Hermione started to bite her lower lip as thoughts flooded her mind; thoughts she wanted to convey but wasn't sure how. Just as she was about to say something Fleur said it first. "Arry, what if eet was just a dream?"
"It wasn't. I'm sure of that," Harry countered. "It happened and I know my parents are watching me," He tried to blink away the tears that had come into his eyes. "And they are proud of me."
Hermione moved over to sit next to Harry and leaned her head onto his shoulder. "I love you Harry, we all love you, but we don't want you to be disappointed if you find out it wasn't real," She saw he was about to reject the idea again. "Just hear me out Harry, please," She looked into his eyes and continued. "I'm not saying it wasn't real, but your mind can play tricks on you, especially if it thinks it's dying. You associate death with your parents and while you laid there you heard Voldemort say something about a prophecy and you knew about Horcruxes. Your mind might have made it all up as it thought it was going to die."
"But..." Harry started to protest.
"It might have happened Harry," Hermione continued through his protest. "But we just don't want to you to be hurt if it was a dream. Besides do you really think Professor Dumbledore really thought you had to die?"
"If I am or was a horcrux yes," Harry replied as he looked at his bondmates. He could feel their concern. He thought of what he had seen and though he was confident it had been real, he could see why they might think differently. He smiled at them and nodded. "I understand what you're trying to say," He cast his mind around looking for an argument until finally he said. "Look, I didn't know anything about my parents' wills, so if Dumbledore has been doing something with them and my father had protected them like that, would that be proof that it was my parents?"
"Zat will definitely be proof," Fleur replied. "But love, even if eet was a dream, I'm sure your parents are very proud of you."
They all sat in silence for a little while, each of them looking over the water, finally Gabrielle said. "Eet will be nice to be 'ome. I want to swim in zee sea," She looked at Harry. "You're going to love it. Warm water, sandy beaches and ze fishes zat swim zere are beautiful."
Harry smiled at her enthusiasm. "As long as my angel is there, I'm sure it will be perfect."
"Better tell Maman zat you will need a new bathing suit," Fleur told her sister. "Your old one isn't going to fit anymore."
"Non, no maillot, I want a bikini like yours," Gabrielle replied sulkily.
Though Harry had seen both of them with no clothes on in their minds, there was something special about images of the Delacour sisters in bikinis that brought a smile to his face. Hermione was the first to notice.
"I think you broke him Gabrielle," She said as she nodded at their bondmate. "I have a bikini as well you know. Though I think I might need a new one since I've grown a little since last summer. Want to help me pick it out?" She said to him and the smile on his face seemed to get larger as the far off look in his eyes grew more noticeable. The bond sisters all ended up laughing at his expression.
"Shall I mention I sunbathe topless at 'ome?" Fleur asked mischievously.
"Think you would like to watch us all sunbathing topless Harry?" Hermione asked.
All thoughts of dying and the events of the previous night had fled the mind of the fourteen year old at those thoughts. Only a slight nodding of his head gave any indications he had any active thoughts at all.
"We should head back to ze castle," Fleur said finally to shatter Harry's dreamlike state. "We have zat meeting wiz ze 'eadmaster soon."
Just as they stood up to start back a voice called to them. They looked around and saw Viktor Krum walking toward them from the castle. Harry looked at Hermione who shrugged. They had told him last night they would explain and now would be as good a time as ever. They closed the distance to the Quidditch star and finally Harry put out his hand. "How are you this morning Viktor?"
"I'm fine," He responded shaking Harry's hand. "I just finished being questioned by that lady about last night."
"How did it go?"
"They are not going to charge me for attacking you and Cedric or using the torture curse," Krum started.
"Of course they wouldn't," Hermione exclaimed forcefully. "You were imperiused."
Krum shrugged, "I take nothing for granted. You know the reputation of my school. Especially vith everyone saying Karkaroff ran off to join the Dark Lord again."
Harry remembered memory that he had seen in Dumbledore's pensieve. "He would do that? He betrayed a lot of Voldemort's supporters to go free."
Krum shrugged. "I don't know. He might have run as vell. All I know is he is not here."
"How will you get back to Durmstrang?" Harry asked. "Without Karkaroff to sail your ship?"
Krum laughed heartily. "Karkaroff did not sail the ship. He stayed in his cabin the whole time," He explained. "Ve vill not have any troubles getting back."
"I'm glad," Hermione replied. When a quizzical look appeared on Viktor's face she continued. "I really want to be your friend Viktor. I'm sorry if you wanted more, but..." She moved beside Harry and shrugged as she said. "I'm with Harry."
Again no emotions passed over Krum's face as he asked. "Can you tell me about...?" He nodded his head to Fleur and Gabrielle.
"Can you keep what we tell you a secret? At least until later in the summer?"
"Who vould I tell?" Krum asked before nodding his acceptance. "I vill not tell anyone."
"You know about Veela?" Hermione asked.
....
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