A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands

A/N: This felt like a companion piece to chapter 48, ergo why they were posted together. When I was rereading 48, it was a tough note to end on, so I took a little longer to finish this which will hopefully wash the bad taste out of your mouth. There will be a bit of a longer break until chapter 50. Last chapter and this chapter were hard to write.

I use some French in this chapter. I do NOT know French, so I used google translate. Sorry if I absolutely butcher the language. French in italics. Once again, to any French speakers, I am sorry.

Chapter 49: Fleur's Dilemma

March, 1995

People did not truly understand Veela. Fleur realized that the moment Harry disappeared in January. Of course, most of the people had seen them kiss on the dance floor, though what Harry and her discussed after leaving the hall was a secret between the two of them. When their group of friends saw her kiss Harry after he gave her the necklace, they thought it was good natured teasing.

But it was anything but that. The word "mate" made Fleur feel a bit like a creature, and she knew that the English Ministry had laws that declared her a half-human. Something that made her less than any of the other girls Harry might form a relationship with, even Hermione who was muggle-born. All of that did nothing to change Fleur's feelings.

Regardless of how pejorative mate was as a term, it was accurate for two key reasons. These reasons were implicit to Veela biology, and very rarely shared to someone outside the Veela community, which grew smaller every year, with Veela leaving the shelter of a closed community to experience what the rest of the world had to offer.

The first reason mate was accurate was due to how Veela fall in love. While it was possible to fall for a man who was unable to resist allure, it was rare for that to be love. Instead, if a man was good enough but not a perfect match, some Veela was just ensnare the man and that would be the end of that. After the first child, the Veela would dictate the terms of the relationship. But Harry's unbelievable resistance to her allure was almost unheard of.

Her grandmother was a full-blooded Veela, but to call Fleur a quarter-Veela would be misleading. She was Veela, but the power of her Veela allure and ability to shift into Avian form was different from others. Her grandmother was more powerful and in-tune with her Veela abilities then anyone, but that did not mean Fleur was not powerful in her own right. While Gabrielle could already begin to form an Avian form, Fleur's allure was already on par with her mother and would have continued to grow if she had not met Harry.

Harry's resistance to allure was a good enough reason to consider him as a potential mate. It was biological, and had nothing to do with feelings, part of why Harry was a mate and not a boyfriend. And when Veela fell, they fell hard. But a man could resist allure and still be a horrible person. Fleur did not know what to expect from the green-eyed boy all those days ago when he had brushed her allure off like a fly buzzing around him all those days ago. Even Cedric and Victor stumbled a little bit when faced with the full power of her allure, despite the overall power weakening due to her feelings for Harry/

None of that was why Fleur was completely and totally in love with Harry. The resistance to allure was a jumping off point, something that made her interested. But since he could resist the allure, Fleur could let herself go around him. They could discuss anything, and Fleur relaxed more and more as she got to know Harry. His nobility, intelligence, and protective nature impressed her and triggered deeper feelings. His courage and steadfast determination to what was right and wrong was intoxicating.

He was not a little boy in any sense of the word. In fact, even when they first met Harry was not a little boy in any other sense than his physical stature. He had shot up like a devil's snare that had captured someone. Now he was a good two inches above her, the perfect height for Fleur to snuggle into his chest or rest her head on his shoulder. But he had faced things that Fleur could not imagine, a basilisk and over a hundred dementors. Every time, Harry dug into power and courage that no one could match and rose to the test.

But the second reason that mate was an appropriate term was how Fleur grasped her necklace and slipped through the Hogwarts wards. Later that week, Minerva would comment on that, stating to the other professors that for a place with impenetrable defenses Hogwarts had been breached a fair few times this year. Flitwick had responded with the nickname her had heard some students saying, "Hurricane Harry" which left a few teachers in stiches.

Harry did not know the real effect of the necklace her had given her. No one did. It was a thoughtful gift, and it showed Harry cared for her. It was far more than that. Fleur doubted Harry knew the connotations of a valuable gift. It was similar but different to normal relationships.

For normal wizards or even muggles, partners might exchange promise rings before they were of marrying age, promising to be with each other when they got older. The necklace Harry had gotten her was as good an engagement ring for Fleur. The significance would be lost on anyone who did not understand allure.

Fleur's passive allure was almost impossible to control and rarely diminished, but that could not ensnare strong willed men. But it still attracted idiots like the sixth year Ravenclaw Roger Davies or Harry's old friend Ron Weasley. But the stone Harry's had given her on the necklace reduced the pull of her allure naturally. That meant it was a gift for someone who no longer wanted you to attract other men. In other words, the actions of a lover, not a friend.

And as someone who was now essentially bound to Harry and had been given present of such significance, there were no wards or distance that could stop Fleur from chasing Harry, especially when her perfect partner's feelings were in flux. Soul bonds or nonsense such as that was not real, no matter how Fleur wished it could be. But Fleur was not an idiot, and could guess what Harry was feeling. Not why, but she would learn.

Unlike apparition, Fleur's stone could take her to her beloved, her perfect mate no matter the distance. She did not know why it had not worked during the winter. It was unlike anything she had ever heard or felt before, but Harry totally beyond her reach. But now the situation was changed, and she felt his presence, as far away as he was and behind the strength of powerful wards.

Fleur did not need permission to get to him. Wards were not too much an impediment. Unfortunately, Harry's newfound power to flash to different place seemed to be incredibly fast, almost instantaneous travel. It took time for her to latch onto Harry's signature and follow him. But after what felt like days knowing her love was hurting, Fleur landed somewhere entirely different.

To her surprise, her travel had been stopped by wards she now faced. They were truly impressive to stop her in her tracks. Part of her power had been stopped by getting through the impressive Hogwarts wards, and she suspected she was close to Harry. Fleur looked around and her breath was taken away. She was on a cliff overlooking the ocean, with a small city sparkling below as the sun began to descend from its zenith. She took a few minutes to appreciate the view. Then she cast her eyes around the cliffs, and saw a house atop the cliffs a little while away.

It was a tough hike, all uphill and with the wards pushing her back. As she neared the house, she felt the wards repelling her, until the pressure vanished and her travel became easier. She detoured from her original destination as she saw a familiar back hunched over the cliff. When she sat next to Harry the sun was on its way down, a stunningly gorgeous sunset.

"Where are we?" Fleur asked after a long but comfortable silence.

"The Amalfi coast, Italy," Harry told her.

"This is yours?"

"Yeah, my mother and father bought it before going into hiding. They actually designed the house, had it built. It was finished after they died, kept in stasis by Gringotts." Harry had his legs hung over the cliff and had them swinging randomly. "I visited it in February."

"It's stunning," Fleur added. "The view and the house."

"Yeah." Harry's face fell at the mention of that.

"I understand you are upset, I do," Fleur interjected. "But this is not a place to be sad."

"No, you don't understand, not really," Harry shot back heatedly. "I love it here. But like I said, it's a custom design."

"Is there something wrong with that?" The French witch asked. Harry looked like he was struggling for an answer. Fleur did not want to push him so she waited for Harry to continue, and he had to take a few heavy breathes.

"There are four bedrooms."

"What do you…" Fleur started, before trailing off, her eyes wide. She felt for Harry's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I always wanted a big family," Harry was holding back tears. "I guess my parents did too. That's why it is hard to come here. After the first time…" Harry trailed off. "It was stupid, but I figured if I could be sad about this, it would distract from the fight."

"You know I will not thing any less of you if you wish to show emotion," Fleur asserted. "I love you no matter what happened."

"Even if I tortured Bellatrix for no other reason than to cause her pain?"

"Well, I will love you until the day I die, but I would be curious. Did you did it, or was it the other soul in you?"

"What?" Harry whipped his head around, eyes blazing. "You knew about Ares?"

"I assumed you did too," Fleur responded, confusion in her eyes. "You mean to tell me you had a second soul in your body, and you only learned of him?"

"My masters removed the memory of him," Harry explained. "They probably didn't expect me to experience the emotions I did in that fight."

"What emotions?" Fleur inquired. "Who is the other soul, Harry?" Harry shook his head. Irritated, Fleur grabbed her beloved head and twisted it towards her. As Harry turned, Fleur leaned in and locked lips with him, trying to convey her love to Harry. It took a moment for Harry to respond, and it was far too hesitant for Fleur, who slid onto his lap, deepening the kiss.

Eventually she had to pause for breath but now that she was in Harry's lap, she had no intention of leaving. She swiveled, leaned back, and put her head on Harry's shoulder. She grabbed Harry's left arm and forced it around her stomach and Harry's right arm followed, cradling her to his chest. Fleur snuggled closer, amazed by how she felt. She had never felt so content, and although she wanted Harry to trust her and talk through his pain, there was a large part of her begging her mouth to stay shut and just enjoy the closeness of Harry, and try and take him to bed this night. But that was not what Harry needed, and soon her traitor mouth betrayed the rest of her body.

"What would you like to talk about first, mon seul vrai amour?" Harry twisted her around so she faced him and raised an eyebrow. "My only true love," Fleur explained. Harry gave that a laugh and lifted her out of his lap, causing Fleur to exclaim in sadness.

"You can have my lap back after we talk," Harry told her. "If you still want it."

"Oh Harry," Fleur just smiled. "Are you being obstinate on purpose?"

"Fine." This earned the first real smile that wasn't about her physical contact. "Well, I think more than almost anyone, we have talked about the future in a family way. Kids, marriage, Sirius and Akria, etc."

"Almost anyone?"

"Hermione." Fleur grimaced a little at that. "One of these days, if you really want to be with me, you are going to have to accept I don't see Hermione that way," Harry chided. "Some people say that close girl friends are like sisters, and I will never say that about Hermione. There is heat between us, and maybe there always be. But I will never light the fire."

"That doesn't mean that I can't be irrational about it."

"Fine," Harry said. "Regardless, you know I want a big family. At least three kids, and we have talked about how having a lot of kids isn't the easiest for Veela." Fleur nodded. "It's both funny and tragic that I wouldn't have needed to worry about that with no Voldemort. I feel like being a big brother is not a horrible test run for being a father. Instead I'll be muddling about with no idea. It's not like my male father figures know how to be a father either."

"Well, whether I am the mother of your children or not," Fleur told him, "I suspect that now that Sirius and Amelia will be getting married in the summer, he may try and have a child or two to continue the Black line. I'm sure you can play a part in their lives."

"If Sirius and Amelia do have children, it won't be because of the Black line," Harry countered, to which Fleur agreed. "But that would be a nice ancillary benefit."

"So Voldemort threatens any chance you have both as a child and as an adult. Tragic, but not worth running off to Italy for, especially if this is not a recent discovery.:"

"I would not call myself an adult-" Fleur placed a finger on his lips to silence her paramour.

"You should learn by now that beautiful women do not like being contradicted. You are the le plus têtu man I have ever meant."

"You know that when you get emotional some French slips in," Harry observed.

"Well, if you weren't so stubborn I would be able to keep my cool," Fleur shot back.

"Fine, fine. This isn't worth fighting about. You are right," Harry conceded. "It's not why I ran to Italy. Though the sunset is certainly something." Fleur nodded and couldn't resist burying her head into Harry's shoulder. They simply sat there for a time as the sun sank to the horizon, coloring the sky with an orange red tinge that was simply delicious. Even the water off the coast, an incredibly clear blue when she arrived was now a darker hue.

"So would you like to talk about Bellatrix?" Fleur asked as the sun was now only peeking over the horizon.

"Would you run away with me?" Fleur gave Harry an incredulous look at that statement. "I mean it. I doubt anyone could find us without invitation. My family has property all on six continents, all with powerful wards that I could reinforce." The green eyed wizard seemed to be getting caught up in the idea as he talked. "We would find someone to break the contract off the cup, or even just go back for the third task. Disappear off the map, just live life."

"And start a family?" Fleur asked and Harry nodded timidly. "Harry, I can tell you without reservation I would love nothing more than to have you to myself for the next five years, and then only share you with our children." And as Fleur said that, her heart broke a little. Because it was a fantasy. One that she wanted to live in her imagination and then in her real life. If she said yes and took Harry to bed just for physical closeness, she had no doubt that they could indeed live out this crazy fantasy.

Fleur knew she could get lost in the fantasy and make it a reality so easily. She suspected that if she gave in to Harry's madcap idea, it would not be so crazy anymore. If the French witch truly believed in the idea, and devoted her heart and soul to the endeavor, it might actually work, and they could both truly find happiness in the most unlikely of ways. That both scared and excited her

But it wasn't fair to others. Fleur wanted Harry to herself more than anything she had ever wanted in her life. That was still possible in the future, even if she only had most of him. The Veela did not like settling for second and would not for Harry, but for someone like him she knew that with the combination of people who needed him, she might never have 50% even if she was number one in his heart.

She still needed to know. Before she threw it away, possibly for good. She loved Harry, and Fleur expected in time, especially if they were by themselves, Harry could grow to be fond of her, and perhaps even one day return the depth of her affection, as improbable as that was for the near future. But if she was to even consider the fantasy, she needed to know.

"Harry, I would love nothing more than to do that, as long as you occasionally allowed my family to meet me." Harry nodded vigorously. "But do you really want that?"

"Yes!" Harry replied vehemently. Then his face twisted in confusion. "I guess not." He rubbed his brow as it furrowed. "Maybe?"

"Those are your three choices," Fleur joked to him.

"Would I like to do that?" Harry said after a moment's contemplation. "I guess that I wouldn't cut too many people out, and the more people you include the harder it is to keep a secret. But I can't."

"I assumed so. That isn't truly who you are, and I don't think either of us would fully enjoy this if you couldn't be who you truly are."

"That's not what I meant," Harry explained. "There is a prophecy about me."

"Harry, please do not tell me you please in the charlatans who speak vague and half-truths," Fleur said with a laugh. But Harry looked serious.

"It is recorded in the hall of prophecies." That shut Fleur up. "I won't bother you with the details, because it doesn't matter. But it essentially says that if I don't stop Voldemort, no one can."

"Surely you don't believe that nonsense," Fleur cried as the color drained from her face.

"Not in the slightest," Harry denied, and Fleur almost slumped in relief. "But keep in mind that Voldemort has heard this prophecy, and he does. If there is a shred of truth, he could hunt me forever and unless I stop him he could cause irrevocable havoc."

"And Voldemort is not dead?" Fleur asked.

"No, he isn't," Harry told her. Fleur was surprised by the look in Harry's eye. It was equal parts surety, determination and anger. Anger she had rarely seen from him, even when he attacked Draco. "The mark grows darker every day. He will return somehow. Hopefully, it will give me the chance to end him once and for all."

"Then why do you feel bad about Bellatrix?" Fleur was reluctant to turn back to the main subject of the conversation as she knew that Harry would tense up again. "If Voldemort," Fleur shuddered a little at the name despite her best efforts not to "returned, she would kill people. Possibly hundreds in his name. I've read the records of the death eaters that spent time in France. If the Dark Lord's chief lieutenant is as vicious, she would be a monster."

"Oh, she is a monster," Harry confirmed. "I had a personal score to settle. Were you there when my grandmother gave Neville the dagger?"

"Your grandmother?" Then a light of realization flickered in Fleur's eyes. "Minerva is your grandmother."

"I call her Minnie," Harry said with an impish grin.

"Yes, I was there, but I did not understand the importance."

"One of Bellatrix's last victims was named Alice Longbottom. She and her husband Frank were Aurors, two very good ones. Bellatrix, and as it turns out, her husband and his brother, along with one other, tortured then into insanity."

"You wanted revenge for Neville's family," Fleur deduced.

"She wasn't just Neville's family," Harry admitted. "She was mine too. My mother was very close with Neville's mother, and Alice Longbottom was my godmother. Without Bellatrix, I would have grown up a Longbottom. I can't even imagine how my life would be different. I may be idealizing having a brother, and who knows how Neville and I would have turned out, but it can't possibly be worse."

"So Bellatrix got what she deserved."

"No." Harry looked down in shame. "No one deserved what I did to Bellatrix. I tortured her for fun."

"Did you, or did the other soul do it?" Harry looked at her curiously. "Harry, if my Veela allure attracts men, is it my fault?"

"Of course not," Harry told her soothingly. "It is part of who you are." Harry seemed to hear what he said and he laughed a little. "I hate you a little, you know that?"

"How so," Fleur asked, absolutely terrified.

"This was a wonderful opportunity to beat myself up for days and brood for at least a week, and you cut the legs out from under me."

"Good," Fleur claimed, her fear gone. "I like the Harry who lets me sit in his lap and kisses me anyways." Harry eyes seemed to shine a bit at the mention of that. "Now I must hold you to your promise." Fleur climbed back into his laps and soon enough she lay on top of him, her lips on his. One hand ran through his messy black hair while another slowly slid under his shirt.

"Fleur," Harry said, slightly breathless. "You have to stop…" Fleur gave him a questioning glance, her mouth still inches from his. "If you don't I don't know I will be able to stop myself."

"Stop yourself?" Fleur purred in his ear, and Harry groaned. Fleur could tell he was barely suppressing his desire. It was wonderful to have a man be totally and completely captivated by her and know it had nothing to do with her allure. Fleur had never felt more empowered in her life, and it was intoxicating. "Why would you do something like that?"

"Fleur." Harry tried to push her away, but it was half-hearted.

"Would it be so bad for something to happen?" Harry's eyes widened as Fleur began to tug at the hem of his shirt. Harry closed his eyes, still wide as saucers as Fleur leaned it to kiss him again. But this time she kissed the tip of his nose and then pulled back laughing. "Oh Harry. Fight a dragon, no problem. But a beautiful girl wants to give herself to you and all of the sudden you are effrayé."

"I'm not scared," Harry huffed. "I just, I mean, Aggh!" Harry pounded his fists into the ground. "You are impossible."

"I know," Fleur said with a toss of her hair and a smile that promised more. "Just know, mon amor, all you need is to be sure. Then I will be yours in every way."

"I thought I already had your heart," Harry quipped and received a punch in the shoulder. "Maybe we should be getting back."

"No," Fleur said. "We will stay here and share the bed."

"Hm?" Harry asked, his face turning red. "I thought we had come to an agreement."

"Just share the bed," Fleur said. "Nothing more. You are not ready and I will not push you."

"Thanks," Harry confessed. He did take her hand and led her back to his house. "One day though. Even for a short while. Even if we are not together like you want."

"Have no fear of that," Fleur said. "I know you do not feel the same way as I do. But as I said on New Year's. It will take time, but I will win you in the end. Tell me if it not working." Harry blushed harder than before and Fleur's laughter filled the cliffs. "Is it so hard to admit that you feel something more than friendship?"

When Harry awoke the next day, the first thing he felt was softness. For a moment he panicked at the golden hair across his chest, and he heard a sound of contentment from the other occupant of the bed. Smiling, he shook Fleur gently, but the French witch had no intention of getting up.

"The sun is not up yet," she protested as Harry rose from the bed. "You had a fight yesterday. You do not need to train today."

"If I never trained after I had a fight, I wouldn't get better," Harry explained as he pulled on some workout clothes and his trainers. "Akira will be in bed for a week. I'm responsible for myself."

"If you get up this early, we will never sleep in the same bed again."

"I just wanted to wake you because we will need to get back to Hogwarts sooner rather than later," Harry told Fleur. "Next time I'll let you sleep in.

"Oh?" Fleur was instantly awake. "So there will be a next time?"

"Honestly?" Fleur nodded, urging Harry on. "That was the best sleep I have had in a long time. Especially after the day I had yesterday, I expected nightmares." Fleur leant forward and gave Harry a teasing kiss and her heart fell light as a feather as Harry did not instantly draw back. "What did I do to be chained you?" Harry taunted but raced out the door before Fleur could rise.

"What did I do to be blessed with you?" Fleur murmured to herself as she lay back down into bed. "You all better thank me," Fleur told herself thinking of her friends in England eagerly waiting for Harry's return. For one final moment, Fleur took in the house and the bedroom she hoped she would one day be "their" bedroom. "One day," Fleur promised herself.