Chương 257: Chapter 257: "Interlude: A Breath Before the Storm"
The days following the second task brought a whirlwind of changes to Hogwarts, with the aftermath of the underwater drama still echoing through the castle's old halls. As part of the compensation negotiated by Fleur with the headmasters for putting her sister in danger, young Gabrielle Delacour was given a special privilege: permission to stay at Hogwarts for a few days before her parents arrived to take her home.
Gabrielle, still in awe from her underwater adventure, stuck to Harry like glue. To her, he was the knight in shining armor straight out of her favorite fairy tales—the hero who had saved her and her sister from danger. Her excitement was contagious, and Harry found himself enjoying her company, especially since she often spilled Fleur's secrets in rapid French.
"Did you know," Gabrielle whispered conspiratorially one afternoon, her blue eyes wide with excitement, "that after you beat her in the tournament, Fleur couldn't stop talking about you? She tracked every bit of news about you she could find! She even had a scrapbook!"
Harry, fluent in French thanks to years of preparation, couldn't help but grin at this revelation. He glanced at Fleur, who was walking alongside them, trying her best to look indifferent but failing miserably to hide the blush creeping up her cheeks.
"Is that so?" Harry replied in French, his eyes twinkling with mischief and affection. "I had no idea I made such a lasting impression. A scrapbook, you say? How intriguing!"
Fleur, embarrassed, tried to silence her sister. "Gabby! That's enough! You shouldn't be telling Harry such things! They're private!"
But Gabrielle, ever the mischievous little sister and clearly loving her role as informant, giggled and darted behind Harry for protection. "But it's true! You were his biggest fan, even if you didn't want to admit it! She spent hours reading about your duels and your techniques, Harry!"
Harry couldn't help but laugh at Fleur's expression—a mix of embarrassment and affection. These moments, seeing Fleur's usually composed demeanor falter because of her sister's teasing, were priceless to him.
The four days with Gabrielle flew by in a blur of laughter and adventure, each moment more magical than the last. Harry, touched by the young girl's enthusiasm and determined to make her stay unforgettable, took it upon himself to show Gabrielle all the wonders Hogwarts had to offer.
He pulled out all the stops, using his extensive knowledge of the castle and his considerable magical skills to create a series of enchanting experiences for her.
One afternoon, to Gabrielle's utter delight, Harry enchanted a group of suits of armor to perform an elaborate dance routine in the corridors. The sight of the usually stoic metal figures twirling and spinning had Gabrielle in fits of giggles, and it even drew a crowd of amused students.
Another day, Harry convinced the house-elves to put on a miniature circus in the kitchens. The eager-to-please creatures juggled fruits, performed acrobatics with pots and pans, and even staged a comical cooking competition that left Gabrielle clapping with joy and the kitchen in cheerful chaos.
Perhaps the most memorable experience was the special tour of the Owlery that Harry arranged. Gabrielle got to feed treats to dozens of magical birds, from tiny Scops owls to majestic Eagle owls. She was in awe as Harry showed her how to attach a letter and send an owl on its way, her eyes wide with wonder as she watched the birds soar off into the distance.
As Gabrielle's stay came to an end, her love for Hogwarts had only grown. On her last evening, as they sat in the Ravenclaw common room surrounded by Harry's friends—who had grown fond of the lively young girl—Gabrielle declared with a mix of excitement and sadness, "I want to stay forever! It's so boring at home. No magic, no adventures, no Harry!"
The goodbye the next morning was bittersweet. Harry, Fleur, and a small group of students who had been charmed by Gabrielle's infectious personality gathered to see her off. As Gabrielle hugged Harry tightly, she whispered one last secret in his ear, her voice filled with the solemn importance only a child could muster, "Fleur writes your name in her diary with little hearts around it."
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With Gabrielle's departure, Harry and Fleur found themselves at a crossroads. The excuse of spending time together for Gabrielle's sake was gone, yet neither wanted to return to stolen moments and secret meetings. To Harry's surprise and delight, Fleur seemed more relaxed about being seen with him in public, no longer worried about maintaining a facade of rivalry.
"Madame Maxime has... adjusted her expectations," Fleur explained one balmy evening as they strolled hand in hand by the lake, the setting sun casting a golden glow over the water. "She believes no one stands a chance against you in the tournament, so she's encouraging me to learn from you instead. She thinks an alliance with you could be beneficial for Beauxbatons."
This shift in dynamics allowed Harry to fully bring Fleur into his circle of friends. Cedric, Arabella, and the others welcomed her warmly, impressed by her wit and charm. As the days passed, the Hogwarts rumor mill went into overdrive, wildly speculating about the nature of Harry and Fleur's relationship. Theories ranged from a purely strategic alliance to a secret engagement, with every possibility in between being debated in common rooms and corridors.
Finally, during a particularly rowdy game of Exploding Snap in their usual hangout spot, Roger blurted out the question that had been on everyone's minds. "Alright, mate, spill it," he said, eyeing Harry and Fleur with curiosity and exasperation. "What's really going on between you two? The suspense is killing us!"
Harry, catching Fleur's eye and receiving a slight nod of approval, grinned broadly. "Well, if you must know," he said, pausing for dramatic effect, "we're together. Have been for a while now, actually."
The revelation was met with a mix of cheers, good-natured teasing, and more than a few exchanged Galleons as bets were settled. The room buzzed with excitement as their friends peppered them with questions about how it all began.
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While Harry and Fleur enjoyed their newfound openness and the simple pleasure of being able to walk hand in hand through the castle, not everyone at Hogwarts was having such a pleasant time. Hermione, in particular, found herself in the middle of a nasty media storm. Rita Skeeter's articles, growing more sensational by the day, painted her as a manipulative heartbreaker, playing with both Charles Potter and Viktor Krum's affections for her own gain.
The backlash was swift and cruel. Hate mail poured in by the dozens, some even containing nasty hexes that left Hermione in tears more than once.
Hagrid, too, was struggling after Skeeter's exposé about his giant heritage. His classes had become subdued, with many students treating him with a mix of fear and distrust. The once cheerful gamekeeper now moved about the castle like a shadow of his former self, his usual enthusiasm dampened by the cruel whispers that followed him.
The Golden Trio did their best to cheer him up, but despite their efforts, Hagrid remained downcast, the sparkle gone from his beetle-black eyes.
Harry, due to his own commitments, wasn't fully aware of what was happening at Hogwarts. Otherwise, he would have offered to help Hagrid through this difficult time. But with his study load and a certain French witch occupying his time, Harry had little opportunity to take care of other matters around the castle.
Skeeter had, however, managed to keep her quill away from Harry's affairs. The threat of Azkaban seemed to have worked, and she kept her distance from Harry. This didn't stop her from targeting others, but at least Harry and his friends were spared her venomous writing.
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As May drew to a close, Harry settled into a comfortable routine. Mornings were spent in classes or working on his apprenticeship duties with Professor Flitwick. Afternoons were dedicated to training, pushing his magical and physical limits even further. Evenings were a mix of study sessions with his friends and quiet moments with Fleur, often spent by the lake or in hidden corners of the castle.
Despite the looming third task, Harry felt more at peace than he had in years. His relationship with Fleur brought warmth and joy to his life that he hadn't realized he was missing. His friendships were stronger than ever, and his magical abilities continued to grow by leaps and bounds, each day bringing new discoveries and mastery of complex spells.
Yet, as the final week of May arrived, a sense of anticipation began to build within Harry. The third task was approaching quickly, and with it, the potential confrontation with Voldemort that Harry had been preparing for all year. He had contingency plans in place for various scenarios, knowing that the absence of the Polyjuiced Barty Crouch Jr. as Moody meant things could unfold differently than in the books.
As he lay in bed on the night of May 26th, the night before they would learn about the third task, Harry's mind raced with possibilities. He was confident in his abilities, certain that he could handle whatever Voldemort might throw at him. But there was also a thrill of excitement running through him—the thought of finally confronting the Dark Lord in his own body was both intimidating and exhilarating.
Harry knew that facing Voldemort when he had been just a parasite on Quirrell's head had been easy compared to what was coming. This would be the real test—a chance to match his skills against the Dark Lord at full strength. Despite the gravity of the situation, part of Harry looked forward to proving that he had surpassed Voldemort in power and skill.
Even so, Harry found himself struggling with a moral dilemma. He had the power, the knowledge, and the means to end the war before it even started. If he told Sirius and Amelia about Voldemort's imminent return, he was sure that, with their help and his own abilities, they could set a trap that would finish the Dark Lord once and for all.
But something held him back. He wasn't convinced that killing Voldemort right away was the best move. Harry had a broader perspective, one that looked beyond the immediate threat of Voldemort.
He could see many future conflicts, not just in the wizarding world but with the Muggle world as well. Before dealing with those larger threats, Harry wanted to cleanse the British wizarding world of the corruption and complacency that had allowed someone like Voldemort to rise in the first place. He wanted to make sure the wizarding world moved in the right direction, becoming stronger and more united before facing these future challenges.
This internal conflict made it hard for Harry to make a decision. He knew the fine line between strategic planning and manipulating events "for the greater good," as Dumbledore had done. Harry was determined not to become like the Headmaster—pulling strings from behind the scenes without regard for individual lives. This determination complicated his choices.
After much thought, Harry decided to let events unfold naturally, at least for now. He would face Voldemort alone, using all his power to fight the Dark Lord personally. If, by some twist of fate, Voldemort managed to escape, Harry thought it wouldn't be the end of the world. By not involving outside help, Harry was offering Voldemort a final chance at a fair confrontation—a decision that didn't sit comfortably with him, but one he felt was necessary to avoid becoming the very thing he opposed.
Harry imagined two possible scenarios. If Voldemort fell by his hand, then Harry would need to quickly turn his focus to battling the entrenched corruption within the Ministry and other institutions.
But if Voldemort survived and war broke out, Harry was determined to use the conflict as an opportunity for change, making sure that the wizarding world that emerged from the ashes would be stronger, fairer, and better prepared for future challenges.
This middle-ground approach wasn't perfect, and Harry knew it had its flaws. If Voldemort escaped even after Harry did his best, he could accept it as fate's handiwork. Harry understood that this decision still put him in a position of manipulating events, but he vowed to ensure that any conflict would be as short and contained as possible, minimizing casualties.
Harry held on to one key difference between himself and Dumbledore: while he might not be perfect, he was committed to being a strategist, not a puppet master. He would make decisions and take actions openly, accepting the consequences and adjusting his course as needed, rather than secretly controlling events from the shadows.
As sleep finally began to take him, Harry's last thoughts were of the future he hoped to build—a future where the wizarding world wasn't held back by outdated beliefs and prejudices, where magical beings of all kinds could live in harmony, and where the threat of dark wizards rising to power was a thing of the past. With these ambitious goals in mind, Harry drifted off to sleep, ready to face whatever the coming days would bring.
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