Harry had closed his eyes a few moments, taking a breath to push back the sudden surge of loss that threatened to overwhelm him.
"Ron, Ron!" Hermione's voice from across the table said rising in irritation.
Harry glanced over from the book he had open to see Ron sitting next to him staring off to the side. Ron had been writing something, but his quill was currently frozen and unmoving on the parchment and ink was pooling on the page. Harry followed his gaze to see Ron's brother's fiance Fleur had come in and sat down at the other end of the table, looking pleased about something. He felt the flush of warmth emanating from her direction and ignored it. Ron had also improved around Fleur, he no longer felt the need to shout when in proximity to her, or tried to get her attention, but occasionally he still slipped… like now.
When Ron ignored the fourth repetition of his name, Harry sighed and reached over, and smacked the back of his head. Ron's head jerked forward, and he seemed to snap back to himself.
Hermione was rolling her eyes in exasperation, "Honestly!" Before she turned her attention back to her book, muttering about boys and a lack of sense.
Ron flushed guiltily and his ears turned red before he looked down at his parchment. Several moments later he murmured out of the corner of his mouth, "Thanks, mate." Relieved he wasn't on the receiving end of a Hermione lecture. Harry grinned slightly and shook his head again, "No worries."
Harry shook his head, freeing himself from the sudden memory. The similarity between that action and how he had just acted with Malfoy had been jarring. That was added to the fact that years of experience had conditioned him to react to even the slightest hint of mental influence with immediate force, so it took a conscious effort to restrain the urge to turn his wand on her, and only the slight non-threatening familiarity of the effect had stayed his hand.
"What happened?" Draco's voice had a sound of concern in it. He was watching Harry with a worried expression.
"Veela allure. You were enthralled. I snapped you out of it. At least you weren't drooling." Harry replied as his face slipped back to an expressionless mask. Draco nodded slowly, "I'd honestly forgotten she was a Veela. I wasn't prepared. But I meant you. Are you okay?" Draco's tone was filled with worry.
Harry frowned, Draco… concerned? Yes. Hell indeed had frozen over. "I'm fine. I just remembered something and it caught me off guard."
Draco watched him for several seconds, he was wondering if Harry had thought that one of the two girls had represented some sort of actual threat, or had on their old world. "Are you going to be adding something else to our to do list for the day?"
Harry shook his head and his mouth tilted upwards in slight amusement. "No, like I said. Just a memory." He gestured, cutting off any follow-up questions. "C'mon. I want a shower before breakfast." Harry also made a mental note that if Malfoy was serious, that he needed practice until he could throw off an Imperius curse.
Draco watched Harry as he moved away from him, and then stopped and turned around to walk the other way with a mutter. "Sorry, Slytherin common room. I forgot."
Draco shook his head and fell into step beside Harry. His urge to reprimand Harry for his actions was forgotten as they walked and Harry seemed to once more be focused. He was also angry with himself for falling under the sway of a compulsion so easily. He was a…
Malfoy.
Draco frowned, he always used to throw his name around like it had meant everything. But now that he was really looking. It… meant nothing. Less than nothing. It meant his family was weak willed and sycophantic. Draco had determined to change things, and yet he'd just failed his first test when a girl about his own age had him completely at her mercy. Draco was determined to change that.
However, as he watched Harry he couldn't help but think. He had seen the pained expression on Harry's face as he mentioned memories. Draco had died on their last world. But he wondered, if maybe, just maybe… there were fates that were worse than dying. He didn't ask the questions, quite sure that Harry wouldn't answer at the current moment.
They didn't talk as they came back to the common room entrance, Draco quietly said "Fraternity" to the wall and entered the common room.
What they found was utter chaos. Fleur stared at the two retreating figures in astonishment. Her friend Aimee was standing beside her desperately trying not to break out into giggles.
It had been a particularly frustrating week for Fleur. She had been tortured at the World Cup. Fleur was just happy she had shielded her sister from almost all of it. Gabrielle had only been hit with a moment of the cruciatus, before Fleur had tackled her and interfered. She had never felt agony like that before. Fleur had been certain that she was going to die. And the only thing that kept her from wanting to die while she was under the torture curse was knowing that then they would turn their attention to Gabrielle.
Then out of nowhere they had been saved. By a man who saved them despite being faced with overwhelming numbers. All that they knew of him was that he spoke with an english accent, had green fire for eyes, and apparently knew exactly who she was. The person also put off more power than anyone she had ever encountered in her life. When he was casting she had felt the deluge of his power surrounding him. Felt like it was surrounding her and it overwhelmed her senses.
Fleur's father had been contacting different friends and connections in order to find out who it was. He had even let it known that there would be a significant galleon reward for anyone who could provide a legitimate lead. It was as much a personal search on behalf of his family as it was for the truth of what had happened.
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