Fleur stepped close and kissed him to stop him from talking. She knew that Harry was hers. Any doubts she had ever had about his loyalty wavering had disappeared the moment he had told what he would do for the one person who understood him.
'Idiot,' she told him fondly in French. 'I know you, Harry Potter,' she reminded him. 'You never even mentioned this Ginny Weasley to me, and you already promised that you and Katie were friends. I do not like the article,' she chuckled at the understatement, every copy she had found had been burnt, 'but I certainly do not believe any of it.'
'That's good,' Harry decided, not looking at all comforted. 'I would never do something like that to you,' he told her, shaking his head angrily at the idea.
'Not if you wanted to live,' Fleur smirked, raising a fire-coated hand. 'I would turn you to ashes if you ever did anything to hurt me like that.'
'As long as you bury me under our willow tree I'll die happy,' Harry grinned, but Fleur received the distressing impression that he was only half-joking. The thought of never being able to touch him again made her all cold inside.
'Don't say things like that,' she frowned unhappily. 'It's not at all funny.' He looked briefly guilty and fell silent for a few moment, tracing his fingers over the back of her hand.
'What about your family?' Harry asked, anxious again. 'Do they believe anything about the article?' 'Gabrielle has decided that you are perfect for me, she read the article and laughed at the idea of anyone being able to steal you away from me,' Fleur smiled, trying not to enjoy his blush too openly.
If all my allure can't even tempt him to step away from you, then nothing else will either, had been her sister's exact words.
'My parents are still worried about me being hurt,' she told him apologetically. 'They don't really believe the articles, but they don't want me to ignore them, just in case.'
'Ah,' he responded disconsolately. 'They won't ever approve of me will they,' he said. 'I'll either be a dangerous dark wizard, or Voldemort will be coming after me and anyone close to me.'
'They
do
not
dislike
you,'
Fleur
shrugged helplessly. 'It isn't personal,' there wasn't really much she could say, 'and they aren't really trying to separate us either. They just don't want me to forget about the consequences of choosing you.'
'It feels personal,' Harry admitted, smiling slightly. 'I had this faint hope that I could just step in at your side and find myself part of a family,' his smile turned bitter, 'but nothing is ever as easy as we dream.'
'Gabrielle considers you family,' Fleur reassured him. 'I don't,' she smirked, 'I consider you mine.'
'There's nobody else I'd rather belong to,' he told her dryly, but his eyes shone happily again, no longer hidden behind his glasses.
'Good,' she told him imperiously, 'now we must head inside and deal with the more important things, like what you bought Gabby for Christmas.' 'I think she will like it,' Harry smiled, 'I don't really know what anyone expects so I tried to get something I felt fitted.'
'I wouldn't worry too much about your present for Gabrielle, she loves being given things more than the things themselves. If you gave her pebbles from the river she would keep them and treasure them. Her room is full of things she has horded and I've never seen her throw away anything, not even her shoes.' Fleur smiled, taking his arm to apparate them back. 'If anything we should be more concerned about what she might have bought us, her present to us is for both of us together.' Harry did look faintly nervous about that, no doubt remembering some of Gabby's more embarrassing questions about their romance.
There was a soft snap as Fleur whisked them both back into the entrance hall. 'I finally commented.
understand
the
shoes,'
Harry
'They are almost all Gabrielle's,' Fleur smiled, 'she is incorrigible, and maman has given up trying to get rid them, I think Gabby has bribed Binky to make sure that they don't get thrown away.'
'How sneaky,' Harry grinned approvingly.
'Harry is here,' Fleur's little sister, stepped into the other end of the hall and spotted them talking while Harry removed his shoes.
'Nice socks,' Gabby complimented, seeing Harry's orange and green striped feet.
'Thanks,' he replied, straight-faced, 'nice shoes.'
'They are all Fleur's,' Gabrielle lied, giggling. Her short, serious conversation with their mother was likely the only sober moment she would have today. Christmas was Gabrielle's favourite day.
'And you lied to me and told me that they all belonged to your innocent baby sister,' Harry pulled a shocked face.
'I wanted you to buy me more,' Fleur responded wryly, 'but I suppose it really is time I threw away all my old shoes.'
She pulled her wand from her waist and Gabby gasped in horror, stepping in between Fleur's wand and one of her precious collections.
'You seem very attached to your sister's shoes,' Harry remarked.
'You shouldn't just throw things away,' Gabrielle pouted. 'It's not right.' She reached out with the hand that wasn't clutching a half-full mug of hot chocolate and led them firmly into the main room by Fleur's wrist.
'Harry,' both of her parents smiled the same tolerant, polite smile, and Fleur's father stepped forward to shake his hand.
'How has your first term back at Hogwarts been?' Her mother inquired in French.
'Not the best,' Harry smiled ruefully, replying in his own, much improved second language. Fleur glanced at him, surprised. She had not been expecting him to be so open with her parents. Harry would not lie, not to her or anyone she cared about, not unless he really had to, but she'd anticipated bright smiles, and deflective humour rather than simple, candid honesty.
Her father opened her mouth to say something further, but was fortunately interrupted by Gabrielle. 'Are we giving gifts now?' She asked, sprawling across one of the more comfortable sofas and pushing her feet up against the pale stonework of the wall.
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