Chapter 22 - Chapter 22

The feeling was instant, even the subtly of Dumbledore's probe was unable to cut beneath the protections that now existed in his mind. Focusing, he forced it out. And he looked over to see the Headmaster smiling at him, clearly pleased, "Well done, Harry. Very well done. Truly, you've made fantastic progress."

They were sitting in his office in the early morning as had become their usual routine on Saturday, "Thank you."
Dumbledore chuckled slightly, "I don't know if you'll thank me at our next lesson." Harry quirked an eyebrow in question, 
"While this has certainly been helpful in ensuring that you have the control you were lacking after the events of the summer, there was some ulterior motive on my part as well."

"Oh?" Harry asked. It wasn't surprising considering the way Dumbledore's mind worked, but he was curious to know what exactly the man had in mind.

"Yes, while your magic was certainly the main concern, there is also the issue of Tom." Dumbledore looked at him over his half-moon spectacles, "He is a master of the mind arts, certainly on my level. His only fault is his own arrogance on the subject. He doesn't believe that anyone could form defenses that could actually stop or mislead him."

"I take it that's why you still insist on keeping Snape around?" Harry understood the man might be useful, but it didn't make him anymore pleasant to be around. He'd expected the greasy bat to be more combative after his selection as champion. But since their interactions were limited almost entirely to potions and he still liked Daphne, he'd chosen instead to entirely ignore his existence. Much better than the alternative.

Ignoring Harry's failure to use the Potion's Masters title, Dumbledore agreed, "Yes, it's an important factor in Severus' function as a spy." He steepled his fingers and sighed, "And with that In mind, I believe you may not like what I have to say next."

Seeing where things were going without them needing to be said, he shook his head, "No, we both know you're more than capable to do whatever's necessary with regards to Occlumency."

"Perhaps, but Severus is far more… direct in his methods of Legilimency. There is a brutality to it that I simply wouldn't match." Harry noticed that the Headmaster said wouldn't and not couldn't, "The sort of brutality that Tom would be willing to use given the chance."

"Tom isn't going to try pilfering my mind if he has the chance to kill me." Harry argued.

"Are you so sure?" Dumbledore asked, calm as ever, "Given his inability to end your life… at every turn… and his knowledge of the prophecy, don't you think he would try and assault your mind in the hopes of discovering its full contents?" It was the only reason that the Headmaster had ever hesitated in telling it to him to begin with. He must have always intended that I learn Occlumency then, this just gave him a convenient excuse.

"Fine, I concede that Tom might be more cautious the next time he has an opportunity to kill me," Dumbledore looked triumphant, but he wasn't finished, "But just because you don't want to do something doesn't mean you should force me to endure someone who hates me actively trying to get into my mind."

The man sighed and shook his head, "It isn't just a matter of wants but ability, my boy. I could presumably muster the rage to attack you in the same way Tom might, but I doubt I'd manage to direct it toward you, much less sustain it. Severus on the other hand…"

A muscle in Harry's jaw ticked as he thought it over. He didn't like the idea of giving a man who hated him carte blanche to attack his mind, but he could see the reasoning. There was a small vindictive and competitive part of him that reveled slightly at the idea. It could be fun throwing him back… again and again… really pissing him off.

Finally, he relented, "You're right, I suppose. Might as well test myself against someone more… vindictive." He did have one condition though, "You'll be there when it happens?"

"Of course, I'm not so naïve as to allow Severus free reign in such regards. He's not a man capable of setting aside old hatreds… It'll be here in this room, just as all of our others."

"Alright, until our next lesson then?" Harry made to stand.

"Yes, I will inform Severus." Dumbledore let him get to the door before he spoke again, "Looking forward to your first tournament tomorrow?"

"Yes, it should be brilliant." He turned back to the desk. The first round of the dueling tournaments was the next day. Supposedly there was going to be quite a crowd. Well, considering the stadium they built for it, there damn well better be. And while he did intend to have fun, he also intended to win.

"I'm sure it will be. I know I'm looking forward to seeing it myself. It has been quite some time since I've watched any competitive dueling of this sort. I expect Hogwarts will have a wonderful showing." Harry heard him say Hogwarts, but he expected that the Headmaster meant that he in particular would have a wonderful showing.

"Oh, I expect the same, sir."

"Wonderful, my boy." With that he looked down to his desk, and Harry took that as a final dismissal. He found himself heading down to the Great Hall and a much needed breakfast. When he got there it was still early and the hall was largely empty.

There was someone at the Ravenclaw table that he headed over to though, "Morning, Luna."

The waifish girl looked at him with her big silver eyes, and he couldn't help but notice that she looked more tired than usual, "Oh, morning, Harry." Her usual spaciness seemed exacerbated by her fatigue, as though she was barely seeing him.

"Did you not sleep well?" He asked her, concerned.

"No…" she said slowly, eyes drifting shut slightly, "no… I uh… didn't sleep well at all. Couldn't seem to find my way to my bed."

"What?" Harry's voice hardened, having a feeling he knew exactly where this was going, but he managed to calm himself for her sake, "You have to duel tomorrow, Luna. You need your sleep."

"I know… of course, I know. But it would seem that the Nargles had other ideas for me." She shivered and Harry glanced down under the table and saw that she wasn't wearing any shoes either. They forced her out into the halls at night without any shoes. What the fuck is wrong with them?

Control slipping for just a moment, his eyes flashed a bright green, "Luna," he started gently, "we both know that this wasn't the Nargles, this was jealous, immature pricks who deserve to be punished."

It looked like there were small, unshed tears at the corner of her eyes, and it cut right to his hear,"Oh, no… no. It was just the Nargles." Harry wasn't one to sit there and let something like this continue, he'd seen more than enough of it and it left his blood boiling before. Now, there was no other option but to seek punishment.

Reaching across the table, he grabbed her hand and she took an unsteady breath as he gave her a comforting squeeze, "You have friends, Luna. Me and Ginny, and Sue Li, and Padma and from what I've seen Gabrielle too, and none of us want you to be picked on just for being yourself. So…"

"That's enough for me…" She said softly, voice barely above a whisper, "never thought I'd have that many friends to be honest. What's a few people who don't like me?"

"I have people who don't like me," Harry told her, firm but gentle, "But none of them force me out of my bed at night and make me walk around cold through the halls." There was a part of him that wondered if she'd deliberately avoided the portraits, because normally they would inform the Headmaster of something like that, and he knew that Dumbledore wouldn't tolerate it. It wouldn't surprise me. Luna seems the sort who wants to avoid causing any trouble.

It was at that moment that Gabrielle entered the hall and moved right over to Luna. She gave him a little wave before she noticed Luna's poor disposition, "What iz wrong?" She wrapped one of her small arms around the older girl.

"Nothing. Or it'll be nothing by the time I'm finished," He completely forgot about any breakfast. Giving her hand one last squeeze, he stood and looked at the head table. Luckily for him, Flitwick was sitting there already. There was fury etched in every line of his face as he stormed toward the front. No one said a word to him, and a few people moved hurriedly out of his way.

The Charms Professor felt him coming before he actually stood before him. In his anger, some of his magic was actually rolling off of him, "Mr. Potter?" The half-goblin was clearly confused.

"There's been horrible bullying going on in your house, Professor." Harry bit out the words, clear and concise, "Luna Lovegood was barred from Ravenclaw Tower last night without her shoes and made to roam the castle all night."

"What?" The Professor asked aghast, horrified at the very implication.

"This isn't the first time that something like this has happened to her. She's had her belongings stolen more than once, sir." Flitwick's eyes narrowed, his own magic roiling just beneath the surface, "It was only her insistence that stopped me from speaking up until now, but I can't in good conscience keep it to myself any longer."

"No, nor should you, Mr. Potter." He looked ready to duel anybody and everybody responsible as he hopped down from his seat, "Thank you for telling me. It seems I have a busy morning ahead of me." As he stepped down from the dais, he stomped to the front of his house's table, "Every Ravenclaw will follow me back up to the common room… this instant." 
There eyes went wide with fright, some more than others, and Harry would wager it was because they only just then realized the stupidity of their decisions, "Miss Lovegood," he said far more gently, "with me please."

Every person in blue-lined robes followed after their furious Head of House, as the rest of Hogwarts and their guests alike all looked on with confusion. Heading back to the Ravenclaw table, he sat down across from Gabrielle, the younger girl gave him a small smile, "Zat was brilliant."

"Oh, really? Because from what I hear, you won't let your sister do the same thing for you." He retorted.
Scowling at him, she folded her arms defiantly, "My situation iz nozzing like Luna's. Petty words thrown at me by a…. how do you say…"

"Jealous bitch?" He supplied helpfully.

Gabrielle giggled, "Oui, zat sounds right. A jealous bitch zat would never dare do ze sort of zings that 'ave been done to Luna." There was probably some truth to that. While Solen would happily antagonize either of the Delacours from what Fleur said, she had a healthy enough fear of both being caught and retaliated against that she kept things to words alone. But will that last when Fleur's no longer at Beauxbatons?

Finally doing what he came down for, he filled his plate with food. As he was eating, somebody stood over his shoulder. Looking back, it was Fleur with Chloe just beside her, "Where are all of ze Ravenclaws?" He patted the seat next to him.
In the same moment, Daphne sat down across from them, "I was wondering the same thing."

"It must be a miracle," he teased her, "that's the only thing that can explain you being up so early on a Saturday. Surely you need another three or four hours of beauty sleep."

"I'm beautiful regardless of the sleep," She said with a flick of her blonde hair, unlike a good number of the girls in the school, she never seemed to feel a bit of insecurity around Fleur. It was a funny thing because it seemed to apply to all of the girls he found himself around, save Hermione, "And what can I say, I found sleep a bit harder to come by considering what's coming up tomorrow."

"Yes, we're all very excited." Fleur cut in, "But what iz 'appening with ze Ravenclaws?"

"Flitwick needed a word with them… about some really cruel bullying done to Luna." Harry explained, and he saw the way that Fleur instantly looked over to her sister.

Gabrielle huffed, waved her off, and spoke to her sister in French, "I already heard it once from him. And it isn't the same, so leave it alone."

"Good," Daphne wasn't as close with the younger Ravenclaw as he was, but she was never cruel to her either, "Astoria has had a few classes with her obviously, says she's odd but very intelligent. Right insightful about most things in a way that would put Hermione to shame at times if what she tells me is true. She shouldn't be bullied because she's a bit odd."

"Oui, she iz a sweet girl." Fleur had a soft spot for her considering just how easily she'd accepted her sister, "Ze are… connards for picking on her."

Harry didn't know exactly what connard meant, but he could wager a guess from her tone, "Yep, right pricks." That sent them all into giggles as they took what French fare they could and ate their breakfast.
Prim and proper, Fleur finished daintily and looked at him, "So… dueling practice?"

"You two are mad. The tournament is tomorrow! Surely now would be the timeto take a bit of break, get your head right for the event." Daphne said with a huff and Gabrielle nodded her head in agreement, the younger Delacour didn't have her sister's same competitive streak, which was why she'd only tried out for the first-year academic team

Chloe snorted from Fleur's side, "Oh, zat isn't going to happen because zat would be ze sensible zing to do."
Aghast, Fleur corrected her friend, "I'm very sensible." She continued in French, "Besides, it was your idea that we work together to begin with."

I wonder if I could manage to make one of those stones, really would be helpful. Or maybe Professor Babbling wouldn't mind lending me one. He'd love to just learn the language, and he had picked up a few words. But learning a language wasn't exactly the highest thing on his list of priorities.

"True," Chloe giggled, "but I certainly won't be involved. Zere are better ways to spend a Saturday zan tossing spells in some dusty room."

"Hey! The room isn't dusty." Harry corrected.

"You will just go back to the carriage to lounge about and sleep." Fleur teased her friend.

"Of course, I will. What better way to spend a quiet Saturday." Chloe agreed, entirely unrepentant.

Daphne smiled, "See, this girl gets it."

"You're welcome to join me in ze carriage," The French witch offered, "Gabby will come as well, I'm sure. She likes to borrow our textbooks. Little overachiever wants to win the first-year academic tournament all by 'erself." Gabrielle blushed slightly but nodded her head at the inquisitive looks she received.

"So, I take it this means you won't be joining us then?" Harry asked Daphne with a raised eyebrow.

It took her a moment to decide for certain but she finally shook her head, "I'd rather not have to grab any healing salves because of your bloody Stinging Hexes, sorry. I'm going to go with Chloe."

"Just the two of us then," he and Fleur smiled at each other. As they all sat there, something quite curious happened. The blue gems that tallied the Ravenclaw House points suddenly plummeted in their cylindrical container at the front of the room. They started the day at 112 and in an instant, they were all gone. Something tells me that is going to be the least 
of the punishments.

It was only as they were finishing that the hall really started filling with students and everyone of them was shocked to see the sudden change. Pushing his plate away, he stood and offered a hand up to Fleur, "Shall we?"

"Oui." She took his hand and followed him to the door, but not before saying goodbye to the others, "See you later"

"Have fun. Make good choices" Chloe's voice followed after them, and the younger veela only giggled at the redhead's words.

Harry didn't give it any more thought than that as they made their way to the entrance. They headed toward the stairs and were nearing the second landing when they were met on the stairs by Ron. Before he even said anything, he knew that he was in for a headache. His ginger mate's behavior had been erratic at best in the last week.

They'd managed to put it aside during their quidditch practices, but the already tenuous situation between them had only been made worse when Harry and Ginny hadn't shown up to dinner the week before. This… isn't going to help.

"Now you're going around with her," he nodded his head in Fleur's direction, tone scathing, "behind my sister's back." His frustration with Harry was enough to overcome his poor ability to resist the allure.

"I'm not doing anything behind Ginny's back," Harry said, already exhausted with the conversation, "She knows that Fleur and I have been working on dueling together, she's even been there once or twice." It was true. With the tournament drawing closer, the last week had seen many of the participants working together in their free time. Though, Fleur was the only one who was doing it with members of one of the other schools.

"Right," Ron didn't sound convinced, "Just like you weren't doing anything with her last Saturday. And don't think no one has noticed that you've been out after curfew even more than normal. So, it wouldn't surprise me if you been off… fraternizing with the enemy."

Well, some of that was true as well, too. He'd spent quite a bit of time visiting with Anya and Orina late at night when he had the opportunity. It was one massive benefit of needing less and less sleep all the time. It helps that Anya and Orina seem to be going through the same thing.

"She's not the enemy," Harry told him, calm as he could manage, "She's a guest that Hogwarts happens to be competing against. I don't remember that being your tone when they got here. You were about ready to walk over and ask for Viktor's autograph, weren't you?"

Ron's ears went red as his hair, "That's completely different!"

"No," Harry disagreed bluntly, "You just want it to be different because you think I'm doing something to your sister. And that's only part of the reason, because let's not pretend that you'd care half as much if it weren't Fleur that I was with."

Ron looked ready to respond, surely with another angry outburst, but Harry wasn't going to give him a chance, "I've got an idea for you Ron, how about you worry about yourself and your girlfriend and stop worrying about the people I decide to spend my time with, yeah? And get over the fact you weren't chosen as champion, too? I don't know where this ridiculous fucking jealousy is coming from all of a sudden, but I'm bloody tired of it. So, either deal with it, or back the hell off."

With that he grabbed Fleur's hand and walked past his stunned friend, "And just pray that I don't tell your sister about this. Something tells me she's more likely to use her wand than I am. But who knows, piss me off enough and you might just have to deal with mine too." That threat was enough to make Ron pale slightly, as he seemed to realize just what he 
might have gotten himself into.

The ginger hurried down the stairs in the opposite direction, going more quickly than he had been when he ran into them. Fleur giggling at his side grabbed his attention as they headed up to the fifth floor, "What?"
"I've never seen someone lose their nerve quite so quickly," She said through her amusement, "You are sure that he is your friend?"

Harry shrugged his shoulder, the question honestly puzzling even to him these days, "We've been through quite a lot together over the last three years. He can be a right prat sometimes, but… who can't?" He shook his head, exasperated with the very thought, "I'm fed up with it at this point though, so if something doesn't change…"

"Oui, sometimes you just grow apart from people. Who knows zough, per'aps 'e will come to 'is senses?"

"I'm not sure how much sense he has to come to." That sent them both laughing as they neared their practice room. It was predictably empty as they made their way inside.

"So… Solen or you?" Harry asked as he walked to the other side of the room and took his wand from his wrist holster. It was a common question in the last week, Fleur fought him one of two ways either as herself or as Solen. They were entirely different as personally, Fleur favored Charms and fire magic, her nature giving her an affinity for the element. On the other hand, Solen preferred employing curses and misdirection to gain an advantage.

Turning back around to look at her, he found that Fleur was pulling off her outer robes and tying up her silver blonde locks in a ponytail. As always, she made for quite the striking figure. When that was done she pulled her wand out and started twirling it between her slender fingers, "Solen I zink. What is the tally?"

One thing they'd learned about each other was they they were competitive people, and so there was a board on the wall that had the tally of their victories. When she fought like her schoolmate, Harry had the distinct advantage. At first, he'd been winning little over half the time, but in just a week it had become nine out of ten. Unfortunately, there was no guarantee that he would find himself fighting her in what was going to be the group stage of the competition.
"Eighty-one to thirty-seven," he told her.

"Bon, let's begin then." Without any other warning she fired a spell in his direction. He didn't know if Solen was quite as capable as Fleur when it came to silent casting, but she never uttered a word unless absolutely necessary either way.
The pink spell that came hurtling toward him was a Confundus Charm. He stepped out of the way, "I'm not falling for that again." In one of their earliest duels, she managed to hit him with a Confundus, the nauseating confusion it caused gave her an open opportunity to disarm him.

"I would be disappointed if you did." She smiled back at him. A fire whip escaped from the tip of her wand, and he could feel the heat of it as it skimmed the air just in front of his face. As she pulled it back, he fired a spell toward the tendril of fire.

His Flame-Freezing spell hit the whip and as it slashed back toward him. He let the flame pass across him only to feel nothing but a light tickle. As the fire went out, she whipped her wand back and a deluge of water appeared at his feet. He knew that trick perfectly well, and he had no intention of falling victim to it. Before she could turn the water to ice, he turned it into steam that filled through in a thick fog.

With their vision impaired he called out to her, "That isn't very nice, Fleur. I thought you were going to fight like Solen."
A Depulso came screaming through the fog that he deflected away with a quick shield, though it wasn't from where he expected it to be. Her voice carried to him from his left, "Oh… my mistake." He just shook his head entertained by her antics, "Or maybe I want to keep you on your toes."

While he had overwhelming success when Fleur did her best to mimi Solen, it was a much closer thing when he had to deal with the veela as herself. They fought to a draw more than once, and for the first three days she'd had a clear and obvious upper hand. Fortunately, he was improving rapidly and now their tally was nearly even, "Is this because I'm going to catch up soon."

He'd beaten her three out of their four matches, and was now only three behind, "Non… non, of course not." There was a smile in her voice, and it didn't convince him one bit.

"Underhanded tricks will get you nowhere." Another spell shot through the steam even as it started to thin slightly. His reflexes saved him as she came much closer. She'd Disillusioned herself but he could just make her out as she pushed through the heat. Harry found that the best way to deal with her quite incredible mastery of charms was with Transfiguration and, where he could manage, a bit of conjuration.

Avis. The spell produced three black ravens that soared into the room, Oppugno. The birds dived in the direction of Fleur's silhouette. A flaming shield blossomed around her as they skreiched harshly in their assault. It incinerated them as they flew through to their destruction.

Taking the opportunity, his wand flashed through the air and stunner went soaring toward her. It was never that easy to beat the French witch, she pulled a shield up in time to catch the red spell. The steam dissipated completely and he cast a Finite to end her disillusionment.

There was a light sheen of sweat on both from the steam and he imagined she looked far better glistening than he did. He didn't give her a moment of reprieve though, firing off a Shield-Breaker followed by a quick Bone-Breaker. One thing she'd made abundantly clear to him was that he was to try to win any way possible… so long as it was within the rules. So, he'd gotten used to never holding back with her.

Her shield shatter while she danced out of the way of the Bone-Breaker, it pushed her closer to the back of the room. In fact, her bum was nearly pressing against the desks that they'd moved aside weeks ago. A plume of blue fire shot toward him, it was a spell he'd seen before, and he knew that a simple shield wouldn't stop it. It led to his loss in one of their earliest duels. Protego Maxima. The flames washed against the shiny magical barrier, heating it almost unbearably. He 
ignored it though and focused on the desks.

Silently, he transfigured them into dogs. Extremely excited deerhounds to be exact that he would wager weighed more than the beautiful girl he was dueling. They barked and charged at her and unlike the birds, they were far too close for her to deal with before they jumped up at her and knocked her down. Now reasonably she could decimate them even as they wagged their tails excitedly and licked her face.

Moving over to her, he had to hold back a laugh as he pointed his wand down at her head, "Yield?"

Clearly wanting to be upset, she couldn't hide her delight, "Oui." Pleased with himself, he ended his transfiguration and sent the desks back to the back of the room, "Zat was a dirty trick, 'Arry." She told him from her back as she pouted up at him.

"One good turn deserves another," he replied with a smirk, as he offered her a hand up. She took it and ended up pressed against his chest. The soft swell of her breasts as they squished against him felt fantastic, but he was focused on the little pout on her face.

"It iz ridiculous." She said with a huff, "In just a week, you are beating me just as often as you are losing." Considering she made no attempt to move from his arms, he wasn't going to make her.

"More often, actually." He said with roguish little smirk, "But, I've had a fantastic teacher."

"Fantastic teachers more like." She was still pouting, ""ow 'ave you learned so many new transfigurations so quickly?"

"I might have asked for a bit of Professor Dumbledore's help." He offered her.

"Zat is not fair." He found her frustration incredibly cute, and he only made it worse by chuckling.

Unable to resist himself, he leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Her enchanting blue eyes were wide as he pulled back, "It just gives you a reason to get better. After all, it wouldn't be worth your time to duel me if I don't even present a challenge." It was that very reason that she didn't duel Sue Li, at least not unless she was fighting as Solen, and part of the reason that Harry had even taken on more of a teacher role with her too.

The pout was definitely gone now, as she was utterly gobsmacked, "Oui," she said absently, "oui."

Finally pulling away from her, he gave her a cheeky smile and walked over to the board where their victories were tallied and added one more to his side, "So, again?"


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