With plans in place and conversations best left forgotten or repressed, the week leading up to their date crawled by with no inclination of mercy. Days of wandering Grimmauld Place and nights of writing to Fleur to help with questions to ask Mariika's family did little to hurry time along. He'd never have guessed eternity came in the form of five simple days.
When Friday did eventually arrive, they met in front of Sirius's favorite cafe. Fleur donned the invisibility cloak within the protection of a nearby alley between buildings and Harry waved to Sirius through the cafe window, earning him a quick smile in return from where his godfather sat at a small table with two empty chairs.
"So, where are we going?" Fleur asked, her voice floating from close behind him.
"You'll see."
He grinned at her soft grunt of frustration.
When they slowed to a stop in front of Eeylops, Fleur let out a gasp of surprise and he felt her invisible hands grasp his elbow through the cloak.
"'Arry," she breathed. "This is too much."
"I asked your mum, don't worry."
"Owls are not cheap," she said, following him through the door, her voice fading when a graying woman slipped past Harry and out the door.
He shrugged and scanned the massive open room. The upper floors had been cut away, leaving all four stories open to the air with perches lining the walls all the way to the ceiling. The ruffling of tens of thousands of feathers filled the space, punctuated by the occasional, annoyed hoot from somewhere high above.
"'Arry!" Fleur's insistent tone made him pause and he stepped over to a corner, bypassing a small gaggle of children that were cooing over a massive brown owl that stared disinterestedly at them. "An owl is a thoughtful gift, but…"
He pulled out a small bag from his pocket and let the coins clink in his hand.
"My parents left me a fair amount of money. I don't really have anything else to spend it on, so I figured I could get her something nice." He let a smile creep across his face. "You know, since hair accessories are out of the question."
Fleur made a noise that lived somewhere between an annoyed huff and a laugh.
"If you say so," she said. "But you should save for your future. The only reason I was able to move out was because of the Triwizard winnings, remember?"
Harry shrugged and let the subject fall, lest they stray into mood-dampening explanations.
"So, what owl do you think she'd like?"
XxX
Sirius watched Harry disappear from view, his invisible girlfriend presumably behind him. He mused over his godson's unusual relationship borne of a friendship he'd seen growing from even the earliest days of hesitant mentions and muted excitement. His letters in fourth year had been full of anxieties and fear for the tournament, but his new friend always seemed to bring life into his written words.
The cute waitress set down his mug of tea with a broad, friendly smile and nodded to the empty chairs.
"No companions today?" she asked.
"I'm just early," he said, taking a sip of the scalding tea, then attempting to set it down as though he hadn't just burnt his tongue. "My cousins like to operate on their own schedules."
Andromeda would have had his head if she knew he'd insinuated she was anything less than perfectly punctual. Narcissa…
Well, she'd have his head, no matter how true the statement.
"Should I get their drinks ready?"
Sirius suppressed his disappointment. She remembered all of their orders, not just his.
But still, she'd remembered.
"No," he said, grinning. "Thanks though. They'd appreciate it if you go ahead and get them ready once they finally get around to showing up."
In truth, it would be quite some time before Andy and Narcissa joined him for their semi-regular meet up. Long enough that Sirius both finished his tea and had time to wonder if he should go check in on Harry at Eeylops, just in case.
He'd be safe in Diagon Alley. Plus, Fleur was with him.
And the Death Eaters didn't attack the Alley until they had a stronger foothold the first time around.
But they also hadn't sent the Ministry into disarray. And they hadn't made a kidnapping attempt.
He was halfway out of his chair when he glimpsed Harry snaking his way through the crowd outside before turning through the doorway to Fortescue's. Well, if they wanted to ruin the dinner they were going to cook for their date, that was up to them.
"Are you okay? You seem...tense."
Sirius nearly lept out of his skin. How had he managed to forget that the waitress was standing right next to him?
"I'm fine," he lied, though the smile he leveled in response to her concern was plenty genuine. "You know how things are nowadays. Plus, I've just taken guardianship of my godson, so I'm probably being a little overprotective."
Something passed behind the waitress's brown eyes that Sirius couldn't decipher and was gone before he had much opportunity to be replaced by an understanding nod of her head.
"I know what you mean," she said. "I suddenly found my...my nephew in my care some time ago. We moved for a bit of a change of scenery and have been getting along well enough after that."
"Glad to hear things are getting better for the two of you."
She nodded, wisps of her brown hair bobbing along with the motion.
"Listen, I-" she began.
She was cut short by a curt, clipped, "Waters!" from the backroom of the shop and she gave Sirius a tight smile.
"Sorry," she said, "but I've still got some work to do. I'll get the drinks for your…"
"Cousins."
"-for your cousins when they show up."
She left him with a smile and disappeared into the back.
Not long after, the door jingled, announcing the arrival of both Andromeda and Narcissa. They took their customary seats, and only minutes later, received their drinks.
"I thought Harry was coming with you?" Andy said, thanking the waitress.
"He's getting some ice cream. Had a bit of shopping to do."
"I'm surprised you're letting him out of your sight. After what happened."
And just like that, the easy mood that had been so difficult to cultivate vanished in a puff of thick tension.
Narcissa's eyes flashed and she set her cup down with a hard clink that had Sirius expecting the saucer to crack in half.
"Something to say, Narcissa?" Andromeda said, her tone that of silken steel.
"Nothing you haven't already heard."
"Yes. A house full of terrible guests and somehow you hadn't heard a word."
The slap of hands on the table cut through the air. Heads swiveled to look and there was a crash of broken glass from behind the counter. Narcissa was standing, eyes blazing down at her sister.
Andromeda, even while sitting, imposed her own gravitas. Her dark eyes flashed as the air between them vibrated with unspent energy.
"Touched a nerve, have I?" Andromeda said, her calm voice teetering on the edge of control. "Disappointed that you can't weasel your way into our lives so easily?" Passive features twitched into a snarl. "You've shown your colors, Narcissa. Colors I'd seen since the beginning."
Narcissa held her gaze for a long moment, her arched back rising and falling with deep controlled breaths.
Sirius floundered for an interjection to squash the argument. He didn't disagree, but-
"Veritaserum. Now."
Sirius blinked, the unbelievable word washing across him as effectively as an ice bath. Andromeda twitched, her eyes narrowing in unconcealed suspicion.
"You don't mean that," Andromeda said, her words sparking dangerous light behind Narcissa's blue eyes.
"Now."
Spells were going to start flying if he didn't find his voice.
"How am I supposed to get a controlled substance like Veritaserum right this minute?" he asked.
Narcissa's ire shifted to him, before cooling a few degrees once she registered his question. "I possess some," she said, before casting a derisive glance over at her sister. "But I doubt that'll be satisfactory."
"There are only a few people in the whole country that can brew the stuff, and I doubt Snape is going to sell to me, no matter how much I offer him."
Silence fell across the table, settling the entire cafe into an uncomfortable air. Sirius racked his brain for an answer. If she had known about the attack on Harry, it'd be good to know so Sirius could cart her off to be kissed by a dementor himself. If she hadn't…then all their work hadn't been for nothing. Maybe his family hadn't fractured…again.
Narcissa searched his features silently, allowing him the opportunity to notice the expertly hidden bags beneath her eyes and sunken cheeks not quite covered by makeup. Wisps of golden hair poked out from the nape of her neck where they had escaped from her usually immaculate bun.
He saw a reflection of exhaustion and fear mixed in her. The rabid eyes of an animal on alert and searching for the next precious moment of safety.
"Slughorn."
Andromeda's almost whispered word made Sirius jump. He looked over to her to find her studying her tea, her face reflected in the dark liquid. Stubborn, intense distrust sat vanguard across her features, cracked through with precious, budding, fragile hope.
"He's reclusive…" Sirius pointed out, darting a glance over to Narcissa to find much the same written across her stoic features. Sisters indeed.
"He'd meet with you," Andromeda said. "Newly reinstated Head of one of the oldest families? One that's essentially a celebrity due to his very public escape and eventual victory over the Ministry?" She turned and smiled weakly at him. "He'd be your best friend if you asked him to be."
"I'll send him an owl today," he said, looking between his cousins for agreement. "If he agrees, then we can discuss appropriate questions?"
Andromeda's guard snapped up and she glowered at him.
"It's only fair," he said, holding his hands up in defense. "She'd be at our mercy. I'm not saying we have to pull our punches, there are certain things we need to know. But if she's telling us the truth, she deserves the rest of her privacy."
"And if she's not?"
Narcissa's jaw clenched and she leaned forward. "Then I would be at your mercy, wouldn't I?"
"Let's cool it," Sirius said, leaning back in his chair to affect a relaxed air. No matter that his heart was trying to hammer through his chest. "I'm not sure blanket distrust is a fair approach to someone who's just offered and agreed to truth serum."
Reluctantly, Andromeda nodded and Sirius let out the breath that had been trapped in his lungs.
"Well. Since our tea is cold and I have a letter to send, I'd better go pick out an owl."
Nodding to his family, he rose and stepped over to the counter where he pressed a couple of galleons into the waitress's hand.
"Sorry for the disturbance. Won't happen again."
Her wide eyes and slow nod were all the acknowledgment he received, and he strode from the cafe, taking great care to ignore the sparks glinting in the air between his cousins.
Maybe Harry had the right of it. A sweet treat with a sweeter girl sounded awfully nice.
XxX
Fleur's apartment appeared a fair bit larger at first glance than he remembered. The missing Christmas tree in the corner opened up the small living room, though it was still only a few strides across. The red blanket was still folded atop the small couch, and Fleur's desk below the window was tidy with their notepaper sitting in the center. The sky outside the single-pane window glimmered with the bright oranges of the evening, the distant sun touching the horizon. Without the fire blazing in the hearth, cinnamon floated through the air, carrying him away into comfort and familiarity.
Later, at his request, Fleur joined Harry at the stove and the counter. Mincing and stirring as instructed, she worked with a smile and a familiar lilting hum. She reached across him in the small space, pulling out whatever dish or pan he needed, the brush of her skin hot against his. More than once, he found his knife paused in midair or his fingers stuck, immobile on the burner control.
Sirius's gestures and red-faced, meandering explanations bumped around in his thoughts alongside the way the perfectly smooth skin of her neck flexed whenever she tilted her head. Pink smiling lips entranced him until he almost missed the arch of her eyebrow as she glanced askance at him.
"I have warned you, you know," she said, the potentially terse words softened by the smile in her voice. "I can tell."
Faint alarms sounded in the distance of his mind, small muscles in his chest knotted into familiar, tense balls of anxiety, all while he could do little more than stare.
Sirius had said things about timing and being careful, and it had all seemed so…outlandish. Mortifying and impossible.
But silken, porcelain skin peering out through a crimson slit jumbled his thoughts. Mixed up his confusing fears and Sirius's words into a mess of foggy static in his mind.
An acrid stench pierced the air and they both jumped, Fleur pulling the pan from the burner in a futile attempt to save what remained of the vegetables. Her cheeks were tinted pink as she shook her head and turned to him, eyes smiling.
"Distracted, are we?"
"You didn't notice either," he managed.
The bright sundress she wore didn't cling to her curves the way her vivid red distraction had, but the light through the small window above her skin occasionally shone through the fabric, silhouetting her stomach or back and driving what little remained of himself from his mind.
He tried to shake his head to clear it. Sirius had really done a number on him. Such thoughts used to be so easy to keep down.
"Have you been doing much this week to get ready for your trip?" he asked, desperate to fill the sudden silence. He bent to grab spare vegetables from his bag and began dicing.
Fleur's lips pursed for only a moment before she relaxed and vanished the charred contents of her pan with a wave of her wand.
"I have all of my questions ready," she said. "Or at least all I can think of. Most of my time has been spent at my parent's home. I have been practicing with my wand."
She held the thin, near-white wand aloft and rolled it between her fingers.
He hadn't had much opportunity to see the wand up close and idle, and he noticed a handle carved into a relief of ivy and branches that curved around the base and reached almost halfway up its length.
He shifted his gaze down to the empty pan and shrugged.
"Seems like it's working. You didn't vanish the cookware."
His small joke earned him a fleeting smile that vanished as suddenly as it had come.
"It is…different. It is difficult to say how." She trailed off, letting her hand fall to the side. "So, I have been working on my spellwork in our little clearing."
The frown returned, and this time it lingered.
"I cannot cast my spells non-verbally anymore."
"It's that different?" he asked, pushing the vegetables into the waiting pan.
She nodded her answer, stowing her wand and grabbing the wooden spoon she'd been using.
"It's probably pretty nice right now," he said, the silence again encroaching upon them. "The clearing…that is."
Her smile grew slowly and she pushed the food around in the pan for a moment before answering.
"It is. I have a new rock added to my little circle. I am up to seven now. The mushrooms have only just started appearing and the grass is up to my shins."
A smile lifted his cheeks as he dumped some flour onto the counter to begin the pasta.
"It sounds great."
She moved the pan off the burner without answering and clicked off the element. He stole a glance over and found the vegetables had been pulled off a little early, but they would still do.
" It is not the same ," she murmured, her French melodic, even while pensive.
He supposed he should have been disappointed for her, that such a special place had lost its charm.
The electric bolt of pleasure was impossible to deny and the sensation of it earned him a shrug and a smile.
"I still enjoy the privacy of being surrounded by nature, but I often find myself daydreaming that you were there with me."
"I can come by when you get back."
She nodded and pulled the eggs from the refrigerator for him.
"I would like that."
Minutes ticked into hours. Their meal was eaten over easy conversation and stories of Gabrielle as a toddler, pounding small fat fists into the beautiful, expensive piano in their ballroom. He listened to Fleur's first years at Beauxbatons and her horrible first lessons on a broom. In return, he tried his best to convey the majesty of seeing Hogwarts for the first time, glittering over the lake and promising the unfathomable potential of magic.
He deftly skirted around the lingering fear of his relatives that had so tainted his first weeks at Hogwarts. How, even though he'd been surrounded by brooms and floating feathers, Professors that turn into cats, and the utterly bizarre game that was Quidditch, he worried that he'd wake up and find out it was all a dream, or worse, be sent away and know it wasn't.
Instead, he embellished his story about catching Neville's remembrall and undersold his contribution to the troll takedown.
Their conversation fell away as the moon rose into the sky, painting the early July night with its silver light. They sat on the couch, exchanging a perfect mix of delicate kisses and long, comfortable silences. As always, she melded to his side, her head against his shoulder and her arms wrapped around his shoulders. Cinnamon swirled in the heat that surrounded them, a volatile mixture of Fleur's ambient warmth and the fire she sparked inside him.
More than once he'd look down to find her staring up at him, her lip pulled between her teeth as something unreadable passed behind her eyes. Often, she did the same to his lip only moments later.
The evening spiraled into a world of careful caresses across his skin and frantic, blazing kisses that scorched his senses from his mind. No matter how he tried to focus, to remember the give of her waist beneath his hands or the silken brush of her hair across his skin, she left him bereft of thought, leaving only a blended mix of pleasant feeling spreading through his veins, pulsing in time with his heart.
XxX
He was of little use in the day following their date, unable to stray far from the pleasant realm of recent memory and the phantom touch of her fingers gliding across his face. The one thing that had pierced his fog, however, was the simple, excited scrawl across their notepaper, the strokes almost illegible for their frantic speed.
I made it. Mariika says hello. I will try to talk to you tonight.
But the night came and went without a word, and he couldn't find it in himself to pay much mind to the sting of disappointment. He knew the value of long-sought-after answers and only hoped hers were more palatable than his.
The next day brought with it reality in all its various shades.
When Harry slipped down the stairs to begin breakfast, he found Sirius at the stove, a kettle resting on a burner. He greeted Harry with a smile and a tightness around the eyes that made Harry's blood run cold. That was Sirius's bad-news face.
"What is it?" he asked, unsure if he could stomach the slow dance of leading up to tragic news so early in the morning.
Sirius let out a mirthless laugh and shook his head. "One of these days I'll learn to hide something from you."
"I'd rather you didn't."
His godfather chuckled in earnest and nodded. "Fair enough. To start, it's nothing on par with the…revelations we've had lately."
Harry nodded, feeling the anxious fire coursing through him wane at the reassurance.
"It's…the beginning of a larger problem," Sirius began, pulling the whistling kettle from the stove and pouring the water into a pair of cups on the counter. "The Death Eaters have started their attacks."
"Like…on the Ministry?" Harry asked, frowning.
"No, the Ministry, even in its recovering state is going to be too difficult a target right now, especially with everyone on high alert. They like to test response time at first, see how long they can get away with their mayhem before they meet opposition. Once they grow more comfortable with the timing…things'll start to get worse."
"Did…did anybody…?"
Sirius shook his head and let out a breath. "Nobody was killed. Hell, I don't even think anybody was injured."
"Then what was the point?"
At that, Sirius grimaced, his features fading to a somber cast.
"They went to Godric's Hollow. Smashed up a lot of what was left of…of your old house."
Harry braced himself for the wave of sadness that would come at the destruction of the only real home he'd had as a child but found it was barely a ripple. The only memory he had of the house preceded violence and death by mere seconds. It was hard to feel sadness against the death of something you'd never known. That empty space in his heart was meant for his parents, not the building that had sheltered them.
"I'm glad nobody was hurt."
"Me too," Sirius said, relaxing. "Hopefully we won't see an escalation for a while yet."
He grinned.
"Dumbledore was the first to show. I'd bet you've never seen a sorrier group of thugs scrambling over themselves to apparate away. Bet someone got splinched for sure."
The idea of it made Harry pause.
"I figured Dumbledore would show up to fight Voldemort…not the regular Death Eaters."
"That's how it used to be, but he said he's going to be more active. He's a lot older this time too, so I'm a bit worried…but you can't really tell Albus Dumbledore not to fight against Voldemort."
The idea of a gaggle of Death Eaters smashing an already broken house for laughs, only to be met not by the Aurors they expected, but by the gargantuan presence of Dumbledore was a funny one.
Sirius's hand dipped below the table and produced something Harry never would have expected. Rather than his wand, or a letter, or the thousand other things his godfather could have kept hidden, he set a little toy dog on the table between them.
"It's your emergency portkey," Sirius said in answer to the bafflement he must have seen on Harry's face.
"Oh."
"You've been in too many dangerous situations for me to stomach and the attack on Godric's Hollow made the decision for me. If you aren't here or at school, you're going to be carrying this around with you. The activation word is 'escape'.
Harry reached out a hand and plucked the tiny black dog from where it stood, head held high. He couldn't help but smile.
"A dog?"
"Obviously." Sirius downed his tea and pushed back from the table. "I've got to go try and meet up with a dodgy old man. Will you be alright here by yourself for a bit?"
"Sure," Harry said, pocketing the dog. "Who is it?"
"He's just a man past his prime that likes to collect favors from those more connected than he. As a newly minted Head of House, I should be able to extract one such favor."
"For…the war?" Harry asked, trying to puzzle through Sirius's sudden reticence.
Sirius shook his head.
"No…well, sort of. I'll have to tell you later, okay?"
Harry could only nod and sip his tea, just to give his hands something to do.
With Sirius gone and Fleur too busy to write, Harry found himself at an absolute loss for what to do. After a particularly nasty book in the family library had left him unconscious the week before, he wasn't the least bit interested in going inside without Sirius. He contented himself with wandering the upper floors and snooping through the dusty rooms. Portraits shifted as he wandered past and the distinct smell of undisturbed antiques permeated the halls. Beyond what looked to be an ancient copy of Hogwarts: A History, he found nothing of interest.
Well…except for the room that chilled when he stepped inside and smelled of damp lake water. He'd retreated from the boggart when the rushing of water began to fill his ears and he took the stairs two at a time back down to his room. He could write letters now. Maybe he could see what Hermione was doing.
Once Hedwig had been sent off to wherever it was Hermione lived, it was a few hours before he found anything of interest to do. He'd been rereading his Christmas letters when movement from his nightstand caught his eye and he leapt to check. A rush of appreciation that Fleur wasn't there to see him ran through him as he read her message.
I am so sorry for not writing last night. We fell asleep while talking. Her family is lovely.
I'm glad you're having a good time.
I am.
There was a pause and a small dot of ink began to spread on the page next to her words. After a moment, it vanished and new lines began to trace their way across the parchment.
I have never been around so many people like me before. I do not have words for it.
Did you find out anything interesting?
Somewhat. Their knowledge is more complete than my family's…but not entirely complete. We do know that we are not from the same area.
But didn't you know that? They're from Bulgaria, right?
I am not explaining myself well. My ancestors came from Scandinavia, theirs from the Balkan region. I am…similar to them, but not exactly the same.
There are different Veela?
So it would seem. You were correct when you said their fire was normal at the World Cup. Not a single one of them produces the blue fire that I do when they are transformed.
Weird.
Very. Differences like that aside, we appear to be extremely similar. Most of our abilities remain the same.
Most?
There are subtle differences. Our allures are functionally similar. Mariika and I made a trip into the nearby village just to test it out. As far as we can tell, we have a similar ability to sense emotions, though she has not paid enough attention to hone it as I have.
Why not? It almost seems like a waste.
I did not ask. It is annoying when we are young and it first starts happening. I am not surprised some learn to tune it out.
Sounds like you've been busy.
I have been. They even offered to take me to a Quidditch game later this week. Asked if I wanted to cheer with them.
Are you going to?
No. Aside from the sheer embarrassment, that is one other area we differ. Where my fire is different, their enchanting song and dance is more powerful than my own.
Harry blinked down at the paper, unsure if he should feel stupid for not piecing it together before.
You can dance like they did at the World Cup?
Fleur's reply was so long in coming that he'd begun to construct a sufficient apology in his head before putting it down on paper. If it had been something she wanted to talk about, she'd have brought it up before now.
I can.
I probably should have figured that out myself. Sorry.
Do not be sorry.
Another dot spread across the parchment, lingering as Harry berated himself for dragging her excitement to a halt.
I can show you sometime. If you want.
The thump of Harry's pulse made the muscles in his neck flex in response. How on earth was he supposed to respond to something like that? Would it be dumb to just put: yes, please?
I'm not going to say no, that's for sure.
That was a rather large pause. I am positive you are blushing.
You probably are too.
Certainly not.
Harry's imagination ran away with whatever part of his brain he used to formulate words and all he could picture was Fleur in her red dress, dancing.
I am sorry, but I must go soon. They are preparing dinner and I wish to put my new assistant skills to use for my hosts.
How long will you be staying?
Not long. But I do not think I will be coming home right away. I have some answers but not the ones I need. As much as I love learning about them and what they can do differently, I came to find information about my fire, and that is impossible here.
What will you do?
I think I will search in Norway or Sweden for others like me. We know that our family is descended from woodland fairies. Norway has a rather large percentage of forested land, and should be as good a place as any to start. Perhaps if I wander the woods for long enough, I will find the fair folk.
The greater fairies?
Yes, though I was joking. As I said, they tend to find you, not the other way around. Besides, I have nothing I would want to barter.
Good luck.
Thank you, Harry. I will write to you when I can. Goodnight.
Goodnight.