Champions

The announcement

Monday dawned dark and drizzly in stark contrast to Harry's mood. The chill caused Fleur to draw him closer as they trudged toward the castle, and he took significant comfort from her warmth. They were still riding high on the events of the weekend, incredibly pleased that the wedding had gone so smoothly.

The night that followed was a bit less than perfect, but in retrospect, that was to be expected.

While the boys in the Gryffindor dormitory often had crude conversations about girls, they always seemed to speak in some kind of code. Harry had, of course, heard of sex – and the various crass colloquialisms that referred to it – but he honestly had no clue what the word actually meant. There were no adults in his life who would explain such things to him, and he was too embarrassed about it to ask anyone.

That left Fleur to do the honors, and he could honestly say that it was the most embarrassing conversation that he had ever endured. She caught him totally off-guard when she tried to undress him, and his sudden panic clued her in that he had no idea why she would do such a thing. She was patient with him, though, and while she was equally embarrassed, they somehow got through it.

He likely would have run were she anyone else.

They would rather have waited a while before having such an intimate encounter, but they could do nothing about it. Consummation of their marriage was required for the repayment of the life debt, so they had no choice. That said, he could not deny that he enjoyed the experience immensely, and while he was still a bit hesitant about intimate contact, he was looking forward to the next time.

And in the end, it was good for their relationship. Fleur was a remarkably gentle woman, a far cry from his impression of her when they first met, and the way she handled the matter earned his complete trust. There were few important secrets remaining between them – none that he could actually think of, in fact – and between that and the knowledge that she would always be there for him, he felt a deep sense of peace and contentment.

But that only lasted until they entered the Great Hall.

They were a bit late in arriving for breakfast because Sebastian had some last minute things to discuss with them before they returned to Hogwarts, and the silence that fell at their appearance made it clear that the morning paper had already arrived. An involuntary blush suffused Harry's cheeks at the scrutiny, and Fleur didn't fare much better. He wasn't looking forward to the next few days.

Urgent whispers erupted throughout the hall as they made their way to their usual place at the Gryffindor table. Hundreds of curious, jealous, or hateful gazes burned into him, and it was all he could do not to turn around and head for the kitchens so they could eat in peace. Sure, he knew it was coming, but that did not make the scrutiny any easier to bear.

By the time they sat down, the whispers had escalated into a cacophony of shouting voices – most of them female, he noticed. A number of students even stood up to get a better view of the happy couple. With a heavy sigh, Harry let his head fall to the table before he even had a chance to take in the sympathetic expressions most of his friends were wearing.

Fleur gently rubbed his back in a silent offering of comfort, for what little good it did.

"Cheer up, Harry," said Hermione softly. "They'll get over it eventually, just like they always do."

Harry picked his head up and speared her with a dark glare. "Easy for you to say," he groused. "You're not the one who has to deal with it."

Hermione rolled her eyes and tossed her copy of the Daily Prophet across the table at him. "At least the article is good," she shrugged. "Could've been a whole lot worse."