'It's not too much, is it?' Harry asked, frowning again. 'I've never really done this before.' Fleur squeezed his hand, realising the effort he was making to be open with her family rather than hide all the parts of himself he was insecure or ashamed of.
Gabrielle, who had been sitting quietly for once, suddenly remembered her voice. 'If that's what he bought for you, I don't want to imagine what he bought Fleur.'
'I think I'll give you my present first,' Fleur joked, hoping he hadn't given her something that eclipsed her own gift to him by too much.
'It's a little more than we expected,' her mother replied diplomatically, 'it makes our present for you seem very inadequate.' Her mother passed him a soft package. 'Fleur mentioned that you don't actually own any dress robes, so we took the liberty of choosing you some suitably stylish ones. She said that black, dark greens or blues and silver suited you, so I hope you like them.' Harry raised an eyebrow at her and she laughed. 'I am veela,' Fleur reminded him. 'I can feel magic, not as well as Gabby, but I know when you're wearing transfigured clothing, it's saturated with your magic.'
Reaching into her pocket she pulled out the small cloth bag that she had discovered and used to keep Harry's present in.
'Here, this is my gift for you,' she smiled, opening it and presenting him with the thin circle of wood within. She hoped he liked the ring, it hadn't been at all easy to get right, there were half a hundred failed attempts in her room she hadn't managed to convince herself to throw away because they might have been for Harry.
'I made it from one of the branches of the willow tree,' she explained, letting him take the smooth, pale ring from her fingers. 'Fleur!' Gabby exclaimed in mock surprise, craning her neck to see what Harry was now holding. 'It's too early for you to get engaged, and Harry's meant to be the one who proposes to you,' she finished cheekily.
They both ignored her, though Fleur had no doubt that the heat on her cheeks was clearly visible.
I will strangle Gabby later, she decided vengefully.
'It's beautiful,' Harry smiled, admiring the patterns in the wood. 'What did you enchant it to do?' He asked curiously.
'It will help keep you safe,' Fleur told him, blushing slightly. 'Wear it on your wand hand,' she instructed him. 'It should prevent you being easily disarmed or injured. I cast the protective spells on it many times, but please don't try and test them.' 'Thank you,' he smiled, wrapping an arm around her waist to squeeze her tightly. Fleur leant in to his touch ever so slightly, aware that her parents were watching.
'My turn,' Gabrielle decided, dispelling the disillusionment on a large portrait in the corner. Turning around to hold it up in the light it covered Fleur's little sister from shin to head.
She had to admit that it was a beautiful picture, the willow and the river in the autumn sun, with Harry and her kissing against the trunk of their tree. It was a little concerning that Gabrielle had managed to get that image, though. Fleur remembered that day, and Gabrielle had not been nearby.
'I snuck down after you one day a while back and then sent the memory to a portrait maker in Paris,' Gabby explained. Her sister was so very proud of herself and Harry, despite the faint red tinge to his cheeks, seemed to like the image as well.
'You are the worst sister,' Fleur told Gabrielle fondly, 'but thank you, it is beautiful.'
'I'm your only sister,' Gabby declared cheerfully. 'Now let's see what Harry got for you,' she enthused, bouncing across to sit on the arm next to him.
'I couldn't think of anything that I could make, or create that would be anywhere near as good as something you could make yourself,' Harry admitted, 'so I thought I would give you these instead. I'm told they are useful for holding all sorts of things.'
He passed her the remaining present which clinked softly when he deposited it in her palm.
The paper unfolded to reveal a handful of very small, crystal bottles, stoppered with tiny, rune-engraved corks and filled with a swirling, silver nebula.
'Those are memories,' Fleur realised.
'I didn't just want you to have an empty set of vials, even if they are enchanted to be all but indestructible, so I put something important inside.' His voice had lowered to a very embarrassed whisper. Fleur knew without asking that they would be his memories of their times together.
She didn't press him on the subject, but leant across to kiss him gently on the cheek in thanks.
'The Yule Ball night is there,' he told her quietly, 'the Room of Requirement, and our meetings at the willow too.'
'Can I see?' Gabby asked, her eyes widening pleadingly.
'No,' Fleur childishly stuck her tongue out at her baby sister. 'They're mine.' She wasn't going to be sharing Harry's memories of their time together with anyone.
'Lunch will be in an hour,' her mother told her softly. 'If you want go watch the memories don't linger here, we'll keep Gabrielle out of mischief for a while.'
Fleur smiled gratefully at her mother, shot a smug look a her sulking sister and motioned to Harry, leading him down towards the basement.
'The basement?' Harry asked, confused.
'I'm not going to watch the memories now, they're the next best thing to having you here, so I won't waste my time watching them when I already have you.' 'So what are we up to?'
'Where did you really get those books from?' Fleur asked, halfway down the stairs and out of earshot. 'I know you didn't realise how rare they were.'
'I didn't lie,' he replied quickly. 'I stumbled across them at Hogwarts. I'll show you where one day, but not yet. You're right I didn't realise how rare they were, I had three copies of the one I gave your mother, and five of the book I gave your father.'
'I don't like it that you have secrets from me,' Fleur scowled.
'I still worry that eventually I will share a secret with you that will make you turn away from me,' Harry confessed. 'You are still an idiot,' Fleur told him softly.
'I know,' he smiled ruefully, 'you've told me three times today now.'
'Are there any secrets you do want to share with me?' She asked curiously.
'I want to share them all with you,' he told her honestly, as they drew to a stop in the wine cellar.
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