Chapter 2

Bonds of Feathers

September 2, 1994 – Hogwarts

Albus Dumbledore overlooking the papers confirming the Tri-Wizard tournament would be revived and held at Hogwarts. He was happy that the schools would be coming together again, it was long overdue. It might be good to restart their rivalry with each other again and have the students' branch out.

Of course the branching out had they not agreed that the students may only compete if they were seven-teen or older. This unfortunate turn of events would lead to only the 7th years coming to their noble school.

It also might have meant that he could have reclaimed the pawn that was originally his. He had been extremely surprised when he had received an owl back from the Dursly's house that had politely declined the invitation to Hogwarts on the account of Harry already attending Beauxbatons.

His surprise quickly turned to annoyance at the change in plans and he immediately set about writing a letter to the Famel's stating he no longer had need of the stone.

His annoyance had only increased when, not even ten minutes later, he received a letter from Beauxbaton's Headmistress that very simply said, "We beat you to him."

Yes, that had certainly put a stilt into not only his plans but also Voldemort's. He, still believing the philosophers stone to be in the school, spent the entire year trying to work around the tasks that had already been set up only to be enraged when he figured it out.

He had taken his rage out on the poor man he possessed by exiting his body, leaving him for dead.

The second year while unplanned still would have made for an excellent test, for even he had no idea what the beast was or where the chamber was located. It was only by happenstance that he had found a possessed Ginny Weasley wondering the halls. He followed her and dealt with the wraith of Tom before it could deal any more damage to his school.

Unfortunately the girl had ended up taking the blame for the attacks and was ridiculed by most of the school, led by her brother Ronald. It was not much of a surprised when she requested a resorting the next year and ended up in the rival house. He was disappointed, she would have made a powerful soldier in the upcoming war.

Then Sirius Black broke out of prison and everything went to hell. Dementors, they forced him to allow dementors on school grounds sucking the cheery atmosphere from his beloved castle. Of course the acquisition of Sirius had been a bonus. Perhaps he could be used to bribe the Potter heir to his side.

This year had been one of his better test, had everything gone to plan. He would have had the boy entered in the tournament, to see just how well he could handle the dangerous tasks.

It truly was unfortunate that he ended up going to Beauxbatons.

September 2, 1994-Beauxbatons

Fleur could honestly say she hated being a veela sometimes. The first few weeks of school surely counted as one of those times. Every year since her 3rd year she was treated to drooling glances from the male population and glares from the female side, whether jealousy of anger she never knew.

It was different in the beginning of 3rd year only because at first no one really realized she had gone through her maturation. However, within a few weeks any friends she had abandoned her to join the glaring crowd.

She didn't care, nor does she now, she was one of the top five students of her year. As long as she had that she was good. Most of the time.

It always begins again at the beginning of the year. The boys because she still didn't have control of her allure and, the girls because it's almost like they expect it to disappear and are insulted when they find it still hasn't.

It aggravated her to no end and sometimes, much to her dismay, she wished she wasn't a veela. She knew it was silly and always regretted thinking such things but, it was always such a pain to ignore the glaring and glazed looks.

Which led her to where she was, storming down an abandoned hallway on the fourth floor of the castle after listening to one of the petty creatures insult her for entire class period.

She just needed to choose an abandoned classroom, launch a few fireballs and, hopefully loose the feathers that were showing on her wrists. With that in mind she turned locked on to the closest one and charged it.

She opened the door and turned throwing it closed, letting out a shriek of enjoyment at the violent slam. She turned around fireball already in hand, ready to launch at the closest object.

Which happened to be an extremely surprised wizard.

Surprise and then embarrassment immediately replaced the earlier anger that she was feeling as feathers fell from her wrist, hitting the floor softly.

His robes pointed him out to be a 4th year with the patch on his robes, he was a few inches shorter than her, with black hair pulled back and held in place with a simple band. His eyes however caught her attention. They were a startling green and were not glazed over.

They weren't even looking at but the floor under her feet. She looked down trying to figure out what it was that had his attention. He was looking at her feather lying around her feet.

"Are you by any chance a veela?"

His voice was soft. His question caught up with her mind and her eyes narrowed.

"Why do you want to know?" She was growling.

He looked into her eyes as if trying to see something that wasn't there. "I would like to ask to use one of you feathers for a potion."

A potion? She looked beyond the boy, taking in the room. Just behind him was a counter set up with six potion brewing stand, with three being in use. She refocused on the boy but, he was staring almost hungrily at the feathers at her feet.

Her mind went through all she had been taught about the feathers of a veela. She knew their was a potion but its name refused to enter her mind and it clicked. Desire Entanglement.

She saw red.

He was surprised when the beautiful girl burst into his private quarters, the fire enchantment should have kept her out.

When she turned and focused her gaze on him, fireball in hand, his surprise turned to icy fear .

When the fire extinguished and feathers fell to the floor his fear melted away leaving interest.

Embarrassment when he asked if she was a veela, he usually was not so blunt.

When he asked for a feather his embarrassment turned to hope, he might have a long-term answer to one of his most annoying issues.

When she came at him wand in hand, shouting words that would make a sailor blush he experienced all of these at once, some for different reasons.

Surprise at the sudden anger.

Fear that this was his last night alive.

Interest in the way feathers were slowly engulfing her arms.

Embarrassment as he realized she was thinking of a different potion.

Finally, hope, that he would be able to explain and postpone his untimely combustion.

"I believe we may be thinking of entirely different potions." He curses his quivering voice, hoping she would believe him.

Her eyes narrowed and he had the same feeling a hare likely did just before being swept up by a bird of prey.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he realized just how attractive she was at that moment. That thought was immediately pushed aside for later review so thoughts about self-preservation could take the stand.

"Oh?" Her voice, that seconds ago sounded like pleasant bells, sent chills up his spine that nearly did his shaking knees in.

"Yes, I sincerely hope we are at least." Her wand fell to her side but the feathers stayed and she motioned him to explain.

He silently thanked every deity he could think of, "The potion I am speaking of is the False Attraction potion." Her eyes narrowed more becoming slits of a very nice shade of blue.

Her cursed his mind, now was not the time to be noticing such things. This vivid memory would likely stick with him for many of nights,if he survived, he could take it all in then. Still, he'd never seen a shade so beautiful.

He vaguely wondered if he was not as immune to the allure as he thought.

Focus. "Over behind my brewing table is a bookshelf. On the third shelf from the bottom the is a book titled Potions of Emotion: Attraction. On page 46 is the potion I'm speaking about."

Her eyes moved to the bookshelf before resting on him again. "Go get it and show me." It was very clearly a command with a very clear punishment if he refused.

He stiffly turned and slowly, attempting not to make any sudden movements, walked to the shelf his eyes already searching for the book that had gotten him into this mess.

Technically it was his own eagerness for brewing said potion that got him into this mess.

Also, technically, he didn't give a damn whose fault it was he just wanted out of this situation.

Finding it he pulled it out and walked to a table he had set up in the corner. Opening the book he quickly flipped to the correct page as she looked over his shoulder.

"Here. This is the potion I was taking about." He watched as her eyes trailed down the page reading the entry.

False Attraction potion-A single dose of the sludge like potion will protect the drinker from attraction potions for a number of months.

Her eyes trailed down the list of ingredients stopping on the one that had gotten him into this mess.

A feather from a veela.

The girl stared at it her eyes widening as her face became red and feathers started dropping from her arms. Feeling the pressure that was her anger subside Harry collapsed against the wall, taking deep shaking breaths, relieved that he was now safe.

It wasn't long before he felt the girl sit down next to him in silence.

"I'm sorry." Her apology caught him off guard.

"Accepted, though I'm the one who should apologized considering that I'm the one who started this by asking for a feather out of the blue." He grinned at her attempting to show there were no hard feelings.

"Still I should have at least let you explain before freaking out." He frowned at her despising the self-loathing in her voice, no creature so lovely should sound like that.

"Don't worry about it. I saw you were a veela, I got excited, and I overstepped boundaries, especially considering the fact that I don't even know who you are."

She didn't speak and feeling quite unaccomplished he lent back staring at the ceiling.

There they sat unmoving and un-talking for an unknown amount of time before she did something that completely surprised him.

"Here." He turned toward her at the sound of her voice to see her holding a feather out to him. "It's the least I can do."

He reached for the feather before it disappeared from in front of him. He face her in surprise. "There are two conditions."

His curiosity piqued, "What are these conditions?"

"You must let me stay and observe the brewing."

His eyebrows drew together, "You realize the brewing time is twelve hours?"

She shrugged, "So be it."

He frowned not to sure about the deal. "The other condition?"

She turned her head, a small smile gracing her lips, "I would like to know your name."

He smiled, "Harry Potter."

Surprised flickered on her face for a moment, now taking notice of the scar on his forehead but not moving her eyes to look at it, of which he was grateful. "Nice to meet you Mister Potter, my name is Fleur Delacour."

"Nice to meet you Miss Delacour."

It had been an hour since he had started brewing the potion. An hour where the only sounds were the hissing and bubbling of the potion. To Harry it was relaxing, he had spent the last few year listening to brewing potions almost constantly. To Fleur it was awkward as she felt like an intruder sitting in the corner watching him.

The near silence was getting to her so she attempted to converse. "So you have your own private potion lab. How did you manage that?"

He started, partly surprised at the sudden question and partly because he had forgotten she was there. "It's not just a lab. Behind the door to your right is a small bedroom where I sleep."

Private quarters? How had he managed to get private quarters? "Madam Maxime knows that you sleep here, right?" Her voice revealed her surprise.

He frowned at her, "Of course she does."

She back pedaled seeing how he felt insulted, "It's just odd. Most people don't get their own room unless they're married."

He accepted the hidden apology, "It's true, I probably wouldn't have this room to live in if Professor Petit didn't vouch for me as her apprentice."

Once again she felt surprise. "You're apprenticed under Professor Petit?"

He smiled wistfully, "Yes, near the end of my 1st year she discovered that I had an eye for potion brewing, picking out specific shades and discovering ways to improve the potion, and decided that I was a prodigy. She asked me to be her apprentice and I accepted without question."

His smile widened "It was because of her that not only did I get this room but, got to stay here over the summer. I owe a lot to her."

She went over the information, still surprised, as he returned to focusing on brewing. Time passed and she found herself wanting conversation again, even if it was simple and boring.

"Why didn't you wait until I had left and simply picked up one of the feathers?"

He turned, one of his brows raised into an arc, "Shouldn't you know the answer to this question?."

She stared, unyielding. "Humor me."

He sighed. "All magic is based on intent."

He turned going back to the potion again. She blinked feeling oddly cheated. "That's it?"

He sighed turning back to her again. "Like I said all magic is based on intent and veela are one of the most magical creatures in existence with their ability to shift into a bird-like creature and conjure fire without a focus." His hand started waving as he talked and she found herself mesmerized by them.

"Because of this, veela magic often bleeds off into their feathers and keep a connection to the veela they cam from. If the feather was taken against her will or with her unknowing it, the feather, would use the magic in itself to destroy all the magical properties within itself."

"To put it simply, if you had said no or I used one without permission, I may as well of used a feather from my familiar." He finished feeling a bit annoyed at the inane question.

For what felt like the hundredth time today she felt surprise. "You have a familiar."

He nodded at her, wondering where she would go with this topic.

"But you are so young!"

His face heated up and he shot her a small glare. "I'm only three years younger than you." He spoke pointing to the 7 on the Beauxbatons crest on her robe.

She waved him off, "Besides the point, you have a familiar?"

He sighed rubbing a hand over his face and checking the potion, hoping it was at the next step so he could pay attention to it. It wasn't.

He turned to her. "Yes, her name is Hedwig and she is a Snowy Owl who-" He broke off suddenly staring at the door beside her. "Who didn't seem concerned at all when you had a wand to my neck."

He moved from his place in front of the brewing table and moved to his room entering, leaving her with the potion. When he came out there was the most beautiful owl she had ever seen on his shoulder. He came and stood in front of her.

"This is Hedwig."

"She's very beautiful." In response to her words the owl puffed up looking self-important.

Harry, when had she started referring to him by his first name, rolled his eyes. "She's a glutton for compliments."

The owl squawked and nipped in the ear causing him to yelp, making her nearly giggle.

He rolled his eyes at her smile, "Hedwig this is Fleur Delacour."

The owl looked at her a moment before flapping over to her shoulder to observe her closer. She turned, staring into the intelligent amber eyes. "Hello, 'edwig."

The owl seemed to nod before flapping up to the top of her head where she decided to sit. She felt her brows come together at the odd feeling and turned to Harry, seeing him trying to hide a smile. "Well that was unexpected."

Her eyebrows scrunched together more. "Why?"

His smile was out in full force now as he stared at her and she felt a small stirring in her stomach. It felt good to be stared at with non glazed eyes. "She never likes anyone. I feel like she only puts up with Professor Petit because she is my mentor."

"Then why is she sitting on my head."

He smirked at her, "My guess is she likes you. She did the same thing after we bonded for almost two weeks."

Her lips twitched. "Really?"

He stared at her unbelieving, "Surly you've heard the tale of the Potions Professor and the Owl?"

At her admission of 'no' he smiled wider than before. "I thought everyone had."

He took a seat on the opposite side of the table she was sitting at. "It goes like this. When I was in the beginning of second year I was really stressed, mostly from assignments from my Mentor, so Hedwig decided to bond with me to take some of the stress away and help my mind carry the load."

"So she starts the process and I, unknowing, complete the bond. Well after wards she decide my hair was a wonderful nest and stayed there despite how many times I asked her to leave."

"Eventually I gave up and we made our way down to breakfast. We sat down at my year's table a midst the stare of my year mates. Now, I was very adept at ignoring their stares. Hedwig however was not." His hands were doing the thing again, moving this way and that.

"So she is glaring at everybody who is staring at us and, I swear I have never seen anybody look away so fast as those under her glare." His smile was relaxed, real, and she suddenly realized it was the first unbidden one she had seen.

"I only had two classes that day and Defense was first. My worry was for nothing because Professor Bonnet just ignored us. My next class however was very different." He was a very good story-teller. He knew when to make his voice exciting and when to have it retreat.

"It had started well, we entered the room, sat down and waited for instruction. Then Professor Petit turned and saw us. She asked me to send Hedwig away and when I replied that she wouldn't listen she asked Hedwig herself."

"Hedwig shook her head 'no' and she asked again. It went on like that for a bit before the Professor lost her temper and told Hedwig to 'get the hell out of my classroom you dirty vermin."

He shook his head amused at the memory, "Hedwig did not like that and returned with a loud squawk. Thus began the best screaming match between human and owl ever recorded."

"Who won?" Her voice was full of amusement.

He shook his head. "You really have to ask? Hedwig of course, it's impossible to win an argument against her."

"You speak from experience?"

His smile faltered, "I didn't always eat my greens."

She laughed, she couldn't help it. And when she saw his face, completely surprised she laughed harder. He joined in not soon after and there they sat laughing for what seemed like forever.

"Fleur."

She groaned turning her head away from the noise.

"Fleur."

She cracked her eyes open taking in the blurry shape, getting more defined each moment.

"'Arry?"

He smile at her setting down the bowls of soup he was carrying, before turning to her.

"How was your rest?" She blinked. The last thing she remembered was watching him brew. When had she fallen asleep.

"What time is it?" She asked rubbing the remaining sleep away.

He smiled at her, "it's about eleven."

Her tired eyes focused on him. "We missed dinner, then?"

He nodded, "Hence why I went to the kitchens and coerced the house elves into giving me two servings of soup." He frowned, "Be happy, it takes a lot of convincing to get food so late. Luckily I'm their favorite student."

She picked up one of the spoons he brought with him pulling over one of the bowls as he sat down across from her. "You're a favorite of theirs?"

He nodded, "Yes, most students don't really care to go see them. I get priority just because of that."

She nodded, continuing to eat her soup before realizing something. "'Arry?"

He looked up from his food and eyebrow raised. "Yes, Fleur?"

"Our agreement was that I watch you brew the potion. Why didn't you wake me up?"

He froze spoon half way to his mouth as his cheeks heated up. "Well. You just looked so... Peaceful while you were asleep and a didn't want to wake you up. If you're worried about the potion you can look at the book and check it."

She stared at him, unblinking for a moment before nodding, "No it is alright I trust you."

He blinked, sat up and smile at her causing her cheeks to flush a nearly unnoticeable pink.

They continued to eat occasionally talking about subjects that randomly came to mind. It didn't seem like that much time had passed before two o'clock rolled around and Harry got up to check the potion for the final time.

"It's done." His voice was quiet and almost sad as he turned the heat off under the potion and reached for a medium vial and ladle.

He felt Fleur come up behind him as he scooped the brown sludge like potion unto the vial.

He turned toward her holding it nervously. "This is going to taste like sewage, I can already tell."

He gave a silent countdown and tipped the vial back emptying it into his mouth.

She watched as his eyebrows scrunched together as he swallowed the mixture.

She saw revulsion in his eyes as he gagged over it and watched as he desperately tried to keep it he stood unsteadily and gave her a smile.

"I think it worked." His voice was harsh and he looked ready to topple over.

She smiled at him before realizing the time. "I should be getting back to my dorms."

He stared at her sadness gripping his features, "Will you be able to make it without getting caught?"

She nodded thanking him for his time before taking her leave.

He saw her the next day, the first free day. He didn't expect to which made the surprise all the better.

It was just after breakfast when she came up and knocked on his door just as he was getting started brewing the Mind Enhancement Potion. For the umpteenth time.

He had opened the door surprised to see her there, asking polity if she could sit in again. He remembered numbly agreeing and letting her in.

He also remembered finally getting that thrice damned potion correct.

So that's another chapter down. And it didn't even take me nine months.

So just in case you didn't catch it up there I made Fleur a full-blooded veela. This is because I follow the opinion of no male veela, like many others. So, I got to thinking if there aren't male veela then how are there still full-blooded veela unless their species is only 50 years old. So in this fanfiction being a veela is a dominant trait and one cannot be half or quarter one.

Moving beyond that let me know what you think so far.

-Void