking a leg underneath her. "Do you want to invite Sirius?"

Part of Harry wanted to say yes. Part very much wanted to say no. He shrugged his shoulders, thinking, and looked up to smile at Fleur, "Whichever you'd prefer."

"Then it will be our trip," Fleur said brightly, hopping down from the desk. "You finish those letters and your studying, and I will talk to Sirius."

"Yes, ma'am," Harry said dryly.

"Good boy."

Chapter Text

Harry staggered, falling to his knees. Damn portkey. Beside him, Fleur laughed softly, "You really are not good with magical travel, are you?" she asked.

"Sure, laugh at me. It's true though. Floo? I fall on my face. Portkey, I fall on my arse. Apparition, I stumble." Harry chuckled, "I swear, the only magical travel I'm good at is flying a broom."

He felt Fleur's hand on his back, gently touching him as she directed him towards the beach house not far away, the setting sun shedding red-gold light upon the white building, "That's my parents' house. We will be staying there." As she spoke, Fleur led him to it and opened the door. "With my father's position in the Ministry, it's under wards, so you should be safe enough. Not quite as strong as the ones at your place, but they block the important things."

"Nice place," Harry said as he looked around the small beach house. "I really like the glass window with the ocean."

"Oh, it is. One of my favorite things to do is to just sit and relax, watching the waves," Fleur said with a bright smile. "Your room is this way," she said, leading him up a small staircase to the second floor. She pointed to a room, "This is yours. I'm across the way," she said, pointing at her own door.

Harry opened the door and looked around the room. A large bed and solid-looking oak furniture could be seen, with an open door leading into the bathroom. He pulled out his trunk, setting it down and tapping it with his wand to enlarge it. "What do you want to do first?" he asked Fleur as he glanced over his shoulder.

"I think we should get ready for a swim and have dinner," Fleur said after a moment's thought. "I can't wait for tomorrow, it'll be fun. I packed a net, we can play volleyball."

For a brief moment, Harry's mind went in an interesting direction, imagining Fleur jumping around in a bathing suit, and his cheeks colored. He's a teenage male; he couldn't help it. Fleur's lips quirked at his expression, even as he cleared his throat, "Sounds good to me," he said, "Let me change. Want me to cook, or...?"

"I thought I'd call a house elf to do it," Fleur answered as she turned to slip out, "Get showered and dressed, I'll be ready soon myself. Rani!"

Shutting his door, Harry headed into the bathroom to have a quick shower. Once he was finished, he dug through his trunk, selecting a pair of dark green trunks and a black tee shirt. He added the black sandals he'd picked up specifically for this outing, and moved towards, the door, heading downstairs.

And stared.

Fleur was wearing a bikini. It wasn't too revealing as such things go, but the way the pale blue fabric hugged her figure was... all he could think was 'wow.' Shaking his head as if to clear it, he continued down the steps, not noticing her slight smile. "So, what's for dinner?" he asked the girl as he pulled out a chair for her and took his own seat.

"I figured something light would be best," Fleur said. "I asked for a green salad with roast chicken with a vegetable paela. Does that work for you, 'arry?"

"That sounds fine to me," Harry agreed as he looked across the table at Fleur, careful to keep his eyes on hers. "This is a really nice place, I'm looking forward to enjoying the weekend."

"I do too! It will be a good break. Perhaps we can come here more often, next summer," Fleur offered as the food began to appear in front of them. "It's too bad that it'll get too cool for swimming, soon."

"That's okay, I actually had an idea, for something else for us to do, later," Harry said with a chuckle. "I saw it on the Street," he said, referring to Paris' magical district. "A new place opened recently. It's like a non-magical movie theater, 'cept they enchant the film. I didn't understand everything that was said, but apparently they create a three dimensional magical image, so it looks more real." He doesn't even realize he's essentially asking her on a date.

She, however, does realize this and the smile on her lips is almost smug. "I think I'd enjoy that, 'arry. Perhaps dinner as well?" She asked, oh-so-innocently.

"Sure!" he agreed, as he started to eat, taking a sip from his drink. Some sort of sparkling cider. "This isn't alcoholic, is it?" he asked cautiously.

"Oh, no, not alcoholic," Fleur assured him as she ate slowly, making idle conversation. "What are you finding most difficult about your lessons?"

Tilting his head to the side, Harry considered her question. "Hrm. Probably the runic alphabets. I'm finding arithmancy really easy so far, the maths are things I learned in primary school for the most part. The only new stuff is how it might apply to magic. For runes, I have to memorize multiple runic alphabets. The occlumency you're teaching me has helped a bit, but still. Though maybe occlumency itself would count, I'm really not that great at the meditation aspect."

Fleur chuckled, flashing a wry smile, "You're a little emotional, yes. That makes meditation difficult. I was the same way, honestly. Papa liked to tease me about it. You're doing well, though. I'm sure you'll be ready to start putting up mental defenses in the next few weeks." As she spoke, she pushed her dishes away. "I'm done, how about you?"

Harry took a final bite of his paella and pushed his dishes away as well, "I'm ready when you are," he said with a bit of excitement.

"Good. Last one into the water owes the other a favor!" As she said this, she darted for the exit.

"Hey!" Harry followed, running after the girl. Sadly, longer legs and an early start were too much to overcome and she laughed at him, the water up to her waist. "I win."

"Cheater," Harry complained.

"As I've said before, all's fair in love and racing," Fleur quipped.

"Okay, you win," Harry said, giving her a look, "So what's this favor then?"

"Oh, I don't know," Fleur said after a moment. "I think I'll hold it for when I really want a favor." As she spoke, she moved deeper into the water, so it was up nearly to her shoulders, "The water's nice. It'll probably grow cool in an hour or so, but for now..."

"For now, it's warm," Harry agreed as he moved deeper into the water and let himself float. "This is really nice, I could get used to this."

Fleur chuckled, "You should see the Caribbean, they have nice temperatures year round there. My family took a winter vacation there, it was heaven."

Swimming slowly around Fleur, Harry said, grinning, "Now I know where I want to live when I get out of school."

"Not France?" Fleur asked with a pout.

"Okay, I can split my time then. Live in France and take portkeys to the Caribbean," Harry said lightly.

Fleur smirked, "A pair of vanishing cabinets would be better. Granted, far more expensive in the short term, though." As she spoke, she slowly sunk down into the water to let her hair get wet, and resurfaced again, droplets flowing over her.

"Vanishing cabinets?" Harry asked, being very careful to not look where he shouldn't.

"A matched pair of cabinets. Open the door, enter it, you come out of the other cabinet," Fleur explained. "Basically, it's like a portkey, you can go very long distances between them, but you won't have to pay for a portkey for every trip."

"Ah, I see, so long term if used often it'd be better, plus if you want to go back and forth," Harry acknowledged.

"Yeah. They were used a lot in Britain during the last war, as unlike apparition and portkeys, they cannot be easily blocked," Fleur said with a shrug. "But again, expensive. They cost hundreds of times as much as a portkey."

Harry chuckled, "You know, while it's expensive, if I were to really like some place over that way, it'd be nice being able to travel there whenever I want," he said as he swam through the water with her.

"You should ask Sirius," Fleur observed. "With how wealthy the Blacks are, I wouldn't be surprised if they had a pair or two in their Vault."

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with asking Sirius for something like that, he spends too much on me as it is," Harry said, wrinkling his nose, "But I suppose I could ask to purchase a pair if he has them."

"'arry, I rather doubt he'd let you buy them. He'd give them to you. He's the sort." As she pointed this out, she approached the shore, "It's getting dark, we probably should get out of the water, it'll start cooling off soon."

"You're probably right," Harry said, turning to follow her. She glanced over her shoulder, a slight smile curving her lips as she noted his gaze, before saying, "We can dry off and change, then do something else."

"I know!" Fleur said as she bent down to pick up a towel, slowly drying herself off and offering the towel to Harry. "We can play a board game. I have a French version of Scrabble. It'll help your French, too."

Harry shuddered, "Oh sure, make me learn something during my days off." He grinned at her, "Actually, it sounds like fun, though I'm sure you'll win."

"I hope so, or I'd be a little worried, considering it's my native language," Fleur said with a smile. "I'll take a handicap, to help you out."

"No. More fun if there isn't one. Then I have to try harder," Harry insisted.

"All right, then," Fleur said with a smile, as she folded the towel and set it on the table outside. She'd let the house elf handle it. "Come on. I'll put out the board, and we can start."

They had a good night.

Of course, Fleur won.

HPHPHPHPHP

Harry woke up the next morning. It took him a few moments to remember where he was. Stretching, he got to his feet, moving into the bathroom for a shower and then to get dressed. After picking up a book on runes, he headed downstairs, again dressed in a tee shirt and shorts. As Fleur wasn't up yet, he went into the kitchen and began to make breakfast, knowing what the girl enjoyed after a few weeks living under the same roof.

Harry placed two bowls of yogurt topped with fruit and granola on a tray, and added a plate of small brioches. He added some juice and milk, and he and Fleur's breakfast was ready. Glancing up, he considered. He wasn't sure when she'd be up, so he simply waved his wand, murmuring a spell idly, and put a stasis charm on the food as he placed it on the table, and moved to sit on the couch, picking up his book to read. He'd wait till she came downstairs.

Perhaps a half hour later, Fleur came down the stairs. He looked up and offered a smile, trying not to stare. This morning, she was dressed in a dark red bikini that contrasted nicely with her pale skin. "Hi, Fleur," He said, shutting his book. "I made breakfast, was waiting for you." As he spoke, he headed to the table and after a moment, pulled out a chair for her before sitting himself.

"Well, thank you, 'arry, this looks delicious," she said in her soft voice, offering a smile as she picked up her bowl deftly and set it in front of her. Harry did the same, placing his juice and milk to the side. "How long did you wait?" she asked. "I didn't make you wait too long, did I?"

"Oh, I didn't wait too long," Harry told her. "I read for a half hour or so, that's all," he said as he smiled at her. "You ready for today? I'm looking forward to beating you at volleyball," he teased.

"Dream on," she said lightly, "You might be better with a broom, but I'm fairly sure I will massacre you at volleyball." Fleur glanced at him, eyes filled with mischief.

"All right then, if I win, you have to do me a favor, and if you win, I'll do you one," Harry said with a smirk.

"You do realize," Fleur pointed out, "You already owe me one favor. This will make two you owe me."

"Only if I lose," Harry noted with a smile. "I don't think I will, you see."

"Also, I'm curious," Fleur began, "What exactly would your favor be?" She smiled, slowly, "Should I be worried, 'arry? Are you going to ask me for something naughty?"

She was amused and pleased to see his cheeks turn red, as he obviously thought of various naughty things to ask. She laughed lightly, even as he assured her, "N-no, I wouldn't do that, I swear. I should put this away if we're going to play volleyball," he added as he got up and almost fled up the stairs to put away his book.

He was so cute when he was flustered.

HPHPHPHPHP

Unfortunately, Harry lost. It would seem that while speed was an advantage, he didn't have enough of a speed advantage to offset her height and longer limbs. At least the games were close, that did something for his wounded pride.

As they went back into the house for lunch, Harry admitted, "Okay, you were right, you won."

"Of course I did," Fleur said easily, though the twinkle in her eyes was obvious. "You need to realize and accept this fact: I, 'arry, am always right."

"Oh yes, of course, I should realize that," Harry quipped. He was growing comfortable enough with her to snark back, "All hail Fleur, my goddess," he said, making a joking genuflection before turning to look through the icebox, trying to decide what to make for lunch.

Fleur preened, smirking at him, "I'm glad to see you have realized your place. I will be glad to make you an acolyte. If you do well, I may even raise you to priesthood. Play your cards right, you could even become my high priest."

"Oh, and what do these various ranks get in return?" asked Harry. "I'm ever so curious."

Perhaps he was lucky he was looking away, because for a brief moment it was Fleur's turn to blush slightly at certain thoughts, before she answered, "Oh, I'm sure I can think of something."

"What do you want for lunch? I was thinking a green salad with some grilled fish?" Harry asked, looking back at Fleur.

"Sure, why don't you make the salads, and I'll grill the fish," Harry suggested as he turned to open the freezer.

"All right," Fleur answered as she opened the icebox, digging through it.

Soon, he was cooking, and not long after, they were chatting over lunch. "What do you want to do this afternoon?" Harry wondered.

"I was thinking," Fleur said lightly, "I haven't played in the sand since I was Gabrielle's age, it might be fun." She also knew he likely had never done so either.

"Play in the sand?" Harry asked as he took a sip from his apple juice. One thing he was glad of was that the French didn't focus so much on pumpkin juice. That was far too sweet for his tastes.

"You know, build sand castles, or sculpt the sand into figures, that sort of thing?" Fleur asked. "I did it all the time when I was younger, but when I stopped not long after I started to attend Beauxbatons."

"Why?" Harry asked.

Fleur's cheeks colored, "I was trying very hard to act like an adult."

"Ohhh," Harry said, lips quirking into a smile, "That's cute."

"Cute, is it?" Fleur hrmphed, eyes twinkling. "Laugh it up, I'm sure I can get some juicy stories from your friends."

"No, I'll be good," Harry assured her, holding up his hands.

"That just tells me I'm right," Fleur said lightly, "Let's go."

Harry sighed. "I'm doomed," as he got to his feet to follow her.

HPHPHPHPHP

Harry woke up. Something soft was leaning against him, and he could smell ... flowers? Slowly opening his eyes, his heart stopped. Why was Fleur's head resting on his shoulder? Why were her arms wrapped around him and his around her? What the--

He looked around, and realized they were sitting on the couch. Slowly, his memories returned. They had started to listen to the Wireless and relaxed, and they must have fallen asleep. Though how did Fleur end up so close to him? Heart pounding, Harry gently nudged Fleur, "Fleur..."

"Mmm. I'm sleeping," she murmured, refusing to wake up. Indeed, she snuggled closer to him, which caused him to blush brightly.

Some part of Harry just wanted to close his eyes and enjoy holding her, but he didn't want to take advantage. Thus, he said, gently, "Fleur...wake up."

Slowly, her blue eyes opened, and she blinked as she realized where she was. Instead of pulling away, she stretched as she leaned against him, running a hand through her hair, "Morning, 'arry," she said before nodding to herself as she glanced out the window.

"That's all you're going to say?"

"What else would I say?" asked Fleur as she yawned again. "We fell asleep listening to the wireless. I suppose Rani turned it off when she found us asleep." As she spoke, The arm encircling his waist tightened briefly, before loosening. "You're blushing, 'arry." If it weren't for the amusement in her eyes, he'd think the comment was innocent.

"Of course I am, I slept with you last night!" He paused, "I mean, er..." Technically he did.

"Oh, how bold, 'arry," Fleur said, laughing softly, "I think I would remember it if you and I did that."

"You know what I mean," Harry managed, his blush growing more pronounced as he looked at her.

"Yes, I do, 'arry." She smiled at him, "And that is why I'm not worried or upset." As she spoke, she leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Let's get up, we have today to enjoy ourselves before we have to return."

Harry just sat there as she gently pulled away and stood up, his fingers brushing over his cheek where she kissed him. When she smiled at his reaction, he didn't notice.