Fleur Delacour walked into the Great Hall of Hogwarts, the old castle’s architecture giving her a feeling of longing that Beauxbaton’s more Art-Noveau style lacked. Her eyes, however, were on the students themselves, her hand inside her pocket grasped the Sacred Seal she brought with her, hoping for a sign as her eyes drifted over hundreds of faces.
A shiver, a wave of warmth as she scanned the table in Red and Gold.
How fitting.
She didn’t get a better view until she had to sit down at the Blue and Black table, Ravenclaw, if she recalled, those more focused on the more…scholarly pursuits.
‘Let’s just hope they don’t start to experiment on themselves or others’
Fleur managed to sit on the bench that gave her a good view of the Gryffindor table, whose sigil was a Golden Lion, and the Seal warmed again.
’ This can’t be a coincidence.
Food was served, most of it not to the taste of her ‘compatriots’ but Fleur quite liked the variety, she had always enjoyed traveling and seeing what other cultures had to offer.
‘These English could undoubtedly use better seasoning though.’
Using her time to systematically scan the Gryffindor table, Fleur finally felt her eyes land on the middle of it, where she guessed the Fourth Years were sat, her eyes stopped on a mop of unruly black hair, a boy, with his back turned to her.
She almost jumped in her seat when the Sacred Seal became almost unbearably hot.
‘Jackpot’
She couldn’t, however, contain her smile, or the excitement bubbling within her.
’Finally, after all these years, we can go back home, we can fix what was broken, set things right.’
A home she barely remembered, one her sister had never seen, her Maman told her it must be different now, that there will be much to rebuild, but Fleur didn’t care, now it was possible.
‘With a new Lord, wielding the power of the Ring, everything can be set to rights’
He looked young, must be two or three years her junior, but had a presence to him, something familiar, but that she couldn’t pinpoint. ’ I need to see him, I need to get close.r’ She looked at her table, seeing it was missing one of her favorite dishes.
’Perfect’
Drawing herself up with a small excuse to her companions, Fleur walked around her table, and towards the young man, her skin tingled in excitement, and she hoped her face didn’t show it, she controlled her breathing the best she could.
’I can’t scare him outright, he must have no idea, I will have to explain everything, but with care. Maybe my parents can help, but whatever happens, I will be his Maiden, so we should start the right way.’
Already she saw some boys, and even a few girls, reacting to her, she contained her frown, it was expected.
’Goodness, I hope he isn’t like that, I hope his power shields him somewhat, I won’t be able to work with someone who—’
Her thoughts froze as he turned to her, and bright, almost glinting, green eyes looked into her blue ones, and narrowed minutely.
Fleur was taken aback, more so by the presence that washed over her, it was cold and familiar, foreign, and judging.
She pursed her lips and smiled, walking the last few steps and speaking with a stronger accent than she normally had.
“Excuse moi, could we have ze Bouillabaisse?”
The young man’s head tilted to the side in curiosity, his bangs uncovered a lightning shaped scar, faded, but still there.
‘Of course.’
“Boula…baiss?” He asked, completely assassinating her language, a girl with bushy hair scoffed to his side, and pushed the large bowl to him.
“This one, Harry, we really need to work on your French.”
Harry turned to the girl and smiled, picking up the rather large bowl with surprising ease and giving it to her, fully turning himself in the process.
Fleur had to hold herself back when she saw it. Harry Potter, for it could be no one else, like some others, wore something on his robe’s lapels, however, while others wore their Hogwart’s House animals, sports team crest, or even Family sigils, Harry wore something she had only seen in her family’s books.
A Royal Carian Filigreed Crest.
The Sigil of the Carian Royal Family, of the rulers of Liurnia and Raya Lucaria.
And as she saw that, the smell of ozone and glintstone reached her nostrils as if to confirm her suspicions.
Her destined Lord is a Glinststone Sorcerer, and on top of that was serving the Carians, the Royal Princess even, if she recalled correctly.
A follower of the Dark Moon.
Her smile turned brittle, but she was too well-trained to panic right there in the middle of the Great Hall, in front of her destined Lord. So she accepted the bowl of Bouillabaisse with an outwardly charming smile and a thank you, and hastily went back to her seat.
‘No. I can’t give up, I must speak to him privately, explain everything.’
Had they waited too long?
—-
Green eyes followed Fleur as she went back to her table.
’So, she is from your home?’ Harry asked in his mind, and soon the familiar warm touch of Ranni answered.
’ She is, her countenance is that of the…Royal Family of Leyndell, she must be of Marika’s kin.’ There was something in her voice as she said that, a wariness, and something that Harry would say was resentment, even if he would never voice it.
’ Do you think she’s a threat?’
A soft hum was his answer, before she spoke, ’Nay, not at this moment, Harry, but she bears watching.’
Harry nodded, thankfully she was quite noticeable.
Ranni, however, tried to hide her irritation and most of all, her fears. ’She shan’t steal Harry from me, I will not be like Mother.’
’Harry, we must hasten our plans, my new body must be ready for the Winter Solstice.’
’Sure, Ranni, we can do it.’ She felt his own excitement course through him, along with that familiar longing, one she secretly shared, she was barely older than that Maiden when she lost her original body, and the time since has made her miss it.
She hoped they could relate to one another, and most of all, that Harry would want to stay close to her, maybe she could age the body to be a year or so older than his current one, for practical reasons, of course.
’Soon, I shall have mine own Lord, and we will go to my old home and take back what is mine by right.’