Chapter 35: An Introduction
"Heir of Black, I am Jean-Paul Delacour. I thank you for stepping in to defend my daughter's honor and dignity."
The man, who bore a faint resemblance to Fleur, extended his hand, and I shook it readily. I was glad that he approved of what I had done. What was less pleasant was the considerably stronger pressure now bearing down on my mental shields.
"Madame, allow me to express my gratitude for raising this young man in so admirable a fashion. I am Apolline Delacour, and this is my husband. You are already acquainted with Fleur, and this is our younger daughter, Gabrielle."
"The pleasure is ours. My name is Valpurga Black, and these are my daughters, Narcissa and Bellatrix Black. My grandson is Draco Black. Allow me also to introduce Filius Flitwick, my grandson's mentor, and his friend."
"I beg your pardon for interrupting..."
I couldn't help myself. I pressed two fingers firmly against my temples.
"...but I would ask the lovely ladies of the Delacour family to bear in mind that there is an eleven-year-old boy standing before them. The background pressure alone was enough..."
I gave a slight nod toward Harry, who was devouring the girls with his eyes, while Flitwick, to his credit, remained perfectly composed.
"...to affect those around me, and not only my friend. So perhaps we might call off this particular test? Believe me, I would sooner walk into a wall headfirst than behave in any way that was less than courteous toward you."
"Hmm... I like this boy."
Apolline gave her daughters a brief nod. Both had been watching me closely up to that point, and now a flush of embarrassment spread across their faces. It was plain that until that moment they had not expected me to withstand that pressure, and they were only now beginning to understand how it must have looked from the outside.
"He is brave and knows his limits. Fleur, I shall have no objection to you spending time with him, provided this young man is willing to defend your honor and dignity in the future as readily as he did a little while ago."
"It would be my honor..."
I gave Fleur's mother a short nod.
"...and I apologize for interrupting the introductions."
"Not at all, I quite understand."
After that the introductions were properly completed, and we all set off together toward a restaurant, not the most expensive one, nor the cheapest.
"So, you are Master Flitwick's apprentice?"
Not only his apprentice...
I shook my head.
"If that young man had been a little less impulsive, he would have found out that earning a place as Flitwick's apprentice required me to pass several years' worth of his Charms curriculum, complete all the first-year material at Hogwarts in every other subject, and then become his assistant."
"His assistant?!"
Fleur stared at me in undisguised shock and disbelief.
"Indeed, Miss..."
Flitwick had caught her exclamation and glanced over, briefly drawn away from his conversation with the adults. Our party had naturally split into a loose arrangement, the adults with the adults, Gabrielle with my friends, and Fleur with me.
"...Delacour. Draco is managing the Charms and Spellwork lessons for the first three years very competently. I must say that what he has devised could raise the standard of teaching in my subject considerably. If his approach proves successful by the end of this year, I may well adopt a system of half-year and full-year mini-competitions with prizes. Many students have already learned at least three or four spells beyond the required curriculum."
"I see..."
Fleur smiled at me, and I felt that faint pressure on my mental shields again, though it faded fairly quickly.
"Forgive me... it is just..."
"Please don't apologize. I understand it is in your nature, and I am grateful that you hold it back and give me a moment to rest and reinforce my shields."
"You..."
She looked at me in surprise.
"...you understand..."
"That you are part Veela? Yes, I worked it out."
"A quarter Veela."
I gave a thoughtful nod, but as we spoke I allowed myself to lean close to her ear and murmur quietly:
"Being a little bit Veela is rather like being a little bit pregnant."
Oh, that startled look! I couldn't hold back a laugh.
"Fleur, you look absolutely priceless..."
I shook my head.
"Are you mocking me?"
"Not in the slightest. I am simply asking you not to mislead me."
"All right..."
She gave a slow nod, and with that, we continued talking. At some point, our little group rejoined the others, and the conversation became louder and more cheerful all around. Harry still needed the occasional shake to bring him back to himself. Even the background Veela influence weighed on him more than he could comfortably handle.
Several hours later. An outside perspective.
"Fleur..."
"Yes, Maman?"
"What do you make of this young man?"
"Which one? There were two of them..."
"Don't be coy. You spent the whole time talking to one of them, and only one of them withstood our influence. So, what do you think of young Draco?"
"It's..."
Fleur looked slightly taken aback by her mother's question. Apolline simply smiled at her warmly.
"...he realized I was part Veela."
"Really?"
There was genuine interest in Apolline's voice, and a trace of skepticism.
"And he continued talking to you quite normally? British wizards tend to be rather prejudiced toward people like you, Gabrielle, and me."
"Yes, and I noticed no change in how he treated me whatsoever. Though perhaps he is simply very good at hiding it, and wants something from us?"
"Wants something?"
Apolline closed her eyes briefly, turning it over.
"I don't think so... If that were the case, one would not pick a quarrel with another House over it. One would simply try to attract our attention and arrange an invitation. Whereas what we saw here was clearly rather impulsive, but entirely approved of by the older generation, and entirely characteristic of an heir acting on instinct."
"Maman?"
"What can you actually tell me about him?"
"It is far too early to say anything..."
"Fleur..."
"No, I genuinely mean that! Well... he is strong... he protected me... he is pleasant company, and he is Master Flitwick's apprentice..."
"I see the boy has made an impression."
"He is far too young!"
She said it rather loudly, evidently realizing where the conversation was heading, then immediately looked embarrassed and dropped her gaze to the floor.
"My darling, youth is the sort of flaw that corrects itself very quickly. Wizards like Draco, by which I mean wizards strong enough to withstand the combined influence of two Veelas who have not yet fully come into their power, and one adult who was certainly not exerting her full charm, are exceedingly rare. Your father, for instance, could not have said the same. Not when we first met, and not even on our wedding day, which meant I had to scratch the eyes out of more than a few women who tried their luck with what was mine. It took Jean years to build up that kind of resistance. But if the Heir of Black can manage it at his age, and hold up against yours quite calmly, then one ought to stake one's claim."
"That would be rather difficult..."
Her eyes went wide the instant she heard her own words, and her mother gave her a deeply amused look.
"...I never agreed to anything!"
"Of course, my darling. Of course..."
End of perspective.
"Draco?"
"Yes, Mother?"
I looked first at Bella, who had spoken, then at Cissy. Valpurga had bid us sort ourselves out and had gone to her own room the moment we reached the corridor, so now it was just the three of us.
"What did you make of Fleur Delacour?"
"Pretty. Reasonably well educated. Good family."
I shrugged.
"One drawback: she is part Veela. Though we should be able to find something to ensure that a Veela can carry a boy. So as a potential match she does not trouble me. The only concern is that our political allies will inevitably try to..."
I grimaced slightly.
"But they can always be silenced with a duel challenge or simply by cutting their funding. We back a great many projects. Yes, we draw income from them as well, but if we withdrew our support, we would simply break even, while the Ministry would lose the means to pursue its own interests."
"Well said..."
Bella gave an approving smile.
"...though still, a Veela..."
She shook her head.
"...not that I have any particular prejudice against them, but..."
"Yes, you do, sister. Though I take your point, up to a point. On the other hand, you could form a family connection with the Head of the French Auror Office, who, with our backing, might make a credible bid for Minister. We all know things may become unsettled here before long, and having somewhere to fall back to... that could prove very useful indeed."
"I agree, but it is too early to speak of this seriously. Forgive my being direct, but your own arranged marriages have shown me that not every such arrangement makes for a happy one. If Fleur and I can come to feel, if not love, for one another, then at least genuine mutual respect..."
I gave the idea a considered nod.
"...then I would not be against signing a preliminary letter of intent."
"Excellent, which is precisely what I wanted to hear from you. Now, let's all get some rest. You are on the platform tomorrow!"
With that, Bella kissed me on both cheeks and left me alone in my room. But sleep would not come, and I stepped out onto the balcony and settled into the chair there, watching the sky in quiet thought.
It seemed I was soon going to be a rather less unattached young man than I might have wished. Though what any agreement would actually contain remained to be seen, as did whether an agreement would come about at all. A weak woman was the last thing I needed, so I would have to watch Fleur carefully tomorrow during the duels. She had come here to compete, after all. That would be the real measure of her.
There was a knock at the door. I rose, walked over, and looked through the peephole. It was a small blonde girl.
"Gabrielle?"
I said the name as a question the moment I opened the door. The little girl stared at me with enormous eyes.
"Gabrielle? Has something happened?"
She shook her head.
"Is it your parents?"
She gave a vigorous shake of her head.
"Fleur?"
She shook her head vigorously again.
"Then what is it?"
"Noth... nothing..."
She shook her head and dropped her gaze to the floor.
"...I was just so surprised you answered. I thought Daphne would open the door."
"Daphne doesn't spend the night in my room just to answer the door for late visitors. Still, what brings you here?"
"I... I never said thank you..."
She looked up at me, hesitant.
"...thank you for saving my sister Fleur!"
She took two steps forward and wrapped her arms around my waist, pressing her cheek against my stomach.
"Come now, what is all this?"
I stroked her hair.
"Everything turned out fine, didn't it?"
"Mm-hm... thank you, big brother Draco..."
She stepped back and darted away. I closed the door with a quiet smile, shook my head, and returned to the balcony chair.
"Being called big brother is rather nice, actually..."
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