I really apologize for how long it took me to update this. As I explained on my other story, I had a lot going on for the past 4 weeks and was able to dedicate much time to writing. Thankfully, everything's starting to settle down so I should be able to get back on schedule from no on. Thanks for patiently waiting.

This chapter is pretty long, but it has a lot in it and some new characters are being introduced. Hopefully you enjoy it.

Chapter 5

Harry and Hermione made their way towards the Great Hall to find Ron, knowing he would likely have just started eating since it was a few minutes after eight. They took a few shortcuts to make their journey faster. Ten minutes later they were walking down the hallway near the grand staircase. As they turned the corner to reach the entrance to the room, they were slightly surprised to see Dumbledore standing at the door.

"I bet he's waiting for me," Harry whispered sarcastically to Hermione.

"He probably wants to know why you weren't at dinner last night," Hermione suggested.

"Think if I turn around, he'll leave me alone?" he asked hopefully, not wanting to deal with the headmaster at the moment.

"You know your luck isn't good enough for that to happen. You might as well get it over with now. I'll go find Ron so we can meet up when you manage to get away," she replied, nudging him forward before he could try and escape.

Harry sighed, knowing she was right. "Fine, but I'm not promising to be on my best behavior if he annoys me too much."

Hermione shook her head at him. "Try not to get into too much trouble." Harry's smirk didn't give her much hope that he would heed her warning.

"What's he gonna do, expel me?" Harry asked rhetorically before squaring his shoulders and walking over to Dumbledore. Hermione shook her head again before going into the Great Hall without a word or glance to the headmaster.

"Harry," Dumbledore greeted once Harry was standing in front of him, "I need you to come to my office to talk about the events of yesterday." He used his "grandfather" persona, something that annoyed Harry quite a bit, though the man didn't realize that.

Harry stifled his immediate response that would have been full of sarcasm. "Shouldn't I eat breakfast first, Professor?"

"I promise that the meeting won't take up too much of your time," Dumbledore replied, cutting off Harry's attempt of delaying the meeting. Then he started walking toward his office, expecting Harry to follow along behind him. Harry was sorely tempted to walk in the opposite direction but managed to restrain himself. Reluctantly, he followed behind the man while internally using some colorful words to describe exactly how he felt about this meeting he was being forced to attend.

Once they arrived into the office, they both sat down in their respective chairs across from each other. "Could I interest you in a lemon drop?" Dumbledore offered.

"No thank you Professor. What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Harry asked a bit impatiently, trying to get this talk over with.

"How are your injuries feeling today Harry?" Dumbledore asked to start.

"Much better, thanks to Madame Delacour and Madam Pomphrey," Harry replied.

"I would like to apologize for the injuries you sustained during the task. I had very severe words with the merpeople for their actions yesterday."

"Like you did before the task? No offense Professor, but you should have known better than to send two veela into a merpeople village. The hostility that exists between the two races wasn't going to go away just because you asked them nicely." Harry's tone was sarcastic.

"I understand your anger over what happened, but I can assure that no harm was intended. It was an honest mistake."

Yeah right, was what Harry thought, but what he said was, "I do not think that the Delacours will see it that way. Especially since you did not get Madame Delacour's permission before using her 6-year-old daughter as a hostage."

"You seem to be very close to that family." Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling, signaling that he was trying to use subtle legilimency on Harry. Unfortunately for him, he could not discern anything from Harry's surface thoughts.

Internally, Harry smirked at the man, having felt the probe. "Well seeing as I have been developing a friendship with Fleur since she got here, I think it's only logical for me to care about her family."

"Yes, you seemed to become quite close to Ms. Delacour very quickly. It's almost as if it wasn't the first time that you met her."

"We simply have a lot in common. Both of us know acutely what it's like to be mistreated due to something that isn't our fault."

"You went to the Yule Ball together, though. Are you sure your relationship is purely platonic, or is there more to it?"

"We're only friends, though that's not really any of business."

"Yet even Madame Delacour was very defensive of you when she made her grief known to us."

Harry smirked at him. "Maybe it's because I'm the only one who took the risk to her daughters' safety seriously enough. Plus, I did promise Fleur that I would get Gabrielle out alive. Fleur likely relayed that promise to her mother who would have appreciated that I was willing to risk my life for her daughters."

Dumbledore wasn't convinced but decided to drop the subject for the moment. "Very well. I am glad to see that you're embracing the spirit of the tournament and making international friends. Now I have something else to ask you. Why did you not come to dinner last night?"

"I don't see how that should concern you, sir. I made it back in time before curfew."

"I am your headmaster, of course it concerns me."

"Really, so you take this kind of interest in all of your students?"

"I am only worried about your well-being after the injuries you sustained."

"Oh, now you're concerned about me. You weren't so concerned when you failed to prevent my name from coming out of the Goblet."

"You cannot blame me for that Harry. I tried to protect all of the students from being entered into the tournament against their will."

"Like you've been protecting the school for the past three years. Luring a professor who was possessed by Voldemort into the school. Keeping the school open when a monster was attacking the students. Allowing the Ministry to post dementors around the school, knowing that they aren't the most trustworthy creatures seeing as they have a tendency to follow dark wizards. Forgive me for having very little faith in your ability to protect me or anyone else for that matter."

"Harry, where is this hostility coming from."

Harry scoffed derisively at the man. "You really should be able to figure that one out on your own."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll give you one hint – the Dursleys."

"I understand you and your family…"

"Don't call them my family because they aren't," Harry snapped before he took a deep breath to calm himself down. "Look I really don't want to discuss your delusions about how they treated me right now. So, if you don't have anything school related to discuss, then I'm leaving."

"I need to know why you didn't attend dinner last night."

"I didn't want to and that's all I'm going to say about it. Besides, there's no rule against missing a meal every once in a while." Harry stood up and walked toward the door as he said this.

When he was about to exit the room, Dumbledore stood up to his full height to look intimidating, his tone stern and commanding. "We are not done talking about this."

"Yeah, we are," Harry replied walking out the door without another word.

- S.P.P.O.S. –

While Harry was dealing with a troublesome headmaster, Hermione was observing Ron and his behavior was causing her some concern. He was being distant, barely saying more than a few words to her yet talking openly with Seamus and Dean. She tried to engage him in conversations, but he would only give one-word answers before turning back to the two boys. Hermione didn't want to admit it, but she had a bad feeling about the talk she and Harry were to have with him later.

When Ron got up to leave, Hermione let him know that Harry needed to talk to him about something. Reluctantly, he agreed to follow her out of the Great Hall. They didn't have to go to far because Harry was turning the corner before they had taken more than three steps. Hermione could tell by the look on his face that Dumbledore had annoyed him during the meeting, making her even more doubtful that the talk with Ron would go well. Sighing, she led them to an unused classroom, closing and warding the door before turning to face her two friends. They all took seats and sat in an uncomfortable silence for a few moments.

"How come you didn't come to dinner last night?" Ron asked suspiciously, breaking the quiet.

"How come you didn't wait up for me with Hermione yesterday after the task?" Harry countered.

"How come that Delacour lady only wanted to talk to you in private? I helped save Gabrielle too." Ron's tone was bitter.

Harry sighed in frustration. "And here I was thinking that you actually learned your lesson about you and your jealousy toward me."

"You're the git always trying to hog all the glory as if you did everything on your own."

"First of all, you know that is not the truth. Secondly, I distinctly remember Madame Delacour thanking you for helping Gabrielle as well."

"Then why did she only want to talk to you?"

"She had to ask me something. I'd tell you what if you weren't being such a prat."

Ron scoffed at Harry. "What could she want to talk to you about that needed to be done in private?"

Hermione decided to interject to try and stop the argument before it got worse. "You two please calm down so we can talk about this rationally. You're supposed to be friends."

"Why should I calm down?" Ron shouted, getting up from his chair. "Every time we have some sort of adventure, Harry's the only one who gets recognized for it. Everyone always wants to thank and reward him, yet I get shoved to the side as if I didn't do anything."

"You know that's not true Ron," Hermione declared as she tried to get Ron to see reason. "We all got recognized for the adventures we went on for the past three years. They call us the "golden trio" for a reason. We all get credit for what happens at the end of the school year, for better or worse. Plus, Madame Delacour did thank you for your part in saving Gabrielle and you know it. Besides, you should know better than anyone that Harry doesn't even like the fame he gets. In fact, he hates it most of the time."

Unfortunately, this only inflamed Ron's anger. "Of course, you're taking his side, just like you always do. Harry always gets what he wants. Becoming seeker in our first year, getting a Nimbus 2000, getting a firebolt, and now being a Triwizard champion." Then he turned to face Harry, a cruel sneer forming on his face. "You always try to act like you're so humble and everything, but it's not real. You get everything you want, and you know it."

After dealing with Dumbledore trying to control his life once again, Harry couldn't contain his anger. "You still don't get it, do you? How many times do I have to tell you that I don't want all of this? I don't want to be in this stupid tournament! I don't want everyone to know my name and think that they have the right to tell me how I'm supposed to live my life! I don't want this bloody scar and the fame it comes with because all it has done is make my life harder! I'd trade it all if it meant I could have my parents back!" Ron tried to reply, but Harry wasn't done just yet as he stood up and walked toward him. "You want my life so bad, but you still don't even realize what it's really like. You don't know what it's like to live with people who hate you and make sure you know it every single time you're in their presence. You don't know what it's like to have to deal with the scars, physical and mental. You don't know what it's like to have a tiny cupboard under the stairs as your 'bedroom' that you get locked into just for existing. You don't know what it's like to be thrust into a world that has all of these expectations of you and blames you when things go wrong. You don't know what it's like to feel like you have the world on your shoulders, to carry that burden. You wouldn't last one minute in my life." Harry moved closer to Ron as he spoke until only a foot of space separated them.

Ron's response only made things worse. "Oh, poor Harry," Ron mocked. "You know what, I don't care anymore. I'm sick of you complaining about what you don't have when my family can't afford to get new things like you. You think I should feel bad for you when you got to spend the night with a veela whore…"

He wasn't able to say anything else because he was too busy falling down to the ground from Harry's fist that had just impacted his right cheek. "Don't you ever talk about her like that in front of me," Harry warned coldly, his voice quiet and his tone full of steel. Hermione grabbed Harry's arm to stop him from attacking Ron any further. "Whatever friendship you thought we had, is over and there's no chance of it coming back. Do yourself a favor and stay out of my way, because next time, I won't be so lenient."

Without sparing his ex-friend another glance, Harry stormed out of the room. Hermione stayed behind for moment, looking down at Ron still sprawled on the ground with his hand covering the right side of his face. "Even after all of these years, you still haven't learned anything about him." She turned around and walked out of the room, pausing at the door as she thought of one last remark. "By the way, what Harry said goes for me as well, just in case you're too thick enough to figure that out on your own."

- S.P.P.O.S –

While Harry and Hermione were downsizing from the "golden trio" into the "golden duo," Appoline had flooed over to her mother's house, leaving Fleur and Gabrielle in the carriage. Her mother, Colette, was sitting on the sofa in front of the fireplace, waiting for her. She looked up from the book she was reading when her daughter arrived, an expectant look on her face.

"Bonjour my daughter. How did Fleur do in the task?" Colette greeted. When she noticed the unease displayed on Appoline's face, however, she grew concerned. "What is the matter, ma chère? Are the girls okay?"

Appoline sighed and sat down beside her mother before replying. "Oui, they are okay, though Fleur got hurt. Those imbéciles in charge of that bête tournament thought it was a good idea to send a veela into a merpeople village. Then, they took Gabrielle down there as her hostage to rescue. Without my permission. If it weren't for Harry…" Appoline trailed off as the reality of how close she had been to losing both of her daughters hit her. She leaned into the open arms of her mother and sobbed for several moments.

Colette held Appoline tightly and whispered words of reassurance and comfort into her hair until she calmed. "What happened?" she asked once Appoline had calmed down enough.

"A few minutes after the task began, a merman used a swarm of grindylows to ambush Fleur," Appoline began. "They tried to kill her, but Harry managed to get to her in time and save her, though she received some lacerations from the attack. She couldn't continue, so Harry promised that he would save Gabby. He did, though he was injured because the merpeople chased after them. He was pierced in the side by one of their enchanted daggers and barely made it out of there alive. I owe him everything for what he did yesterday."

While Colette was angry for the danger her precious granddaughters were placed in, she realized the repercussion of Harry's actions. "The Veela Debt has been activated," she stated plainly.

Appoline nodded. "Oui. I've already informed him about what it is and his options to resolve it."

"And what did he choose?"

A small smile formed on Appoline's face as she remembered Harry's actions the previous night. "He chose to marry me, without even contemplating the other options. Even when I told him I would be willing to sacrifice my magic or freedom to spare him, he refused my offer. There was no hesitation in his decision."

Colette smiled in return. "Then he truly is an honorable young man. When will I get to meet your future spouse?"

"We, including the girls and his best friend, plan on coming to see you and Paulette next Sunday. I'm going to see her after I leave here to tell her about it."

"Good. I can't wait."

"You promise that you won't give him a hard time?"

"Don't worry, Appoline. He has saved the three most important people in my life while risking his. Even though we have not met, he has already earned my respect." Then a mischievous smile formed on her face. "Though I will have to tease him a bit."

- S.P.P.O.S. –

Appoline talked to her mother for another hour before leaving. Knowing that Paulette would be at work, she apparated to, in her opinion, the best clothing and accessory store in the world. Paulette owned it and sold much more modern clothing for all seasons and occasions, both magical and muggle. In fact, she designed many of the styles as well as the enchantments for comfort and durability herself. There was nowhere else Appoline went for clothes and it was the place she planned on taking Harry next weekend.

"Excuse me, Adele. Where is Paulette? I need to talk to her urgently," Appoline asked the first shop attendant she saw.

"She's in her office at the moment," Adele replied.

Appoline thanked her before quickly making her way there. Without even knocking on the door, she entered the room to see her friend sitting at the desk.

"Pol, what are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be at Hogwarts with the girls," Paulette asked in concern as Appoline sat down in the chair across from her.

"I know, but a lot happened yesterday that I need to tell you about," Appoline began before retelling the story about what happened during the second task.

To say that Paulette was upset was an understatement. Fleur and Gabrielle were her goddaughters and she would do anything to protect them. The fact that those in charge of the tournament had placed them in unnecessary danger infuriated her. "I can't believe that they actually thought that was a good idea! Did none of them realize just how serious the war between veela and merpeople was? The worst part is that Madame Maxine willingly put her own student in danger like that. She knows better than that. I'm starting to wonder if the British tendency for stupidity is contagious."

"Me as well. I made sure to let Madame Maxine know just how angry and disappointed I am with her. I don't know if I'll be able to forgive her for this."

"You shouldn't. If it weren't for Harry, they would both be dead and all those imbèciles would have offered you would have been their insincere apologies and condolences." Paulette took a deep breath to try and calm down before looking back up at her friend, noticing the hesitation on her face. "There's more that happened, isn't there?"

"I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to say anything until I'm done."

"Pol, you know you can tell me anything. Are you in trouble?"

"Not exactly, it's just… when Harry saved the girls and because he has already saved my life, he activated a rare veela phenomenon called the Veela Debt," Appoline said before launching into a detailed description of it and the methods of resolving it.

"Oh wow. You're waiting on him to make a decision then?"

Just like with her mother, a small smile formed on her face. "No, he chose to marry me. He didn't even hesitate, even after I told him I was willing to give up my magic or freedom."

Paulette gave Appoline an amused smirk. "So, when do I get to finally meet the young hero who has captured your affections."

Appoline rolled her eyes at her friend, though she didn't deny it. After all, she was going to be married to him soon enough. "We, along with the girls and his best friend, will be coming on Sunday. There is one more thing, though. He lived with relatives who are despicable and refused to buy him anything, including his own clothes."

"Say no more. You will have full use of my shop. If there's anything either of you want custom made, just let me know." Paulette thought for a second before adding something else. "I will also get started on designing both of your wedding attires."

Appoline pulled her friend into a grateful hug. "Thank you, Lettie."

"That's what best friends are for," Paulette replied before pulling back with a mischievous expression appeared on her face. "Now do tell me more about your young savior and soon-to-be-husband who you've been hiding from me."

- S.P.P.O.S. –

Hermione found Harry in the owlery stroking Hedwig's feathers after she had made a detour to the common room to pick up a few things. He seemed to have calmed down some, though she could still feel the tension around him.

"I brought you some parchment and ink to write your letter to Lisette. I also got your mirror so we can call Padfoot and Moony," she stated, deciding not to bring up what happened with Ron for the moment.

"Thanks Hermione. Let me just write this and then we can call them," Harry replied, shaking himself out of his funk. He took a few moments to decide the best way to tell Lisette about the situation. Eventually he realized that she would be shocked no matter what, so he simply wrote everything that had happened. Hermione helped fill in any details he forgot about. Twenty minutes later, Hedwig was flying off with the letter. "Alright let's call the mutt and the wolf."

The two Marauder's faces appeared in the mirror soon enough. After they all greeted each other, Sirius asked the expected question. "So, Pup, how did the meeting go with the lovely Appoline?" When he saw the serious look on the two students' faces, he grew concerned. "What happened?"

Harry looked at Hermione silently communicating with her for a few seconds. "I'll explain it to them Harry." Then she turned back to them. "It's a bit of a long story…" She started off with reminding them that Harry rescued Appoline and pointed out that Fleur and Gabrielle were still immature veela before explaining what the Veela Debt was. Harry jumped in to give more details on his conversation with Appoline and what he had decided. Hermione finished up by describing their meeting with the Delacours during breakfast and the decisions and plans they'd made. When she was done, the two men needed a moment to get over their shock.

"Wow, Pup, you can't help but get into the most unlikely situations," Sirius remarked seriously.

"How are you taking all of this, Cub?" Remus asked in concern.

Harry shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "Honestly, I don't really know how to feel about it. I'm getting married and I don't really know anything about that kind of relationship. Yet, I know I'm doing the right thing. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I let Appoline lose her magic and I respect her too much to make her my slave even though I know I wouldn't treat her like one."

"You have your mother's heart Harry, that's for sure," Remus said. "I think if you follow it, you'll be just fine."

"Remus is right, Harry. It won't be easy, but if anyone can do it, it's you," Sirius added sincerely before his tone turned mischievous. "Look on the bright side: you managed to snag beautiful woman who obviously cares about you. And you're only fourteen. How many men can claim that?"

Hermione let out an exasperated noise while Harry and Remus shook their heads at his godfather. "Yeah, well it's not as simple as that, but I guess at least she's not a stranger to me," Harry admitted.

"That's the spirit!" Sirius exclaimed, earning eye rolls from everyone else.

"Anyway, we plan on coming to see you two on Saturday, so you'll have to have the password ready for Hermione and the Delacours," Harry said.

"No problem, Pup. We'll see you and your new family then," Sirius replied.

"Try to stay positive, Cub, and remember that you don't have to face this situation alone," Remus added.

- S.P.P.O.S. –

For lunch, Harry and Hermione met Fleur and Gabrielle in front of the Great Hall with a picnic basket and blanket curtesy of Dobby. Gabrielle ran to Harry excitedly when she saw the basket and grabbed his hand to lead him outside.

"I take it we're having lunch away from the general population, then?" Fleur asked Hermione with a raised eyebrow. She could feel the tension surrounding her two friends.

Hermione looked at Harry before responding. "Yes, it's safer, that way. I don't think Harry would be able to control his first impulse if anyone bothered you or Gabby at the moment."

"What happened?" Fleur asked as they began to follow the other two.

"First, Harry had to deal with Dumbledore trying to stick his nose in his business. Then after dealing with that, Ron lost his mind," Hermione replied as she released a deep breath in anger. "He… he let his jealousy control him yet again, ruining any chance of us being his friends any longer. It wouldn't have been so bad if…"

"What did he say?" Fleur asked when Hermione went quiet.

"He made a very derogative insinuation about your mother and the reason why Harry missed dinner last night," Hermione answered angrily.

Fleur understood what that meant. "How did Harry react?"

Hermione let out a dark chuckle. "He punched Ron so hard that he fell to the floor. I was concerned that he would keep going, but he managed to gain control of himself, instead warning the prat to stay away from you three."

"I'm sorry you lost your friend because of us," Fleur said sadly.

"It's not your fault that Ron's an idiot. Honestly, I'm sure that either he would have found another way to push Harry over the edge or Harry would have just had enough of his attitude at some point anyway," Hermione admitted. "Ron's never seen Harry as more than the boy-who-lived and befriended him so that he could benefit from his fame. Their friendship wouldn't have lasted for much longer. As for me, I only put up with him because of Harry."

Fleur nodded in understanding at that. She would have said more, but they had arrived at the spot Harry and Gabby had picked for their picnic.

"Look at the spot Papa picked!" Gabby exclaimed excitedly, grabbing the witches' hands so she could pull them over to sit down on the blanket. They were in a secluded area on the grounds that most people didn't know about. It was somewhere that Harry went when he needed to get away from all of the drama of the students.

As they sat down, Harry winced as he realized it wasn't the best idea to let Gabby call him "Papa" in public if they wanted to keep the situation a secret. "Hey Gabby, I know you're excited about me and your Maman getting married, but… well it's not a good idea if you call me Papa in public," he said gently.

Tears welled up in Gabby's eyes at his words. "You don't want to be my Papa?" she asked distraughtly as the tears started falling down her face.

Harry, acting on instinct, pulled the little girl into his arms and gently rocked her. "No, that's not what I meant Gabby. Of course, I want to be your Papa. It's just, there are some bad people out there who would try to stop me and Maman from getting married if they found out before the wedding."

"Can I call you Papa when we're alone?" Gabby asked hopefully.

"Yes. When we're in public or around other people though, you have to call me Harry, okay?"

"Okay, I promise," Gabby agreed, a smile back on her face.

Fleur and Hermione gave him proud smiles at his handling of the situation. "You're going to make a good father," Fleur remarked.

"Would you believe it if I said I had no idea what I was doing? I kind of just acted," Harry admitted sheepishly.

"Your instincts rarely lead you wrong Harry. Haven't you figured that out by now?" Hermione asked shaking her head at his obliviousness.

After laughing at the blush on Harry's face good-naturedly, they started to eat the food Dobby had prepared for them.

The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing away from everyone else. Harry and Gabby played several different games, most of them made up by Gabby, while Hermione and Fleur discussed complex theories about Arithmancy and Charms.

- S.P.P.O.S. –

Appoline returned back to the castle in time to have dinner with the rest of them, something they also had outside after Dobby brought them something to eat. Then, at a quarter to eight, Harry and Hermione walked the Delacours back to the carriages and then returned to the castle, to keep up appearances. Harry made sure to walk Hermione back to the Gryffindor common room before heading over to Minerva's office. He knocked on the door twice and waited for her to tell him to come in before entering the room, firmly shutting the door behind him.

"Good evening Mr. Potter. How are you feeling after your ordeal yesterday? I had meant to come check on you, but I was a little busy telling Dumbledore off and you were a bit hard to find after that," Minerva said as Harry sat down in the chair across from her.

Harry ran his hand through his hair. "Sorry about that. I would have come and seen you, but I was pretty knackered when I got back to the dorms. Then I had to talk to someone privately, which is why I missed dinner, not that I wanted to go to the Great Hall anyway. I'm feeling alright though, just a little sore where the dagger pierced me."

"I'm glad to hear that you're okay. You had me a bit worried, though I know that Poppy wouldn't have let you go if you weren't okay. Now, what seems to be bothering you that requires you to come see me in secret?" Minerva asked as she set her papers that she'd been working on to the side.

"It's a bit of a long story, but I have to ask you something before I continue," Harry replied.

"You know you can ask me anything, Harry," Minerva said, sensing his seriousness.

Harry nodded in acknowledgement. "Okay, if I asked you to keep something from Dumbledore, would you do it?"

Minerva peered at him intently for a moment. "Yes."

He looked at her in surprise, not having expected for her to agree so quickly. "Really?"

"Yes," she confirmed before explaining herself further. "I… I have been thinking long and hard about the headmaster's decisions since I started teaching you privately in your second year. I've come to the conclusion that he does not have the best interests of anyone in mind except for whatever grand plan he has concocted. When your name came out of the Goblet, it was the last straw for me. That's why I started training you even harder and taught you Occlumency. If you have to participate in a tournament that you never should have been entered into, I'm going to make sure that you come out of it alive. So, no, I have no problem whatsoever with keeping things from the headmaster."

He gave her a small smile. "Thanks Professor."

"You're welcome Harry and please call me Minerva or Aunt Min when we're in private. Now, what is it that you want to keep hidden from the headmaster?" she asked.

"Hold on one moment. There's someone else who needs to be here for that conversation," Harry said before summoning Dobby. "You can bring her here now." Minerva raised her eyebrow at him but kept silent. A moment later, Dobby returned with Appoline in tow before popping away again. Harry stood back up to make the introductions. "Pro…Aunt Min please meet Madame Appoline Delacour, an amazing healer, mother, and friend. Appoline, this is Professor Minerva McGonagall, the finest teacher at this institution and a Transfiguration genius."

Both women rolled their eyes at his grandiose declaration before turning to face each other. "It's a pleasure to meet you Professor McGonagall. Harry's spoken very highly of you," Appoline said, holding her hand out to Minerva as Harry sat back down.

"It's good to meet you as well, though Harry has not told me that he knew you. You can call me Minerva by the way," Minerva replied, shaking the offered hand.

"Only if you call me Appoline," Appoline said before sitting down next to Harry, turning to face him with a teasing smile. "So, you've been keeping me a secret then. I wonder why that is."

Harry tried to get his blush under control before responding. "I did tell Aunt Min about you, just not who you were."

"This is the woman who you helped during the attack after the Quidditch World Cup?" Minerva stated in recognition.

Appoline arched her eyebrow at Harry before answering Minerva. "Helped is an understatement. I owe him my life."

Harry looked down bashfully. "I just happened to be in the right place at the right time is all."

Appoline looked at Minerva in amusement. "Is it always this hard to get him to accept that he did something praise worthy?"

"Unfortunately, yes. He's modest to a fault and has a strong tendency to understate his actions and their results," Minerva replied before moving them back to the point of the meeting. "While it's nice to properly meet you Appoline, I don't believe you came here just for that."

"No, there were some unintended consequences as a result of yesterday's events," Appoline began. "Have you ever heard of a Veela Debt?" When Minerva replied in the negative, she gave her an explanation.

Minerva, being the intelligent witch that she was and having good knowledge of Harry's character, was able to understand the situation after a few seconds. "You and Harry will be getting married within four months because he activated this Veela Debt after saving the lives of you and both of your daughters who are still underage in terms of veela, yes?"

"Exactly," Appoline replied, only mildly surprised at how quickly Minerva figured it out. Harry may understate his own qualities, but he doesn't have that problem when describing others.

"Very well. I will do everything I can to help you, starting with giving you access to my personal floo whenever you need it. It's warded to prevent anyone, including Dumbledore, from learning when it's used or who uses it."

Harry spoke up next to inform Minerva about their plans for the next weekend. After only a moment's hesitation he asked her a question that was on his mind. "Would you like to come with us Saturday?

Minerva was a bit shocked by the question and took a moment to regain her composure. When she didn't answer after a minute had passed, Harry became worried that he had overstepped his boundaries and was quick to back track. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. You don't have to…"

Minerva placed her hand on his from across the desk. "I'm not saying no Harry, I'm just a bit surprised. Why do you want me to come?"

"Well, it's just that we're supposed to be using the weekend to meet and get to know each other's family. I figured Appoline should spend time with all of my family. Plus, I can use all the help I can get when I go to Gringotts," Harry replied seriously.

A warm smile lit Minerva's face at his words. "Then I would be honored to come with you on Saturday."

Harry smiled back in return.

- S.P.P.O.S. –

After they finished talking with her, Minerva left Harry and Appoline in her office as she retired to her quarters. The two talked for about twenty minutes longer with him telling her what Minerva said about Dumbledore. He also let her know that she could call for Dobby any time she needed anything.

When Appoline was popped back to the carriage via Dobby, Gabby was already asleep while Fleur was watching over her.

"How did the meeting go?" Fleur asked once her mother was sitting on the bed.

"It went very well. Minerva agreed to help us with whatever we needed and gave us full access to her private floo. After the way she described Dumbledore to Harry, we don't have to worry about her telling him anything," Appoline replied. "Thank you for watching Gabby today."

"You're welcome, but Harry did more of the watching since lunch. She was practically glued to his side for the rest of the day. He's really good with her, even managed to stop her before she went into one of her crying fits," Fleur remarked.

Appoline gave Fleur a curious look. "What do you mean?"

"Harry realized something that we should have thought about ahead of time – Gabby can't call him 'Papa' in public if we want to keep all of this a secret," Fleur said, making Appoline mentally face-palm before gesturing for Fleur to continue. "When he told her that, Gabby took it to mean that he didn't want to be her papa and started to cry. Instead of freaking out like expected from someone with very little experience with kids, he immediately pulled her into his lap and hugged her until she calmed down so he could explain what he meant. He did really good at explaining it in a way that she could understand, and she promised to only call him that in private." Appoline agreed that his actions were impressive due to his inexperience.

A few minutes later, Fleur left to go to bed and Appoline made sure to ward her room for privacy before getting ready to go to sleep. Just as she got ready to lay down, Gabby started thrashing around in the bed in the throes of a nightmare. Quickly, she pulled her daughter into her arms and rocked her as she spoke soothing words to calm her down and wake her up.

After ten minutes, Gabby finally woke up, but she still wasn't calm. Gabby kept whispering something over and over, but she said it so fast that Appoline couldn't understand her.

"What is it, mon bébé? You have to say it a little slower so I can understand you," Appoline said gently.

"I want Papa," Gabby said in a fearful tone. "Can Papa come here, please?"

"I don't know if he's awake right now," Appoline said hesitantly.

"Please Maman, I need to see Papa," Gabby pleaded.

Appoline saw the look of pure desperation in her daughter's eyes and knew she couldn't deny her. She panicked for a few seconds as she tried to think of a way to contact Harry before she remembered that Harry said she could ask Dobby for help. Sighing in relief, she called for the house-elf who appeared a second later.

"How can I help you Mistress?" Dobby asked.

"Can you please see if Harry is awake? Gabby just had a bad nightmare and she really wants to see him," Appoline requested.

"No problem Mistress. I'll be right back," Dobby said right before he popped away.

"Don't worry Gabby, Dobby's going to get Harry," Appoline reassured her daughter. Gabby was still crying inconsolably as they waited.

Meanwhile, Harry was laying down in his bed in the dorms reflecting on all that had happened during the day. He and the others had made initial plans for his upcoming wedding, starting with a meet-and-greet with their respective family and a trip to Gringotts. Then, he told off his headmaster and punched his ex-best friend for being a jealous prat, ending the latter relationship and straining the former even more. He also secretly worried that they wouldn't be able to keep anyone from finding out despite their best efforts and wondered how the rest of the world would react when it all came out. The next few months are going to be interesting, that's for sure, he thought.

He was lost in his thoughts when Dobby popped in front of him and almost jumped out of his bed at the elf's arrival. "What's wrong Dobby?" he asked in alarm.

"Miss Gabby had a bad nightmare and is asking for you so Mistress wanted to know if you could come see her." Dobby replied, urgency in his tone.

Harry didn't verbally respond at first. He quickly threw on a pair of sweatpants, t-shirt, and his wand holster before turning back to face the elf. "Alright, I'm ready now."

Dobby grabbed Harry's hand before popping them back to the carriage, leaving almost immediately after.

Appoline sighed in relief at his arrival. "Thank you for coming so quickly."

"No problem," Harry replied before sitting down on the bed with his back to the headboard. Gabby immediately crawled into his lap and clung onto him, burying her head in his chest. "It's okay Gabby, I'm right here so you have nothing to be afraid of." He continued to whisper soothing words while he rocked her until she calmed down. "Do you want to tell me what your nightmare was about?"

"It was about when the merpeople were chasing us," Gabby said quietly. "But this time you couldn't get away and they…" she trailed off with a sob, clinging even tighter to him. She didn't have to continue for Harry or Appoline to guess at the rest.

"That must have been really scary, huh?" Harry asked her gently.

"Yes," Gabby answered, her voice small.

Harry gently lifted her face so he could look her in the eyes. "But as bad as it was, it was just a dream. I'm still here and the merpeople weren't able to get me or you. As scary as it all was, we made it out of there okay."

"Were you scared too?" Gabby asked.

Harry nodded. "Of course, I was. They put you, someone I care a lot about, in danger. I was afraid I wouldn't get there in time, but I was able to put that to the side because you needed me."

Appoline, who had been watching from the side decided to interject here. "It's okay to be afraid Gabby. We all feel that way sometimes, even me. I was afraid then too. But you two and Fleur are all alive and safe. Okay?"

Gabby nodded in response. Appoline moved closer to them, her leg touching Harry's, so she could run her fingers through Gabby's hair as the little veela started to truly calm down. The three of them sat like that in silence for several moments, taking comfort in each other's presence. When he saw Gabby starting to fall back asleep, he tried to get up to leave, gently pulling his arm from underneath her.

Before he could get far, she woke back up and made an unexpected request of Harry.

"Can you stay here tonight?" she asked sleepily.

"Umm…" Harry said, looking at Appoline for help. He didn't know how to answer that.

"Please Papa," Gabby pleaded.

Appoline, seeing that he was still unsure, tried to assuage his worries. "It's fine with me, if that's what you're concerned about."

"Okay, I'll stay," he decided after giving Appoline one more look to make sure she was okay with it. Then he asked Dobby to come wake him in the morning so know one would notice him being missing.

Once that was done, the three of them got situated in the bed. Gabby got in the middle and snuggled up to Harry, her head laying on his chest, falling asleep soon after. The other two had a harder time going back to sleep. Harry was trying to get used to having someone else in the bed with him while Appoline was contemplating his actions regarding Gabby.

"You did very well Harry. It seems like fatherhood comes naturally to you," Appoline remarked, breaking the silence that had enveloped the room.

"If you say so, though I really don't know what I'm doing," Harry replied, echoing his sentiments from earlier.

"No parent is perfect, so you shouldn't expect yourself to be, especially since this situation came completely by surprise," Appoline explained. "You'll make mistakes – I sure have – but you care about her and you've demonstrated that you would risk your life to protect her. You've also shown that want her to be happy. That's the important part. The rest will come with time and experience."

"I guess," Harry admitted, though he still felt like he was way in over his head.

Appoline chuckled lightly at him. "Look on the bright side, at least she already adores you."

Harry laughed with her before becoming contemplative. "What about Fleur though? I mean we're already friends but now…"

"Now you're technically going to be her beau-père?" Appoline finished knowingly. He nodded reluctantly. "My advice to you is this – don't change your relationship. You're very good friends so there's no need to change anything due to a technicality. It will make things unnecessarily awkward, especially since she is older than you. Besides, she already respects you as a mans and that's more than most in your situation could ask for."

Harry lay his head back, feeling better after her words. "Okay. I'll just take it one day at a time then. After all, planning ahead isn't my strong suit anyway." They were quiet for a moment both contemplating the past two days. "You know what? This is the first time I haven't slept alone. I should probably warn you I sometimes have nightmares," Harry spoke quietly, a bit ashamed.

She moved her hand so she could run it through his hair soothingly. "That's nothing to be ashamed of, everyone has them sometimes and you have more reason than most due to no fault of your own." Acting on instinct she leaned over and gently kissed his cheek, causing the tension inside of him to dissipate almost immediately. "But you don't have to worry about them tonight, I'll be right here if you need me."

Harry fell asleep shortly after that, a small, contented smile on his face. Appoline stayed awake for a bit longer before also drifting off thinking about her family – old and soon-to-be-official.

Translations of French words:

ma chère – my dear

Imbéciles – imbeciles

mon bébé – my baby

beau-père – stepfather