The Rescue: Chapter 3

Chapter 3

“That man gives me the creeps,” Marie said.

Fleur followed her gaze and saw Professor Moody looking out over the courtyard. She shivered in disgust as his fake eye spun in its socket.

“Oui,” she agreed. “That eye is horrible.”

“You don’t think he’s using it to look through our clothes, do you?” Giselle asked.

“Madame Maxime said it doesn’t work that way,” Fleur replied.

“I know, but I still feel naked when he looks at me,” Giselle said, folding her arms over her chest protectively.

Fleur hummed in agreement and glanced back over at the grizzled old man. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a head of disheveled black hair. Her smile quickly turned into a frown when she noticed Harry being harassed by a small group of Hufflepuff students. With a disgruntled expression, he shouldered his way past them and into the courtyard as they snickered and jeered behind his back.

“Look, here comes Potter.”

Fleur looked toward the voice and spotted a group of Slytherins. It was the only girl in the group who had long, dark hair and an upturned nose that had spoken. The two large boys chuckled and cracked their knuckles while the thin boy with blonde hair leaned down from the tree branch he was sitting on.

“Let’s have some fun,” he smirked.

Fleur huffed and marched into the courtyard, determined to stop this bullying before it started. She knew Harry had been stressing over the Tournament and the Ball for the last couple of weeks. Even now, his head was bowed, deep in thought, and he was completely oblivious to what was happening around him. Hermione, who was right beside him, talking softly, glanced at Fleur curiously as she approached.

“’Arry!” she called, smiling brightly.

Fleur drew the attention of the entire courtyard, but it was worth it to see the smile that graced Harry’s face when he looked up. Unconsciously, a softer, more genuine smile appeared on her face.

Thud! “Oof.”

Everyone looked over, and the students milling about the courtyard laughed as the blonde boy picked himself up off the ground and dusted off his robes, his cheeks turning pink from embarrassment. Fleur immediately realized she’d relaxed her hold on her Allure, which had resulted in the boy falling out of the tree.

“Draco, are you alright?” the girl asked with concern.

“I’m fine,” the boy hissed.

Smirking, Fleur turned back to Harry and Hermione, and they all shared an amused glance.

“Are you alright, ‘Arry?” she asked. “You look troubled.”

“I’m fine,” Harry said, waving away her concern.

Hermione rolled her eyes, “We were just talking about Skeeter’s latest article,” she said. “I can’t figure out how she’s getting onto the grounds when she’s not supposed to be here.”

“I still think she’s using an Invisibility Cloak,” Harry said.

“And I told you, Professor Dumbledore and Professor Moody can see through them,” Hermione huffed. “And with the way Professor Moody prowls the halls, he’d catch her for sure.”

“She could be an Animagus,” Giselle said thoughtfully.

“Of course!” Hermione gasped. “But how…?”

Without finishing that thought, she turned to Harry and reached into his back pocket.

“Hey!” Harry yelled indignantly.

“Sorry,” Hermione said, pulling out a battered but familiar piece of parchment. “Can I borrow this?”

“Sure,” Harry said, cocking his head to the side curiously. “What what-”

“I’ll explain later,” she interrupted. “I need to check something in the library first.”

“But–Hermione!” Harry yelled.

He sighed as Hermione raced from the courtyard and back into the castle.

“I hate it when she does that,” he grumbled.

“You ‘ave very odd friend,” Fleur commented.

“I know,” Harry smiled.

“And you need to relax more,” she told him. “You are too stressed.”

“I’m trying,” he sighed, combing a hand through his hair. “It’s just hard, you know.”

“Zen I weel ‘elp you,” Fleur said determinedly. “You weel be my date to ‘Ogsmeade zis weekend.”

“Date?” Harry asked, his eyebrows arched high in surprise.

“Unless you do not want to,” she said, quirking an eyebrow.

“No! I mean, yes. I’d love to,” he stammered.

Fleur smiled, amused by his nervousness.

“Bon,” she said.

Taking a step forward, Fleur bent down and kissed the corner of his mouth. When she pulled back, she couldn’t help but giggle at the stunned expression on his face.

“Fleur, we need to get to class,” Giselle reminded her amusedly.

“See you zis weekend, ‘Arry,” Fleur said.

“Er, yeah, see you,” Harry said awkwardly.

Flashing him a dazzling smile, she left the courtyard and turned right down the hall.

“You’re right,” Marie smiled. “He’s cute when he blushes.”

Fleur and her friends laughed. As they made their way through the castle to the Charms classroom, they idle discussed where they might go on the Hogsmeade visit. When they entered the classroom, Fleur spotted Cedric off to one side, chatting with his friends.

“I’ll be right back,” she said to her friends. “Save me a seat.”

Her friends waved in acknowledgment as she turned and walked toward Cedric. The boys perked up as she approached, while the Asian girl next to Cedric eyed her suspiciously and scooted closer to him.

“Hey, Fleur,” Cedric said.

“Bonjour,” Fleur replied. “Could I speak wiz you for a moment?”

“Sure,” he smiled. “What’s up?”

“I saw some of your ‘ousemates bullying ‘Arry in ze courtyard,” Fleur told him.

“Again?” Cedric frowned and sighed. “I’ll talk to them about it. I thought I took care of that when I told everyone about the Dragon.”

“Ze Dragon?” Fleur asked curiously.

“Yeah, Harry warned me about the Dragons,” he said, shaking his head. “I would’ve been toast if he hadn’t. But, yeah, I’ll talk to my house about it. Not liking him is one thing, but I won’t put up with bullying.”

“Merci,” Fleur said, making a mental note to ask Harry about warning Cedric later.

“Hey, Fleur,” a handsome boy with dirty blonde hair called.

“Oui, Robert?” she asked.

“It’s Roger,” he corrected. “Listen, I was wondering if you wanted to go to the Ball with me.”

“I’m sorry, I already ‘ave a date,” Fleur said, giving him a small, apologetic smile.

“Really?” the Asian witch asked interestedly. “Who?”

“’Arry,” Fleur replied with a smile.

“Harry asked you?” Cedric asked incredulously. “Wow, I didn’t think he had it in him.”

“Non, I asked ‘im,” she smirked.

“Ah, that makes much more sense,” Cedric chuckled. “Well, I hope you two have fun together.”

“I’m sure we will,” Fleur said.

With a small wave, she turned and rejoined her friends just as the bell rang, signaling the start of class.

~

Fleur shivered and pulled her cloak tightly around her body as she exited the carriage. As much as she hated the cold, she was relieved to get away from Ron. Despite Hermione kicking him in the shin several times, he’d spent the entire trip to the village gawping at her. The boy had no self-control.

“Where do you want to go first?” she asked, turning to look at Harry.

“Do you want to go warm up at Honeyduke’s?” he asked.

“Oui,” Fleur sighed, her hot breath fogging in the bitterly cold air.

Looping her arm through Harry’s and hugging it for warmth, she followed him down the bustling cobblestone streets.

“Doesn’t it get cold in France?” he asked curiously. “I thought they were supposed to have good skiing.”

“Zey do in ze North of France,” Fleur said. “Beauxbatons is in ze South. It’s warmer zere.”

Sighing wistfully, she looked up at the sky and squinted her eyes against the bright sunlight.

“I miss ze feel of ze sun on my skin,” she said, savoring what little warmth she could feel from the sun. “We ‘ave a beautiful beach at Beauxbatons.”

“My parents took me to Pampelonna Beach last year,” Hermione said. “It was amazing, but I wasn’t brave enough to go topless.”

“Topless!” Ron exclaimed, his ears turning red.

“Oui,” Fleur smirked over her shoulder at the redhead and then turned to look at Harry, “Zere is a nude beach near my parents ‘ome. Per’aps you can visit zis Summer?”

Harry’s cheeks went bright red. Fleur laughed and squeezed his hand comfortingly.

“Oh, honestly,” Hermione huffed. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Really?” Harry asked, arching his brow. “Go on. Get naked then.”

“Don’t be silly, Harry,” she replied, blushing lightly. “It’s freezing.”

“Fine,” he said. “Why don’t you go topless by the lake at the end of the year when it’s warmer, then?”

“Well… I’d look pretty silly doing it by myself,” Hermione argued, her cheeks growing steadily darker.

“I’ll do it wiz you,” Fleur offered with a smirk, causing Ron to stumble in shock. “So weel my friends.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Hermione said nervously. “I doubt the teachers would allow it. And besides, the sight of you topless might make Ron’s head explode.”

There was a full three second delay before Ron, who was staring off into space with a dreamy expression on his face, registered what she’d said.

“Oi!” he shouted.

Harry, Hermione, and Fleur burst into laughter as they entered Honeyduke’s. It was almost uncomfortably warm with so many students running around, but for the moment, Fleur savored the relief the heat brought.

“Harry!” the older woman behind the counter called with a smile.

“Hi, Miriam,” Harry said, smiling warmly. “How’s Ambrosius?”

“Having fun showing off his latest concoction,” Miriam said, nodding to the left.

Fleur looked over and saw a large, bald man showing off gum. He quickly chewed it and then blew a big pink bubble that floated in front of him. Poking it with his finger, he pushed it toward a group of younger students that laughed and batted it back and forth like a beach ball.

“Wicked,” Harry grinned. “Anything else new?”

“We do,” Miriam smiled as she pulled a tray of chocolates out from under the counter. “I came up with these just last week. Your lady friend might like them. They’re filled with Dirigible Plum jam mixed with just a touch of red wine. Try one.”

Fleur took one of the chocolates and popped it into her mouth. She bit into it, and the sweet filling coated her tongue. It was delicious and left a slight tingling on the roof of her mouth. Closing her eyes, Fleur moaned in delight.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Miriam smiled.

“These are great,” Harry said enthusiastically. “Can we get two boxes? Oh, and-”

“A box of Floss Mints and Chocolate Frogs for your friends,” Miriam said with a smile. “I remember. I’ll set them aside for you.”

“Thanks, Miriam,” Harry smiled.

“Any time, dear,” she smiled. “Just let me know if you want anything else.”

Turning, Harry led Fleur around the shop and pointed out several things she’d missed on her first couple of visits. There were peppermints that fizzed in her mouth and produced a constant stream of bubbles, he showed her a sampler box that she immediately grabbed to send home to Gabrielle, and he introduced her to his personal favorite, Fizzing Whizzbees. They were bee-shaped chocolates filled with honey that caused the person eating it to float for a few seconds.

After an hour of exploring the shop with Harry and his friends, Fleur found a new personal favorite, Firewhiskey Fancies. They were balls of chocolate filled with Firewhiskey that caused a pleasant warmth to course through her body. Grabbing two boxes of those, they all walked up to the counter. When Fleur noticed Miriam adding her purchases in with Harry, she made to correct her but was stopped by Hermione, who placed a hand on her arm and shook her head. She gave her a curious look, causing Hermione to grab her sleeve and pull her off to the side.

“Harry always pays for sweets,” she whispered. “Just let him.”

“But, why?” Fleur asked.

“It’s… complicated,” Hermione sighed. “You’ll have to ask him about it later, but just let him pay. Trust me, it’s not worth the argument. He can be incredibly stubborn when he wants to be.”

With her brow furrowed, Fleur nodded, and they rejoined the boys at the counter just as Harry finished paying. Taking her bag, she flashed Harry a grateful smile and kissed his cheek.

“Where are we going next?” she asked.

For the next few hours, Harry showed her around the village. He knew every shop owner by name, and they greeted him with warm, genuine smiles. Once their pockets were full of their shrunken purchases, they made their way to the Three Broomsticks for a late lunch.

“Hello, dears,” Madam Rosmerta greeted them with a smile. “Table for four?”

“Actually, could Fleur and I get a private booth?” Harry asked.

Fleur looked at him sharply but smiled in pleasant surprise. She’d expected to spend the entire day with his friends.

“You’re leaving us, mate?” Ron asked.

“He’s on a date, Ronald,” Hermione reminded him, rolling her eyes. “Besides, they’ve spent most of the day with us. I’m sure they’d like some privacy today.”

“Er, I mean, if you want to,” Harry said, looking at her nervously.

“Oui,” Fleur said, smiling brightly.

“Of course,” Rosmerta said with a knowing gleam in her eyes. “In fact, a booth just opened up in the back. Why don’t you two go take a seat and I’ll be right over to take your order.”

Nodding, Harry took her by the hand and led her over to a booth tucked away in a darkened corner of the pub. They both removed their jackets and slid into their seats.

“Sorry if I’m not good at this,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “I’ve never really been on a date before.”

“You’re doing fine,” Fleur assured him with a smile. “Zis is ze most fun I ‘ave ‘ad on a date.”

“Really?” Harry asked curiously.

“Oui,” she replied with a smirk. “Zis is ze first time a date ‘as spoken to me instead of zese.”

Cupping her breasts, Fleur lifted them up and let them drop. Her smirk grew when Harry’s eyes fell on her chest, and his cheeks turned a light shade of pink. It was oddly gratifying to know she could still gain his attention even though he wasn’t affected by her Allure.

“Well, they are lovely company,” he said.

Harry’s cheeks went bright red, and his eyes widened. He looked so surprised by his own response that Fleur couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Seeing her laugh, he relaxed and chuckled, his cheeks slowly fading back to their normal color.

“You two look like you’re having fun,” Rosmerta said as she arrived at their table. “What can I get for you?”

“I’ll have a Butterbeer and the Shepard’s Pie,” Harry replied.

“I weel ze mead and ze soup,” Fleur said.

“I’ll have that out for you in a few minutes,” Rosmerta smiled.

“How is your training for ze Second Task going?” Fleur asked, turning back to Harry.

“Not great,” he admitted. “We haven’t found the right spells yet, but there’s still a few weeks left. How about you?”

“I ‘ave everything I need. I just need to practice,” Fleur replied. “I’m going to ask Madame Maxime if I can use ze Prefects’ Bath. I do not want to learn in ze lake.”

“Yeah, that doesn’t sound fun,” Harry said. “Hermione and I saw Krum jumping in a few days ago. That guy’s crazy.”

She shivered at just the thought of jumping into those cold, dark waters.

“You should come practice wiz me,” she said suddenly, the corners of her lips quirking up in a smile. “We ‘ad fun ze last time we shared a bath, non?”

“Er, yeah,” he admittedly shyly. “Isn’t that cheating, though?”

Fleur shrugged, “It’s a simple spell. I’m sure you will find it soon.”

She smiled as she watched Harry’s struggle between his sense of fairness and his desire to see her in a bikini again. Maybe she shouldn’t be trying to tip the scale in her favor, but she wouldn’t really be helping him that much. He would still have to complete the task on his own.

“And, I should ‘ave someone zere in case I get ze spell wrong,” she added with a pout.

“Alright,” Harry said after a moment of thought. “Sure, I’ll join you.”

“Bon,” Fleur smiled widely.

“Here you go,” Rosmerta said, appearing with their food and drinks. “One soup and one Shepard’s Pie. Let me know if you need anything else.”

“Thanks, Rosmerta,” Harry smiled before returning his attention to Fleur. “So, what’s your family like?”

For the next hour, they talked and laughed as they enjoyed their meal. As they were finishing up, Fleur excused herself to the bathroom. When she was making her way back to their table, she noticed the same Slytherins from the courtyard trying to antagonize Harry. Unfortunately, it looked like it was working. His expression darkened, and his muscles tensed as if he were preparing to leap out of his seat. Glaring at the back of their heads, she marched over to the booth.

“Really, Potty, I expected better,” the blonde boy sneered. “Befriending the Mudblood is one thing, but dating a creature? She’s not even human. And just when I thought your family couldn’t sink any lower.”

Fleur arrived just in time. Harry jumped to his feet, his fists ball, but she held him back by placing a hand lightly on his chest. Flicking her hair over her shoulder, she pinned the blonde with her iciest glare.

“Go away, leetle boy,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “We ‘ave better zings to do zan listen to your pathetic insults.”

Turning back to Harry, Fleur wrapped her Allure around him and dragged her nails lightly down his chest. His muscles relaxed almost instantly, and his gaze softened as he looked at her.

“Yeah, like what?” the boy snorted derisively. “Everyone knows you’re only stringing him along, so he’ll save you during the next task. In fact, I heard you don’t even like him.”

“Is zat so?” Fleur asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Sliding her hand up Harry’s chest and over his shoulders, she grabbed the back of his head and pulled him in for a kiss. He froze in surprise for a moment, and then his lips moved against hers, and his hand wrapped around her waist. Pressing her body firmly against his, Fleur deepened the kiss, sliding her tongue over his. Harry responded eagerly, and soon, they were snogging heavily in the middle of the pub.

“You four, out of my pub,” Rosmerta ordered loudly.

Harry and Fleur broke apart, their faces flushed and their breathing heavy as they turned to see what was happening. Seeing the gormless expressions around the room, Fleur realized her Allure had gotten away from her again, and she quickly reigned it in. The three Slytherin boys shook their heads to clear them as Rosmerta wagged her wand at them.

“Did you hear me?” she demanded. “I won’t have you in here harassing my customers. Now, out.”

“What?” the blonde blustered. “You can’t do that.”

“It’s my pub. I can do what I like,” Rosmerta replied, unimpressed. “You can either leave on your own, or I can call the Aurors and have them escort you out.”

“My father will hear about this,” the boy spat.

“And I’ll be sure to owl your mother and tell her all about the public scene you made in my pub,” Rosmerta said, gesturing to the door.

The boy paled, and he and his friends made for the door quickly while the other students snickered behind his back.

“That was brilliant,” Harry grinned.

“Oui, it was,” Fleur smirked as she turned to him and pecked him on the lips.