Champions

Family Meeting

Harry and Fleur spent nearly two more hours out by the lake, and while they didn't touch on anything horrifically personal, it went a long way toward making Harry feel more comfortable with her. If nothing else, her lack of experience in the romance department was a huge relief! Neither of them knew what to expect, and they would be figuring it out together.

She also – very hesitantly – brought up the issue of her attitude, and he was surprised to find that it was something that she had purposely cultivated. Early on at Beauxbatons, she had not been able to escape the drooling boys and jealous girls, and was forced to push them away. She admitted that it had so far prevented her from making any real friends.

While it was not how he would have chosen to handle the situation, Harry took it in stride as much as he could, and resolved to keep an open mind. He did have some of the same issues – his scar drew more attention than he would have liked – but he could admit that it was different. The way Ron alone reacted to her spoke volumes, and really, it would be an annoying way to live.

As for himself, he didn't have a whole lot to tell her. He didn't know her nearly well enough to get into his life before Hogwarts, and there wasn't all that much else to say about himself. Apart from explaining how his friends came to be – she got a kick out of the troll incident – he had little that he was comfortable sharing. Fortunately, she seemed to understand.

It was back to classes after that, and as they were both behind due to the many practice sessions they held for the Tournament, they didn't see each other again until Wednesday evening. At Sebastian's request, he met Fleur at the Beauxbatons carriage, from where they were to take the Floo to Chateau Delacour in France. It was time for the family meeting, and he was desperately nervous!

"Are you ready?" she asked as he stood there staring into the fire.

Harry glanced at her and nodded, but couldn't bring himself to speak. He felt as though his journey through that fireplace would irrevocably change his life! He was no closer to accepting the change in guardianship – let alone his impending marriage! – and this would make it so much more... real!

He even dressed up for the occasion. What few normal clothes he had were horrendous, so he had little choice but to wear the same robes that he wore to the Yule Ball. Fleur was surprised when she saw him – the way her eyebrows leapt off her face said it all – but fortunately, she had the tact not to mention it.

And now, here he was, about to make the leap...

"Relax, 'Arry," she advised. "You 'ave already met Papa and Gabrielle, and Maman does not bite."

Harry flushed in embarrassment at being so transparent, and as he smiled sheepishly up at her, he was momentarily struck by her beauty. For anyone else, she would not have been much to look at in her Beauxbatons blue everyday robes. For Fleur, however, the effect was stunning, and it made him feel very inadequate, which did not help matters!

She handed him the pot without further ado, and he obediently reached in and took a pinch of the powder. And then, as he tossed it into the fire and watched the flames turn green, he took a deep, steadying breath. This was it!

"Chateau Delacour!" he called out as he stepped in.

The ride was nothing like he expected. His only real experience was the short hop between the Burrow and Diagon Alley, but this was something else entirely! Grate after grate flashed by, and it went on seemingly forever! By the time he tumbled out of the fireplace on the other end, he felt like ten minutes had passed.

He landed in an undignified heap, and silently cursed his seeming inability to handle any form of magical travel whatsoever.

Groaning in discomfort, he cautiously pushed himself back to his feet and tried to refrain from dusting his robes off over the beautiful white marble flooring. The room he arrived in was stunning. It was clearly an entrance hall of some sort, but even so, it practically cried out to him that this room alone was probably worth more than his entire vault!