Fleur Delacour was scared.
She had taken her avian form in front of Harry. She averted her eyes away from him, desperately wishing that he didn’t see her like this.
Harry didn’t care. He stepped forward, slowly.
Step by step.
In a fit of panic, flames emerged from the Veela, almost touching Harry.
“‘Arry! Ze flames will ‘urt you! Don’t!”
“Why shouldn’t I?” Harry said softly, continuing to step forward. “Fleur, you are my fire.”
“Why? Why do you persist? Zere are others!”
“But they’re not you. You’re the one I desire.”
“Stop it!” Fleur cried. “I know you are only zeying zis to make me feel better! We can not be like eet zat way!”
She continued sobbing, staring down at the ground beneath her. Suddenly, she felt him in front of her, and his arms wrapped around her.
Fleur let out gasp, feeling the warmth of his body against her. She suddenly felt herself slowly transforming back into her human self.
“Believe me, Fleur, when I say…”
Harry gently cupped his hand into her chin, slowly lifting her to face him. His lips curved, ready to whisper the words that she never thought she’d hear in this lifetime as a Veela.
“I want it that way.”
Their eyes met each other’s.
A thousand words were conveyed into that one simple sentence. But Fleur knew that they shouldn’t. She gently pulled away from Harry, who had a pained expression when he saw what she was doing.
“‘Arry…” Fleur started. “We are two ‘orlds apart. I can not reach zour ‘eart as I am.”
She let out a deep breath. Her next words would change everything.
And it would break his heart.
“Especially…when you say… ‘I want eet that way.’ Because…I do not want eet zat way.”
With that, she turned around and began walking away.
Harry just stared in disbelief.
But he didn’t believe her. He knew that she was scared, that she was hurting.
So he ran after her, grabbing her hand.
“Fleur!” Harry shouted.
Fleur jumped when she felt his hand grabbing her arm. She turned around to see him staring at her with a pleading look.
“Tell me why.” He demanded. “Has it just been a heartache?”
“…”
“Was it just a mistake?”
“…”
“Tell me why, Fleur!”
She couldn’t answer him. She just continued staring past him, with an almost dazed look on her face.
Harry scoffed. He angrily let go of her and stormed off.
Fleur’s quiet voice called out to him. “I never wanted to ‘ear say you wanted eett zat way, ‘arry.”
The words made Harry freeze. He turned around, almost snarling.
“Well, now I can see that we’ve fallen apart from the way we used to be,” he growled.
However, seeing Fleur’s sad expression made him soften. He only let out a sigh before he gently said his final words to her.
“Fleur…no matter the distance…I just want you to know that you are my fire. And will be my only desire.
And with that, he began walking away.
When his words began to echo in Fleur’s head, she knew she had made a mistake.
She went after her, and she threw it back at his face.
What had she done?
No…she couldn’t let it end like this.
This time, she was running after him.
She slammed into his back, her arms wrapping around him.
“I DON’T WANT TO ‘EAR YOU SAY EET!” She cried. “I don’t want to ‘ear you say eet has been nothin but a ‘eartbreak! Nothin but a mistake!”
“I never want to ‘ear you say it…”
“Because ‘Arry…I do…”
“I do, want eet zat way.”