A/N: {{"TEXT"}} represents spoken French. I apologize to all French speakers if I use an idiom or phrase that is not appropriate for the language, as I speak not a lick of French.

Thursday, 19 September 1991 (earlier)

AJ was walking down the Beauxbatons hallway in a bit of a daze. Almost two weeks without a good night's sleep was really taking its toll on him. It's amazing how loud sleeping people can still be he grumbled in his own head as he wandered aimlessly. It had become a kind of ritual for him, heading to the least-used areas of the chateau so that he could relax his Occlumency and try to find some peace. He'd debated going to the school healer for a potion that would help but wasn't sure if that sort of thing would get back to Madame Maxime or not and so decided to tough it out. It was getting slowly better, but he still woke up a few times in the night on average. And this time of day, between the end of classes and the evening meal, was the worst time for his energy levels.

Unfortunately it was also the worst time for attention to his surroundings, and even with his mind open to the thoughts of others he was taken by surprise when the corridor was blocked by two figures, each holding a Beater's bat. His mental barriers immediately snapped back in place as he tried to assess the situation. Both were older boys that he'd seen hanging around with –

{{"I tried to warn you, Connard"}} came the voice from behind him. {{"I told you that getting on my bad side was going to be bad for your health. But you just had to keep getting between me and Fleur."}} AJ turned and there was Armand, a bat in his hand and a dangerous smirk on his lips.

The older boy had chosen his ambush spot well. When he'd encountered Armand before it was always in public, a spot where neither could take the confrontation much beyond words. Here, though, in this quiet corner of the chateau, there was no one to intervene. AJ fought his emotions, willing himself to remain calm despite the adrenaline that had started to flow through his system. He could feel his wand nearly vibrating in its holster at his side. He'd noticed not long after he'd first gotten it that it was tightly aligned with his own emotions, and when he lost control it tended to as well. Which led to spectacular but dangerous magic when he tried while they were in that state; he'd accidentally melted a tree on the reservation that first summer when he was only 9. It was yet another reason to keep a tight rein on his feelings. He pulled himself from the memories to respond to Armand. {{"There is no you and Fleur."}}

{{"Not yet,"}} Armand responded cryptically. {{"But there are ways of drawing the notice of otherwise uninterested parties aside from the whore's Allure, Connard."}}

AJ was confused; he understood the teen was probably talking about love, lust, and/or loyalty potions, but his epithet for Fleur didn't make any sense. Unless . . . {{"So I was right. You aren't being affected by Fleur's Allure, at least not as much as the others. You're just using it as an excuse to be a bastard."}}

Armand laughed. {{"Oh I've known since she arrived what she is and what she would one day be capable of. My father and I discussed it repeatedly, and he decided that I would do well to learn to guard my mind in preparation for her . . . emergence. It was Father's idea that I woo her as soon as she showed the appropriate signs, assisted by chemical means after the first inkling of interest. She'd be young, confused, and vulnerable; the steady older hand of the most popular man in school would make our relationship not seem out of place. It would require a great deal of effort, breaking her to my and Father's wills, but with how that body of hers will develop I'm sure I could make the experience . . . worthwhile for myself. The effort would be worth the prize."}}

{{"Prize?"}} AJ retorted. {{"Fleur isn't some prize to be taken or won."}}

{{"Ah, but I disagree, Connard. The stories are legend, of how Veela are able to seduce any that they desire. Imagine it,"}} Armand said, beginning to pace back and forth. {{"Imagine the power having a creature like that under your sway would be. Walk her into a room and any business rival would sell their soul to make the deal that landed her in their bed. I could easily triple Father's profits."}}

{{"This is about money? You want to sell Fleur to increase your family business?"}}

Armand chuckled. {{"Well, it's about sex too. It would be a shame to waste all of her on other people, after all."}}

AJ felt his blood surge even stronger at that comment, could feel his wand heating up his thigh. He fought it down, though, and struggled to take proper stock of his predicament. He was in an isolated area of the school boxed in by at least 3 assailants, all of them armed; for whatever reason (probably spite, since AJ had put Armand down without magic) they obviously wanted this to be a physical as opposed to a magical altercation. He briefly considered going for his wand but knew that he was in too close against larger opponents; he'd be hit by one or more of the bats before it even cleared its sheath. I need to stall, find an opening to escape. {{"This doesn't seem very bright,"}} AJ commented. {{"I mean I know who you all are, and if I show up in the Infirmary all tuned up you are going to get expelled."}}

Instead of instilling doubt, Armand just smiled broader. {{"Ah, that's the beauty of this, though, Connard. Another benefit of learning at my father's knee. You see, once you're a bloody pile on the ground I'm going to Obliviate you back to your days in diapers. The memory loss will be attributed to head trauma, you'll spend the rest of your life as a drooling mess, and though everyone will know it was me, without any proof of my involvement and all three of us knowing Occlumency, Father will have any potential charges dropped and I can continue with my plans unhindered by your constant meddling."}}

Well at least that explains why I didn't feel them coming AJ thought before a ridiculous comment just begged to be spoken. {{"'Constant meddling?' What are you, a Scooby Doo villain?"}} AJ had to say. At the confused looks, he sighed. {{"Forget it."}} Okay, so Plans A and B are out. Plan C involved the letter opener, but while he'd likely survive the fight if he used it, he'd almost surely be expelled, if not arrested.

While AJ continued making and discarding plans, arguing in his mind the merits of the letter opener, Armand looked over AJ's shoulder at his compatriots as he twirled the bat in his hand by the grip several times. {{"I think it's time we finish this up,"}} Armand said. {{"Take him."}}

The older boy surged forward, bat swinging wildly. AJ quickly moved inside the swing arc of the bat, taking a glancing hit (that still hurt like hell) to the side in order to deliver a quick punch to Armand's solar plexus and a left hook that landed squarely on his opponent's jaw, stunning him momentarily. He grabbed the now dazed Armand by the shoulders and twirled, putting the other boy between himself and his other two attackers, before pushing hard. He didn't wait to see if his tactic of using Armand as an obstacle worked or not; he was already bolting down the hallway.

He turned left and then right, his fight-or-flight response overriding his normally logical mind and unknowingly sending him deeper into the far corners of the chateau. But as long as he could hear the clomping footsteps from somewhere behind him he dared not stop and get his bearings; he needed to find a place to hide until he could either come up with a better plan or they gave up the chase. Fat chance of that he thought. Any accusation may not go far toward getting them in trouble, but if I get to Fleur and tell her what Armand said, what little chance his scheme to get with her had is completely gone. It sounds like he, and perhaps his father, have put too much effort into this to be denied. He now wished he'd already given Fleur the mirror he had for her, but like Harry with Hermione he was waiting until her birthday to give it to her; it was only a week and a half away. Those 11 days seemed like an eternity now, and he didn't figure calling anyone else would be helpful. Why does this damned house have to be so big? he thought as he sped wildly through the halls.

Apparently it wasn't big enough, as when he turned a corner blindly he was met by the full force of a bat striking his midsection. He felt at least one thing crack as he very nearly flipped completely over the outstretched weapon and skidded a few feet down the hallway. He scrambled to his feet but found it difficult to draw a full breath; running was now out of the question. AJ backpedaled a bit more, putting about 4 meters between them as the teen who had struck him stood menacingly; he would seem to be waiting until Armand and his other compatriot caught up to them. Not knowing how long that would take, and now not knowing if both of the other two were behind him or behind his opponent (he hadn't known someone was ahead of him, after all), AJ looked around for a new plan.

Seeing a door to his right, AJ bolted through it and into what looked like an old classroom. What could they possible have been teaching all the way out here? AJ thought absently while he drew his wand and cast a quick Colloportuson the door. It wouldn't hold them for long; they were older and so likely more magically powerful than him, so it would only be the work of a few moments to undo the spell. Still, it was a few moments for AJ to update his assessment of things and prepare for the next wave.

"Interdum osse fractum," AJ incanted with his wand pointed at his torso, and couldn't stop the tears or the scream of pain following by a sob as whatever ribs were broken snapped themselves back in place. No idea if they're where they're supposed to be. I'll get them fixed by the nurse if I get out of this he thought as he moved toward the front of the classroom. He could try to fight them magically – if his wand had any intellect at all it was practically begging him to at this point - but like with the door it was likely he'd be overmatched in short order, especially with there being three of them. A French flag hanging on a pole seated into a stand on the floor gave him an idea, and he unceremoniously pulled the pole from the stand and then the flag from the pole. Luckily the pole was sectioned and he pulled it apart at its central seam, ending up with 2 1-meter lengths of wood. Just in time, too, as the door burst open and the three teens piled in.

Looks like it's Plan Q AJ thought to himself as he tested his makeshift weapons. He was under no illusion that they would hold up long against Beater's bats; the latter were designed to strike cannon ball-like Bludgers without breaking, after all. Still, they were better than what he'd had, which was nothing. He couldn't stop the image of him and Harry play-fighting in the woods behind the house the day that they'd received their letters. AJ once again wished his brother was with him but shook the thought away as Armand came to the fore, a nasty bruise forming on his cheek from where AJ had clocked him.

{{"Well aren't you just full of surprises,"}} Armand quipped, tucking his wand back in his pocket. {{"I should just Petrify you and then wipe your memories, but after this,"}} Armand ran a finger gingerly along the bruise AJ had given him, {{"I'm even more convinced that beating you to a pulp was the right way to go. So much more satisfying."}} Armand's cronies fanned out to either side of him, wicked smiles on their faces and their bats out in front of them.

The one to AJ's right moved first and took a sidelong swing at AJ with his bat. AJ turned his body into the strike and brought both sticks up, blocking the strike and putting him in close with his opponent. An elbow to the face and a kick sweep of the boy's legs had him at least temporarily out of the fight. Unfortunately it also gave the other two time to close, and AJ instinctively moved his arm up to block an attack from Armand that would likely have broken his jaw, if not his skull; judging from the pain it almost certainly broke at least one of the bones in his forearm and would severely bruise his bicep. AJ swung the stick in his other hand down as hard as he could, taking grim satisfaction in the way Armand's knee buckled with the strike.

The third assailant got in a hit on AJ's now exposed left side, the flag-pole-cum-weapon on that side having fallen from his hand as his arm had broken. The strike was clumsy and did not have a lot of power, but was still enough to shoot pain up AJ's back and aggravate his already damaged ribs. He pulled back to strike again, but this time the younger boy was ready, blocking the attack with his remaining stick before twirling it to gain momentum before it collided hard with the side of the other boy's head. AJ had just an instant to see the teen's eyes glaze before he dropped like a puppet with its strings cut.

Before AJ could turn he felt a pair of arms grab him from behind and throw him hard into the chalkboard on the front wall. His head cracked against the slate on impact and he felt the sting where the chalk tray had dug into his flesh. Dazed, he was unable to defend against the two quick body blows that partially doubled him over. His hair was grabbed and yanked up hard before a fist landed on his left eye socket and he stumbled to the side.

Armand had lost all reason. This boy, this child, was proving to be far more trouble than a weak little First Year should ever be, especially against someone like him. The teen's jaw throbbed from the punch he'd taken and he could not put a lot of weight on his injured knee, but it only served to fuel his rage more. Had he been thinking clearly he would have gone for his wand and ended the encounter while AJ was stunned, but a primitiveness had overtaken his mind and he only saw red. He sprang at AJ and tackled him to the ground before beginning to rain blows down on his opponent's head. AJ managed to get one foot free, and most of the swings were blocked by hands that had come up in reflexive defense, but AJ was dazed and his left arm weakened by the broken bone, and more blows landed on that side than the other.

AJ, left eye swollen and closing, nose and lips now running with blood, desperately defended against Armand's attacks, knowing that to give up now would likely mean, if not the end of his physical life, then certainly the end of his mental one, as Armand wouldn't hesitate to Obliviate him back to the womb after this. He had to get out from under his older, larger opponent before the damage became too much for him to continue functioning. Luckily, Armand seemed almost animalistic in his attacks, and an opportunity presented itself. Armand's left hand gripped the front of AJ's robes tightly as he pulled his right back as far as he could, twisting his body to bring all to bear in the punch. AJ locked onto the hand at his chest and brought he free leg up to Armand's hip. Planting his straddled leg and using the hand at his chest as a pivot point, AJ pulled on it hard while simultaneously lifting his hips and pushing out with the leg at Armand's hip. This power, combined with Armand's momentum already pulling him in more or less the correct direction, allowed AJ to completely flip the older boy over and off of him.

Armand landed on his back hard, the breath momentarily knocked out of him. That moment was all AJ needed though as his wand, the one that had been nearly burning a hole in its holster begging to be used, was finally allowed to take action. "Petrificus Totalus," AJ incanted, and Armand's body locked up as his arms snapped to his sides. AJ quickly repeated the spell on his other two opponents before they could get their wits about them again and then, with the aid of the teacher's desk, he stood up. "Stupefy," he spoke, and three beams of red light sprung from the length of wood at the single casting, his wand somehow understanding that all three enemies needed to be dealt with.

AJ didn't have the concentration at the moment to contemplate that, however. He had a broken arm, at least several cracked ribs, some twice, a broken nose, his left eye was useless, he was missing a few teeth, and he almost certainly had a concussion. He knew he was not going to be mobile much longer, but also knew that he had to get away from these three. He didn't delude himself that he would be functional enough to make it to help, but as long as he wasn't in sight when they came to he thought he would be okay. He stumbled out into the hall and moved completely at random as he fought to stay conscious. He saw a door and opened it, finding another classroom. He entered and languidly closed the door, the world starting to spin even worse than it had been. "Colloportus," he said, taking dazed satisfaction at hearing the door squelch as it secured itself. In a moment of temporary clarity, AJ then grabbed one of the chairs in the room and propped it under the doorknob as an additional obstacle should his hiding place be discovered. Wish I'd thought of that the last time. That was the end of his reserves, however, and he landed hard on his backside as the strength left his legs.

Hermione is gonna be pissed when I miss our lesson was his final thought before falling back onto the floor. His head hit hard but thankfully he was already unconscious and so did not register the additional injury.

{-}

Panic flooded through Fleur as she hurried along the hallway. AJ had not shown up at dinner. He always made a point to sit with her at every meal, but for the first time since their meeting he was nowhere to be found. What was worse, when she took a head count of the Dining Room she discovered that Armand was also absent. A shiver of fear had run down her spine when she'd made the observation, and after learning from his yearmates that AJ hadn't been seen since the end of classes she moved at speed toward the Infirmary. If both AJ and Armand were missing, then it was a good possibility one or both would have ended up there.

As she approached the doors she saw the school healer, Madame Fiori, levitating three stretchers ahead of her. Her pace quickened at this, and she met the four, along with Madame Maxime, just as they reached the doors. {{"What has happened?"}}

{{"Mademoiselle Delacour, please return to your dorm. This is a matter for the staff,"}} the tall Headmistress of Beauxbatons said. Fleur, however, heard not a word as she focused her gaze on Armand, most of the right side of his face bruised and with a supporting splint around his knee. Seeing this, plus the state the other two with him were in, drove her blood to boil. Her normally perfect nose and lips elongated into a sharp raptor-style beak, and there was a horrendous tearing sound as large, scaly wings sprouted from her back, ripping her fine silk robes to pieces and leaving her in just her skirt and blouse, the latter having also torn enough to accommodate her wings. Feathers like scale armor rolled down her arms, and beautifully manicured nails extended into sharp talons. Maxime was not fast enough to stop the transformed Veela, who grabbed the wide-eyed Armand by the throat and tore him from his stretcher.

He came to rest hard against the wall, the strength Fleur possessed when in this form more than enough to keep the teen in place with her right hand still choking him. Her other hand pulled back and a shimmering ball of blue-white flame appeared above her palm. Even with her changed features, the magic of her heritage still allowed her to speak clearly. {{"Where is AJ?"}}

{{"I don't know!"}} Armand cried, quivering in fear. Yes, he knew the stories. Yes, he'd entertained the idea that he would court, possess, and then use this creature to further his family fortune and slake his own lust. But all of that burned to ash when viewing what Fleur could become, truly seeing the monster that lay underneath the beautiful pale skin and behind the hypnotic blue eyes. He wanted nothing further to do with her; truth be told after today his only desire was to be as far away from her as possible, a feat currently impossible with Fleur's hand at his neck squeezing the life out of him.

She accentuated the fact that she was in control by pulling him forward and then slamming him against the wall again. Maxime finally drew her wand, intent on stopping the encounter before it could escalate further. What followed however, stopped her cold.

{{"I swear I don't know!"}} Armand wheezed. {{"We caught up to the little bastard in the Northwest Wing. We were going to beat him and then wipe his memory, but he got the better of us. Of all three of us,"}} Armand said the last bit in a tone somewhere between 'someone ran over my kitten' and 'I'm slowly choking on my own tongue.' {{"He knocked all three of us out, but when we came to he was nowhere to be found,"}} he managed to gasp out.

Fleur heaved the now blue-in-the-face boy back onto his stretcher before turning and striding off. Maxime finally found her voice again. {{"Mademoiselle Delacour, come back here this instant! Just where do you think you're going?"}}

Fleur continued walking. {{"To find my friend."}} She suddenly stopped and turned her head slightly back toward the headmistress, instincts overriding all sense of decorum or manners. {{"Are you going to stop me?"}}

In her life before turning to teaching Maxime had known a number of Veela, and so knew that one at any age in this state was both highly impulsive and highly dangerous, a slave to their emotions; quick to anger, and quick to act. Add in teenage hormones and it had the recipe for disaster should Fleur feel threatened. Maxime had once seen a transformed Veela take out an entire pack of werewolves: a feat, even with both her physical and magical power, she was unsure she could match. Fleur wasn't yet in Marie's league, but she certainly had the potential to be if she lived up to her ancestry. Not only was this a fight Maxime didn't want to have, she wasn't sure it was a fight she would come out of unscathed, despite the differences in their age and experience.

Still, she needed to keep Fleur from burning the chateau down. {{"No, but please take Nurse Henri with you. Monsieur Black may be injured, and I must further question these boys to determine the true extent of what has occurred. We will discuss . . . other matters . . . when you return."}} For that last part she really meant when you're not a fireball throwing harpy, but that would not have helped things at all.

Fleur heard the Headmistress but her Veela side would not allow her to wait; AJ was hurt, and hurt badly. She wasn't sure how she knew, but she did. It had been less than two weeks, but he'd already found a spot in her heart nearly as deep as Mama or Papa or little Gabrielle. Had she been thinking clearly that revelation might have scared her; in this state, running strongly on impulse and instinct, all it meant was that only seeing him breathing and hearing his heart beating would be enough to assuage her concern.

{-}

Beauxbatons wasn't the size of Versailles but it wasn't small by any means, and like most magical buildings not only did it have secret corridors and stairwells strewn throughout but it also tended to modify its own internal configuration to suit necessity or its own fancy. It didn't help that outer reaches of the Northwest Wing hadn't been used since the early 1970s, both due to the stagnating of the French magical population in the wake of Grindelwald's War and the reduction in courses offered at the school. Since it wasn't used, no one had bothered to keep up with how the space had arranged itself.

It had taken Fleur about 20 minutes after the encounter outside the Infirmary to calm down enough to return to her normal form, though her agitation at not yet having found AJ after over 90 minutes of searching was threatening to return her to her more primitive form. Fleur also had to contend with Madame Henri, who was a lovely but unathletic woman who did not move with the earnestness the young witch thought the situation required. There had been several occasions where Fleur had considered just abandoning her, but the feeling that AJ was hurt and would need the nurse when she finally found him kept that desire in check.

Fleur came to a T-intersection of two hallways and stopped at the conjoining. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to quiet the raging emotions shooting through her. {{"Where are you?"}} she whispered into the air, hoping that, somehow, something would give her an answer.

As it was, she wasn't far off.

It was only when she'd calmed her mind that she felt it; a presence sliding along her rudimentary Occlumency protections, one she instantly knew the identity of. "AJ!" she cried out, and on impulse turned left and sprinted down the hallway, the nurse calling to the Veela as Fleur left her in the dust. She reached another intersection and concentrated again, being rewarded by a strong pull to her right. She followed it and eventually came up to a door about halfway down the corridor. She tried the door and found it magically sealed. "Alohamora!" she cried out, and was rewarded with a slight glow indicating she'd overpowered the enchantment already on the door. However, when she tried the handle the door still wouldn't budge. Growling in agitation, she stepped back as far as she could in the wide hallway before hurling a ball of flame at the door. The wood was no match for the empowered magic of her fireball, and a large smoking hole rewarded her efforts, destroying the door and the chair behind it. Opening the door, she saw the beaten and bloody form of her friend laying on the floor.

"AJ!" she yelled again, and was immediately on her knees at his side, leaning over and putting her ear to his chest. Her own heart calmed at the sound of his thumping steadily in his chest, and her eyes closed after seeing the rise and fall indicating he was breathing. The nurse appeared in the doorway a moment later, and Fleur's body instantly came up. {{"Help him!"}} she cried. {{"Please!"}}

Nurse Henri knelt to AJ's other side, her wand moving up and down his body as she ran her scans. {{"It looks worse than it is, Mademoiselle Delacour,"}} she said after a moment. {{"Though he has a rather serious concussion, several broken bones, and a number of contusions there are no life-threatening injuries. Several days in the Infirmary and he should be at your side once more."}}

At the proclamation Fleur finally let go of the emotions she'd been tenuously holding, and tears ran down her face as she moved one hand gently through AJ's short hair. Just a few days. He'll be alright in just a few days she thought as the nurse transformed a desk into a stretcher and moved AJ onto it. She Levitated the boy into the air and the trio made their way back toward the Infirmary, Fleur's hand never leaving AJ's.

{-}

Friday, 20 September 1991

It was morning before an owl could reach Cindy, and Remus could tell it was bad as he saw the way his best friend's hands began to shake. "What the fuck is wrong with these schools?" she yelled.

"What's happened?" Remus asked steadily. It was always his reaction to try and remain calm when she got like this, as she always did for him. It was a pattern picked up from their years of living together.

"AJ's been in another fight," she responded as she passed the note to Remus.

"He got into fights all the time in school," Remus responded as he took up the note.

"Yes but that was fights against bullies, and they never landed him in the nurse's office with broken bones. Kensy!" Cindy called as she stood from the table. "We're going to Beauxbatons."

"Yes, Mistress Cindy," Kensy replied. Cindy had tried she wasn't sure how many times during the early years to get Kensy to stop calling her 'Mistress;' she'd even tried a compromise of having the elf call her 'Miss Cindy,' but that had only resulted in her honorific being extended from 'Mistress' to 'Mistress Cindy.' Finally the woman had been forced to acknowledge that Kensy was what she was and there wasn't any changing her. It didn't make Cindy love or respect the little elf any less.

"Do you want me to come along?" Remus asked as Cindy prepared to leave.

"No, I'll handle this, Remus," Cindy responded as she threw on her jacket. "You got to yell at Hogwarts; it's my turn."

Remus chuckled. "Just leave the place standing when you're done."

"No promises," she growled before taking the elf's hand and disappearing with a small pop.

{-}

Cindy burst into the Infirmary in a rush, startling all of the current occupants. "Where's my son?" she said without preamble as all heads turned toward the angry mother at the question. She laid eyes on AJ, lying in one of the beds with a healer to one side and a very attractive young lady holding his hand on the other, and she sped in that direction. "How is he?" Seeing the look of confusion in both women's eyes, she took a deep breath before changing languages. {{"How is he?"}} she asked again, this time in French.

{{"He will be fine,"}} the nurse responded. {{"As I explained to Mademoiselle Delacour, it looks worse than it is. She will not listen, though, and will not be moved until he awakens. We gave him a Dreamless Sleep Potion to help him through the night; he should wake any time now."}}

Cindy turned toward the platinum-haired beauty holding her son's hand. {{"You must be Fleur."}}

{{"I am, and you must be Madame Black,"}} Fleur answered with a slight blush, though AJ's hand stayed firmly in hers, something Cindy didn't fail to notice. {{"It's a pleasure to meet you."}}

{{"And you, though I wish it were under different circumstances."}}

{{"As do I, Madame."}} The nurse took her leave and Cindy took her place at AJ's side, reaching for his left hand much like Fleur was holding his right. {{"Please be careful Madame Black. Both his ulna and radius on that side were broken. They were mended overnight, but still . . ."}}

Cindy nodded and she gently ran her fingertips across the back of AJ's hand and then along his forearm, searching for evidence of the breaks and finding none. Years of exposure to the wizarding world had left her in awe of many things, none the least of which was the ability to rapidly and effectively heal injuries that, in the world she grew up in, would have taken weeks or months to repair. {{"What happened?"}}

Fleur winced a bit at the query. {{"That might be better answered by the Headmistress."}}

{{"Perhaps, but I get the feeling she will give me a sanitized version of events to try and save face."}} Cindy looked over at the girl and smiled. {{"You, on the other hand, are my son's friend. A term he does not throw around lightly which means you must have made quite an impression on him. And not just because you're beautiful,"}} she finished, and Fleur blushed again at the comments from the mother of the boy whose hand she was holding.

The young witch nodded, looking down at the unconscious boy between them. {{"There is a boy. Armand. He has been . . . pursuing me since the beginning of the school year."}}

{{"Because you're a Veela,"}} Cindy said simply. AJ had told her of Fleur's lineage. As a non-magical who spent most of her life in magical society, Cindy was the last person to ostracize or judge someone because of what they were.

{{"Yes and no,"}} Fleur replied, and that pulled Cindy's eyes from AJ's face to the witch's. {{"As it turns out, he was not reacting to my Allure. When the Headmistress questioned him and his accomplices last night she discovered that he planned to . . ."}} Fleur took a deep breath, {{". . . to potion me and whore me out to further his family's business holdings."}} The young woman raked her fingers through her friend's short black hair, staring down at him lying on the bed between the two women. {{"And while AJ has been letting me handle not only Armand but all of the boys . . . affected by me, the two have still traded words on more than one occasion, and AJ has often acted as companion and escort, just in case."}}

{{"That sounds like him,"}} Cindy responded. {{"He's always been very protective; he gets it from his grandfather."}} She smiled down at her son.

{{"Did AJ tell you of the scuffle he got into on his first day here?"}} At Cindy's affirmative Fleur continued. {{"That was Armand, and the antagonism has only gotten worse. I guess yesterday Armand decided he'd had enough."}}

{{"What is to become of this boy?"}} she finally asked.

Fleur smiled menacingly. {{"Both he and his two friends are of age, so the Bureau de la Justice Magique was called and all three were arrested. They've also been expelled."}}

Cindy's grin in response held every bit as much righteous vengeance as Fleur's did. She would get the name of the boy's father from the Headmistress and do some digging of her own; one of the perks of being in the ICW Counsel's Office. It wouldn't be the painful vengeance that she desired against the people who had hurt her boy, but it would do. {{"Thank you for staying with him."}}

Fleur struggled to find an appropriate answer, finally settling on simply, {{"He's my friend."}} Seeing Cindy's glance to her, she put her eyes back down to AJ and her delicate brow crinkled. {{"I don't know why I reacted the way I did when I found out what happened,"}} she began, and Cindy wasn't sure if she was talking to her, AJ, or herself. {{"Mama will be very disappointed in me to learn that I changed my form and threatened someone. And I'm sure when this is all sorted Madame Maxime will punish me for my insubordination. But . . . but I needed to know where he was. He was hurt; he needed help."}}

Cindy spent a moment thinking about how close these two seemed to already be. She had been able to read between the lines during her mirror conversations with AJ that, in addition to having found what appeared to be a true friend, he was a bit smitten with the gorgeous Frenchwoman. Probably more puppy love at this stage of his life than anything else, the same as both he and Harry have been with Dora since they were about 7 and she was . . . well, about the same age Fleur is now Cindy thought to herself. Dora took it in stride, and Cindy knew that the Metamorphmagus saw both of them as siblings; indeed, they were all cousins of a fashion, so it made sense.

Fleur, though . . . well, we'll see what the next few years hold she thought. Not quite ready to go down that road yet, and not wanting to embarrass either the young lady or her son, Cindy decided on a safer response. {{"Well, if your mother does give you grief please send her my way. I'll be happy to tell her that you did it to help my son. She'll understand; moms always do when it comes to their children."}}

Fleur managed a small smile before she started talking again. Cindy wasn't sure what made the girl say what she did, but it seemed she had a lot to get off her chest. {{"When I came back to school this year everything was different. I never did have a large circle of friends; I've put too much attention into being the best that I can be, to prove to everyone that I'm not just a dumb blond bimbo like everyone thinks. But now, the boys have almost all been reduced to jabbering fools. And the girls . . . well, no girl likes it when their boyfriend, or the boy they want to be their boyfriend, starts drooling like a mastiff over another girl. It's been . . . difficult."}}

{{"AJ, though, has been my anchor in the storm."}} Fleur's voice dropped in volume. {{"I guess we're kindred spirits in a way; both burdened with our abilities, both wanting someone who might understand and accept us for who we are and not what we can do."}}

Cindy's eyes narrowed. {{"What has he told you?"}}

Fleur looked up at the older woman confidently. {{"Everything. He explained his . . . gift . . . to me not an hour after we'd met."}}

Cindy gaped. Alright, so maybe not puppy love she thought. Knowledge of AJ's Legilimency was kept within a very tight circle of people. Should it make it too far into the populace he'd likely never be able to find a proper place in the magical world; he'd be labeled a pariah by narrow-minded idiots who would never let him live in peace. For him to have told her, right off the bat like that, spoke of something more. Cindy, however, was more cautious. {{"And what do you think of his 'gift'?"}}

Fleur saw the protective mother dragon come to the fore again, the one that had burst into the Infirmary ready to breath fire. She knew Cindy's opinion of her and her friendship with AJ would be judged based on her response, so she didn't want to get it wrong. She held Cindy's gaze with her own while holding the boy's hand tighter, and so missed the wince as she applied pressure. {{"It matters not one iota to me. He is my friend and I will accept him with all his gifts and flaws, because that is what friendship is."}}

{{"Is friendship also breaking my hand?"}}

"AJ!" Fleur almost yelled, looking down at his barely open grey eyes.

"Antares Jeremiah Black, you scared the daylights out of me," Cindy followed on in English as she put a hand to the side of his face.

"Sorry, Mom, it wasn't my idea," he responded groggily. "All I did was go for a walk."

"And mix it up with an older boy. Three, actually."

AJ shrugged as his awareness cleared. "I didn't mean to. They started it. I just finished it."

Cindy shook her head. "God, there's so much of your grandfather in you it's frightening sometimes."

Fleur looked between the two of them, completely lost since she'd only had 2 lessons with Harry so far, and between that and a bit with AJ she could basically say 'Hello,' 'good-bye,' and 'where's the bathroom' in English. She tapped AJ's shoulder. {{"Are you alright?"}}

AJ quickly reverted to French. {{"I'm sore and tired, and my arm itches like crazy."}}

{{"That's the Skele-Gro,"}} Fleur answered. {{"I'm told it feels like being jabbed with needles while the bones are healing or re-growing, so be glad that it only itches."}}

Fleur left to go get Madame Fiori, leaving mother and son a moment together. "I really am sorry, Mom. I just wanted him to leave Fleur alone; I didn't think he'd actually round up a lynch mob. Even then, I really tried to get away."

Cindy's hand was in his hair as she beheld her older son. "I so want to be mad but I'm just too damned proud of you." His confused expression brought a smile to Cindy's face. "This all happened because you were protecting your friend; I certainly can't get angry at that. You didn't go looking for a fight, and you just said you tried to avoid it." Cindy turned her head in both directions, as if checking for eavesdroppers, before finishing. "And you kicked three older boys' butts."

AJ laughed at that last comment. "Plan Q."

"Works every time," they said together in as deep voices as they could manage, mimicking Jeremiah McClellan's response any time someone brought up his use of Plan Q.

Fleur returned with the healer to find a laughing mother and son, and she couldn't help but smile at seeing her friend on the mend. A few moments of casting spells had the healer declaring that AJ was fit enough to leave the Infirmary, but should take it easy for a few days to allow his body to fully heal.

It was right after Madame Fiori left them that Fleur asked the question that had been on her mind for the last 10 minutes. {{"Antares?"}} she asked.

"Aw crap."

"Antares!" his mother scolded.

"Double crap."

A/N: With this arc finished up for now, we'll be back to Hogwarts next chapter.

The encounter between AJ and Armand may have seemed excessive, but I kind of intended it that way. I wanted some tension and action, plus I wanted Fleur to transform. Plus, tell me that's any less excessive than giant three-headed dogs.

Interdum osse fractum came straight from Google translate for "repair broken bone." I was going to use "Brackium Emendo," but A) figured Lockhart was an idiot; B) Brackium I'm assuming comes from brachium, the medical term for the upper arm. It would be weird to use a spell designed for your arm on your ribs.

Beauxbatons has both a full healer (Madame Fiori) and a nurse (Madame Henri). Don't ask me why, or why I think anyone would care.

For those of you curious, The Palace of Versailles is about 721,000 square feet (67,000 square meters). That's about 12.5 American football fields, or 16.5 acres. More than enough space to get lost in for a while. It always seemed Hogwarts was gigantic compared to the number of students attending, and I envisioned Beauxbatons similarly. Additionally it's obvious that, at least in my fanon incarnation of the Potterverse, Beauxbatons accepts foreign students whereas we don't know if Hogwarts does, so it might be even bigger.

I've also taken the stance that, since all Veela are female, any daughter of a Veela is a Veela themselves. Male offspring are beautiful but otherwise just wizards.

As always, thank you for you follows, favorites, views, and reviews.