Je vous aime

By: Gibson21

Lights slowly began to dim over the school of witchcraft and wizardry. One by one the lights coming from windows turned to darkness as it grew later and later into the night. It took the students a long time to stop discussing what had happened earlier that evening. The boy-who-had-lived had once again lived. (If you could call it that, with the injuries he had sustained). However, not everyone had lived through this awful experience in which Lord Voldermort was rumored to have risen again.

Many students had a hard time accepting the fact that the Dark Lord had risen once again. It was easy enough to deny it, let alone to disbelieve it. No one wanted to believe that a tyrannical figure had risen again from the cold slumber of the earth. Instead, the students found several ways to link a tragic death of a student to the sole survivor—Harry Potter.

It didn't matter how it played out—wither it was an accident or wither it be that Harry killed Cedric Diggory by his own hands; anything was easier to accept then the Dark Lord's revival. There were several people that believed Harry wholeheartedly: Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, Hermoine, and a few select others, and the Weasleys; close friends of Harry's.

Harry walked on his own into the hospital wing—anchored by Dumbledore—and he was watched after and comforted by the Weasleys. They had continued talking long after Harry had fallen asleep, having fallen under the effects of a sleeping potion. However, the Weasleys fell asleep themselves eventually on beds set up for them by the school's healer. Their slumber was deep and untroubled. Harry, even though it seemed that he was sleeping deeply, was far from peace as he dreamt of his worst experience.

The accident still played in his mind constantly as he tossed and turned in his bed. A blinding green light flashed behind his eyelids as he heard a faint groan come from his right and then a thump as a body fell limply to the ground. The dream was so real that the cut on his arm let by Wormwood suddenly burned again as if it were reopened. And then he saw a freakish being clinging to him. A being with burning red eyes that glared towards Harry with hatred.

"Wha--?" Harry bolted upright on his bed, grabbing his forehead in pain…

He breathed heavily as the pain slowly became a dull thumping on his scar. He cursed to himself silently as he allowed him to sink back down under his covers. He looked around and saw the still forms of the Weasleys and Hermoine Granger. He sighed in relief, seeing that none of them were awakened by his sudden outburst. His sigh was sucked back in with a gasp as he saw a figure in the dark peering at him. It was too dark to see what it was. It was a human, and it was approaching Harry from the door that lay a few yards away from his bed that was at the furthest point of the room right next to a large window. Only the light of the moon shone in the room, and it wasn't enough to see who this figure was.

Silent footsteps made their way towards Harry's bed. He though he saw hair lilting behind the figure as she approached. It was a woman…but who? Her feet were now visible in the moonlight on the floor a few feet from Harry. The moonlight crept up her body as she moved closer to Harry's bedside. It was a gorgeous figure that was dressed in a white fur cloak. As she moved closer, Harry could see the rest of her. Her beauty was breath-taking; waist length silver hair, a clear complexion, sparkling eyes, and soft facial features that were as smooth as silk.

"Fleur? What are you doing here?"

It was Fleur Delaclour, a student that come from a foreign school across the ocean from England. She was a beauty and was the affection of many people at Hogwarts. Many squirmed with jealousy as Harry saved her sister, Gabrielle during the second trial, for which she rewarded him two kisses on his cheek. She acted completely different towards him after that moment. At first she thought of him as a little boy, Harry being three years younger then her, but that had changed.

She knelt next to his bed as she looked at him with a look of worry and concern. Her hand went to his face that was covered with cuts and bruises from his struggles. "I vas worried about you. How are you feeling 'Arry?" Harry trembled a little under her gaze as her soft hard graced across his cheek. He didn't know if this was a common thing where she was from but this made him feel a little uncomfortable.

"I'm fine," he said a little more urgently than he wished, "really, I'm okay." She didn't take her hand from his cheek as she looked up at him. Harry calmed himself down as he brought himself to look into her eyes (avoiding her eyes due to shyness and embarrassment) and stated, "Really. It doesn't hurt that much anymore." He was lying, but she seemed to believe it. She smiled at him.

It was stone quiet for an amount of time. It wasn't an awkward silence; it was almost like Fleur was analyzing him while he let his gaze wander again from her eyes. "Cedric," she continued, "Do you vant to talk about et, or…" Harry shook his head, "Please…I can't explain it. Not now…" Her hand broke away from his cheek as he shook his head. He didn't want to talk about and recount the whole story regarding Cedric's death. He had enough of probing questions and lengthy answers. It was almost like Fleur was reading his mind "I a'ready know about ze accident. I 'eard about he-who-must-not-be-named. He haz returned, no?" Fleur was no longer looking at his eyes, but down on the tiled floor, with a voice sounding full of melancholy.

"How did you know?" said Harry, a small amount of amazement in his voice.

She looked back up at him as he looked at her. He felt a small wave of relief now that he had a reason to look at her. She nodded, "I heard ze others talking about et. About how 'e died…how you brought back ze body…How you fought ageenst 'eem. I vanted to know how you veel. Naught vat happened." Her hand was now on his hand. Harry thought a little humorously, "Is this what it's like in other countries? People always touching other people?" She looked at him, slightly pleadingly.

Harry smiled slightly, "I'm sorry, but you won't be able to understand." Fleur seemed a little hurt at what Harry said, but she seemed determined as she gripped his hand instead of just touching it. Harry began to feel blood go to his face as she looked at him imploringly. He slowly began to open his mouth and explain. "I just…I can't believe what happened. I can't believe that I watched Cedric die in front of me. I told him to grab the trophy! I told him to do it with me! He died because of me!" Both hands gripped Harry now, "No, no, no," she said hastily, "you would have saved hem ef you could. I know et. You never let anyone down 'Arry. I know you tried."

"And I couldn't save him. He died because of me…" Harry felt his eyes well up with tears.

"No!" Said Fleur a little sharply, "You-know-who vas responsible. He did et."

They both went quiet as Harry hung his head again, not willing to see Fleur with eyes full of tears. He felt her hand on his chin as she lifted it up. At first he resisted, but then allowed his gaze to meet hers again. He began to feel more and more comfortable with looking her in the eyes. She continued, "You can't save everyone 'Arry. No one else could save 'em, let alone themselves. Just ze fact that you escaped shows zat you 'ave steength." Harry felt a little better now that she compared him to other people. He felt that it was true from what he had heard about Lord Voldermort. He should've been dead along with Cedric.

"'Arry," continued Fleur slowly, "I have a qwuestion."

"Yes?" Asked Harry. Fleur seemed a little bashful as she continued, "When ve were in ze maze and I screamed, vere you coming to save me?" Harry slowly nodded as Fleur beamed at him. "Zat is what I thought. I knew you would…Do you know why?" Harry shook his head as she leaned a little closer towards him. "I knew zat since you saved me sister. You are a good man 'Arry. So, do not be sad. I know you vanted to save 'em. Just like you saved me sister…" She was so close now that she was only a foot away from Harry's face. She was looked into his eyes as if she was expecting something. She didn't care if the Weasleys or Hermoine was sleeping just a few feet away from her; the thing she wanted seemed to exceed anything else she wanted.

Harry spoke in a barely audible whisper as she drew a little closer, "Why did you come here tonight, Fleur. What did you want to say?" His voice shook a little as her eyes went from his eyes, to his lips, and to his eyes again. She smiled diminutively as she said, "I cannot say et. My englash is poor…"

"Try…" Said Harry, still honestly confused with what she wanted.

She struggled as she tried to form the words together; it almost seemed as if she was nervous herself. She also spoke in an audible whisper as she drew closer and closer. "I just vanted to say zat…well… I just vanted you to know zat…I lov…well…" She suddenly pushed her lips against Harry's. Her hands (both of them) where now on Harry's face and moving to the back of his head. Harry was stunned beyond all words, but was at the same time, light on his feet with such a feeling of affection. It seemed as if his stomach lurched within him as Fleur moved to embrace him. Finally their lips parted. She smiled at him sweetly and said, "…Je vous aime…a lot…"

Her hand graced his face one more as she moved away from him, "Pleaze, go to sleep. I am sorry to have troubled you…I just had to tell you…It vas driving me mad…I had to tell you…" Harry only nodded in understanding, having gone such feelings before under different circumstances. She smiled as she left, clearly entranced and enthralled with what had just happened. Harry couldn't see it, but as she stepped into the hall, she bit her lip and giggled within herself as she headed back to her dorm.

Harry touched his lips and felt like his whole body was light. That was something that never happened to him before. It felt awkward in ways, but so comfortable in others. He shook his mind from it (unsuccessfully) as he took another draught from the sleeping potion that lay beside his bed. He almost fell asleep instantly. As he did, he dreamed of Fleur holding him tightly just like she did that night.

He slept comfortably from that moment on…

THE END

Author's Note: Harry Potter and the characters are owned by the genius that got me to read frantically again. (a.k.a.: J.K. Rowling). This story is only what I would've wanted to see just a fraction of in the real book. Hey, I know in real life, this match-up might not work, but hey, that's what fanfiction is for! Who-HOO!

By the way, "Je vous aime" means "I love you," or "I like you". I wasn't sure which one it meant cause I used www.freetranslation.com and it's awesome! (albeit can give faulty translations).