As Delilah and Fleur chatted, Harry discreetly tried to shake Gabrielle off of his arm, but she just clung tighter. It was adorable, although I had a feeling Harry didn't appreciate the humor of it as much as the rest of us did.
"So, what are you doing today? Shopping?" Gabi asked curiously.
"For souvenirs, yes," Harry said, resigning himself to his fate.
"Well, there is quite the selection here," Gabi said. "Maybe I could show you around?"
Harry shrugged and the young Veela happily dragged him off to the stores, the others watching in fond amusement.
"I must say, this place is lovely. And so much to choose from! I feel spoiled for choices," Delilah said, turning back to the older Veela.
"Yes, there's nothing quite like the magical bazaar to find a gift or two," Fleur agreed. "Would like me to show you around? I know where some of the best deals are!"
"Sounds good. Boys, do we have anything else to do today?" Delilah asked us.
"I don't think we have anything else planned for the day, although Mrs. Flamel might want us to come over for dinner," Sam said, and I nodded. We didn't have anything scheduled, so we were free to hang out with the sisters.
"Beg pardon, but did you mention Mrs. Flamel?" Fleur asked, eyes wide.
"Yes," Sam said.
"Oh, my!" she gasped. "How did you get an invitation to dine with the Flamels?!"
"That is a long story," I sighed. "Let me tell you about it while you show us around."
And so I regaled Fleur with an edited version of what had gone down at Hogwarts, and then told her about how the ancient couple had discovered we were in France, and then invited us over. I left out Harry returning the Philosopher's Stone to the Flamels, not wanting the boy to be targeted by anyone wanting to steal it from him in case word slipped about the whole thing. Still, what I did reveal was enough to have her jaw drop in disbelief and amazement.
"That is… Mon Dieu, a child should not have had to experience such a horrible thing!" Fleur muttered when I'd finished.
"Yes, I agree with you, I'm not happy at all it happened," I grunted. "But thankfully Harry is safe and in good health."
"Yes, that is indeed a good thing," Fleur said, before biting her lip. "But, what you said…"
"It's true. Voldemort is… can't really call him alive, but he's active. And he's lurking in the shadows," I said.
"I must tell maman and papa about this," Fleur muttered to herself, and I nodded in agreement with her idea. A few people knowing the truth wouldn't matter much, but setting the groundwork for future allies was never a bad thing.
"Hey, this is a depressing topic!" Sam announced out of the blue. "Let's talk about something else!"
"Like what?" Fleur asked.
"Like, uh, do you have any advice on where to buy some souvenirs that work in either world?" Sam asked, thinking up something off the top of his head.
"I might," Fleur giggled.
We grabbed Harry and Gabrielle, the latter pouting at having to share the boy's attention, while the latter was just relieved to be freed from being the sole focus of the prepubescent girl.
Gabrielle did perk up when she was told her and her sister were going to be acting as tour guides for our little group, and the two Veela did a remarkable job of explaining the history of Paris' magical quarter while also showing us where to get some more excellent goodies.
We had to be careful, though. Our wallets were already rather light after our earlier shopping spree.
As we were talking in front of a candy store that Gabrielle had led us to, I sensed some people approaching us. I could tell by the way the crowd had shifted a bit, allowing a small group of people to get near.
"And who are these people, mon petit Fleur?" a sensual voice called out from behind us, and we turned to find a couple walking arm in arm down the street who'd approached us.
The man was an older gentleman with a slight paunch and a head of brown hair. He had a thin goatee and eyes that glinted in amusement as he looked at the two young Veela, but also contained a sharp look to them as he appraised the rest of. Especially Harry, whom Gabi was clinging to. Despite his out of shape physique, there was muscle tone in his arms, proof of strength and training that was very odd to find amongst magical folk.
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